Lindows Media Computer: Power to Strike Microsoft? 227
Augustus writes "LinuxHardware.org has just published the first review of the Lindows Media Computer from iDOTpc.com. The review covers the hardware behind the machine but also goes through all of the machine's claimed functionality:
"After looking over all the media hype, I went searching for one of these little machines. Could the Lindows Media Computer really pull off meeting the new Windows machine in a pitched battle? It did boast "Instant on" DVD, CD, MP3, and VCD playback as one of the prime features. And, it was only a fraction of the price for a Windows Media Center system. At the time, only one vendor had them available, iDOTpc.com. After some communication, the folks at iDOTpc.com were kind enough to loan me one of the units to take for a spin." You can find the full review over at LinuxHardware.org."
DVD Playback ... ? (Score:2, Insightful)
I dont care if DMCA or DCMA or whatever is unethical or not, it it a law , which makes watching DVDs on linux illegal (the encrypted ones only).
And 99$ for one year of subscription, man at that price m$ looks like a cheap option. Don't tell me with 99$ you get a lot more than a bare bone OS.Coz a typical lindows user wont need MySQl, PGSQL, Apache, etc etc.
Is it just me, who feels that this whole concept of dumbed-down linux, rediculous ? The average joe doesn't care about GNU, GPL, free sheech/beer (well he does care about the beer
And geeks have better things to do , like build their distro from scratch than be bothered by such dumb distors
Bold link (Score:1, Insightful)
I'm seeing a theme here... (Score:5, Insightful)
First they release an AOL Computer that can't access AOL, and now they're making a Media Computer that can't play media.
Just because they're pissing off Microsoft doesn't make them a good company.
Microsoft-killer? AHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah maybe (Score:2, Insightful)
God. Pitiful... just fucking awful. It's like the worst features of Windows meet the worst features of Linux, and a retard put it all together so other retards could half-use it but no one could fully use it. How anyone could consider it even a serious contender on the desktop, let alone a "MS striker", is beyond the comprehension of an intelligent human.
Lindows will die and Bill Gates won't even giggle. That's how little of a threat they are.
I don't trust Lindows (Score:5, Insightful)
When I was working for a .com that was trying to choose a name, the marketing folks made some very strong points for why you don't have to choose something that people are familiar with. Given that we were promoting widgets, they recommended we not name ourselves widgets.com, ourwidgets.com, or ewidgets.com. Their argument was that if you have a good product you can create your own name. Does Yahoo! need the word "directory" in their name? Does Ebay need the word "Auctions" in its name? Using something wacky wasn't going to hurt you, and it would allow you to later branch out into other markets.
Software developers really need to look at this lesson. Repeat after me, "The name of your program doesn't have to start with 'Win', 'g', 'k', 'Java', or 'X'".
Somebody replied to a similar rant of mine here on slashdot. They said that if you wrote a program that browsed Ebay auctions, you should be allowed to put ebay in the name. Maybe you should be allowed to, but that might prevent you from also supporting Yahoo or some other auction site in the future. Its not a good idea.
In the case of Lindows, the fact that they are using the name of their competitor cheapens them. I have to wonder why they don't think they can't create their own hype. Is their product not good enough?
Re:Quite possible (Score:4, Insightful)
True, but it has to work first.
The article was quite clear on the inability of this particular product to perform as advertised. The author was also more than a little disappointed at the customer service from Lindow's.
Flawed approach (Score:5, Insightful)
And who buys these "media PCs" anyway? Does anyone have any info on the size of this market?
Re:DVD Playback ... ? (Score:4, Insightful)
As for Lindows, I fully agree. I like what Lindows is trying to do for Linux but I wouldn't pay $99 a year to be able to download otherwise free software. There may be a few exceptions (StarOffice) that are non-free and available with their service but in general you're right. I think a "pay-as-you-go to download certified software" option might have wider acceptance than a subscription but if MS moves towards a subscription model for the home (and based on what they're doing for businesses this is a possibility) then it's no longer such a bad idea. Personally, I buy a distro DVD twice a year for $50, stage it on my webserver, and use it to update a dozen boxes I watch over. So my way runs $8/year/PC which is right where I want it.
As for the "average Joe", I like to use my dad as a point of reference. He is from the "pen and paper" crowd. I installed Linux on his PC and he doesn't even know that the OS has been replaced. What he DOES know is he wants a word processor, a spreadsheet program, email, and a browser. Well, he has those and he's perfectly happy. Would he have switched on his own? I can safely say never, because he just wants to get work done
Lindows is smart in this respect because they understand this "joe user" inertia. If somebody walks into BestBuy and walks out with a Lindows PC, in 99% of the cases it will be left with exactly what came preinstalled pretty much until the PC needs to be replaced. I don't think they seriously expect "savvy" Linux users to start switching to Lindows in droves. Personally, I think they're helping bring additional OEM support for Linux and that's a good thing. However, I doubt they'll sell many boxed copies of their distro because savvy folks would rather use RedHat/Mandrake/SuSE/etc and "joe users" wouldn't know how to begin comtemplating an OS switch.
Re:Flawed approach (Score:4, Insightful)
MS Media Center OS is not the same as XP. Similar base, but not the same. I couldn't even find prices for the OS, since you have to buy a box with it preinstalled. Bestbuy.com isnt taking orders anymore, gateway starts at $1700, compusa at 1400, bestbuy was 1700.....these are medium priced, not cheap.
As to the size of the market: I am betting it IS the next market. The current versions are just glorified computers, but the general idea of the product is what will replace your home stereo,dvd player, etc. A single box. Even my mom would like this, to surf on the tv (once tvs are all high definition) instead of the Dell I bought her.
Its still a young market, but it is the direction it is going. One box to act as internet router, surfer, music getter and player, dvd player, porno downloader, etc.....
All you need is a wireless keyboard and mouse, (and maybe wireless video for a seperate monitor to use in other rooms), and yea, I could see every home needing one of these instead of the current methods of a buttload of seperate parts. that may or maynot work well together. Then we could have it all in one convenient box that doesn't work very well
Re:Text (Score:4, Insightful)
Nice idea, but not there yet (Score:3, Insightful)