The Agony and Ecstasy Of Becoming a Linux OEM 164
jammag writes "An article at the site Datamation, entitled Becoming a Linux OEM: A Roadmap, talks about the challenges (and rewards) of selling hardware with Linux pre-installed — most likely a growth market in the years ahead. The interesting part is the description of how some smaller Linux OEMs have made it. The bottom line: surviving as a Linux OEM requires far more than making it as a Windows OEM. In particular, you have to make the systems idiot-proof for users who don't care a whit about what OS they're using."
It's still a niche (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Since viruses are not as big of a concern on Linux (about the worst one could do is screw up a user account) companies will spend less money on technical support if they are a Linux OEM.
Lowering the cost of doing business goes directly to a company's bottom line and increases profits. Imagine that - making money on Free Software!
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Evans highlight and click both mouse buttons i didn't know that and bash likes it too, i always had to use right click and paste from the menu till now thank you for posting.
Re: (Score:2)
Then that person isn't a candidate for a Linux upgrade (just like they weren't a candidate for an XP upgrade). Linux isn't for everyone, it's for people who don't want things the way they are now.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
also how you can't run windows programs on linux.
People except that you can't run windows programs on a MAC why insist on a higher standard for linux.
as for the geek, unsupported!
Re: (Score:1)
I wouldn't say I'm a noob, but I'm not a Linux god either.
Your perception of linux usability is outdated by Ubuntu. It is much easier to install and use than for example WXP. In the end by far the most users want something that just works. Between working and working they will go for the cheap. Linux is for free. I rest my case.
Of course this ode ignores us
THAT is the real last hurdle. (Score:5, Interesting)
And from TFA:
I remember submitting reviews of NIC's years and years and years ago to one of the public hardware sites. That was then bought out and killed by a media company.
Ubuntu is collecting the information, but it hasn't put it out in a friendly format yet.
I'd like to see a bootable CD from a Linux distributor that will identify everything it can on a box and output that to something that I can upload to a website.
Then that website would identify the components that auto-magically work with their distribution (version A or B or C
And try a "best guess" at the components that it did not recognize AND the components that it did recognize that do NOT work auto-magically.
And allow the user to enter descriptions of the components that were not recognized.
The final goal being that I can take a CD into Fry's and ask to boot it to see if I want that system or not. Down to the component level. Yes, I like that system, but I want it with a soundcard that is supported.
Do that and you'll see more HARDWARE sales tied to Linux. And happier Linux users.
And I want a pony and a plastic rocketship.
Re:THAT is the real last hurdle. (Score:4, Informative)
But there's much more to it than that (see link above): You need a number of disciplines and structures in order to behave like a stable platform on PCs. If users don't see that consistency, and app developers aren't given a nurturing starting point (like Apple's XCode and ADC), and there is no clearcut way to distribute apps independently, then there will be a lack of top-notch applications to draw users to the OS.
Because we are not having this and many other discussions around LSB, because LSB isn't targeted by app devs, the software genre we fuzzily call 'Linux' just isn't a real computing platform. At least not one that is meaningful non-systems geeks, which is why the Linux genre tends to be only popular with sysadmins and system hackers. Users and the app devs that cater to them are still repelled.
Re: (Score:2)
I am certainly planning on buying my next computer with Linux pre-installed. Not because I am not going to wipe the drive as soon as I get it (because I will), but because I don't have to worry about the hardware not working with Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm optimistic that if Dell has success selling the Ubuntu pre-installed machines, that hardware makers will feel more pressure to make certain that their hardware is linux friendly.
Re: (Score:2)
My boss is moderately interested in Linux, mostly because it can save him money by going the OSS road. Basically, we've laid out plans to replace all our software with OSS ones and build those we can't replace ourselves.
He recently installed openSUSE on his brand new laptop, dual booting with Vista. He found it moderately easy and entertaining, but I'm pretty sure he would've bought an OEM Linux laptop when he had a decent chance.
As long as managers take decisions like
It's a matter of convenience (Score:2)
Then there are people like me, who are perfectly capable of doing a self-install, but want the convenience of being able to spec out a machine, order it, have it delivered, open the box, hook it up, and just have it WORK. My time is valuable, and I don't want to waste it worrying about possible hardware incompatibilities. Let someon
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Debian is quite used, as is Fedora. (K)Ubuntu is also growing fast. And remember, Brazil is one of the homes of Mandriva.
We also have lots of derivatives.
Dell and the embedded world (Score:5, Insightful)
As for the embedded world, they've had it made since the early days of SBC's running Linux in rom, Linksys WRT54G, and now Tivo's.
Embedded works because there is no user (Score:4, Insightful)
Getting Linux onto the desktop requires a great deal more user interaction. I think though that Linux is getting there. Windows is not much easier to use than Linux, but it does need a lot more support from hardware vendors to get to the "just works" level.
Unless you're talking about Vista.... (Score:4, Interesting)
Vista on the other hand is still playing catchup. And by the time Gutsy Gibson comes out, you think they'll have those problems licked? Christ, they're talking Service Pack now... remember what happened last time Microsoft tried to do one of those? Anybody with SP2 was being advised by just about every support department (I know because I was working with MSN support at the time) to downgrade back to SP1. For over a year after SP2 was released. A YEAR! I'll put money that Gutsy will have more hardware natively supported quicker than Vista. And its final release is still two months away!
I dunno. I think now that Dell and other major OEMs are starting to jump on the linux bandwagon, the commercial driver support is sure to follow, if it hasn't already (Big Blue, Novell, SGI, just to name a few).
And user interaction increasing between Linux and Windows? I dunno about you, but I've found the Ubuntu install process [dantup.me.uk] to be more intuitive and easier to deal with than Vista's billion-screen install [windowsreinstall.com]. Not to mention you can browse the internet, chat on messenger, listen to music, etc. WHILE THE OS IS INSTALLING. The default settings are made so the transition from Windows is fairly easy.
Yeah, there's still a few kinks. But whereas Linux was for tinkerers and hobbyists in the late 90s, and around when RH8 came out it became simple for the experienced computer user, now I'd be willing to throw linux in for any intermediate computer user. That is to say, not ready for Grandma yet but a hell of a lot closer than it ever has been.
I've been Ubuntu-cheerleading a lot here, but it's nice to see that over the last 5 years of linux (the time I've been a user of it) it's improved tremendously in the user-interface department. And it's only going up from here. And a lot of that has to do with some of the more recent distros, namely Knoppix and Ubuntu.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
- Microsoft Product & Support Services (they actually had a SP2 removal hotline going on)
- Dell
- HP/Compaq
- MSN
- IBM
- Just about every other major home OEM
And they were pretty damn justified in doing it. Mainly because for the first year SP2 consistently broke stuff. Only real solution was to go back to SP1 until they had ironed out all the kinks.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I certainly agree with your sentiment that Linux has become WAY simpler over the last few years. I'm not sure whether I'd go so far as to say Linux became simple for
Re: (Score:2)
That being said, I have used Linux since Windows 2000 (actually never installed Windows XP on my personal systems) and never had to look back. Sure I'm a power user, but I never thought it was very difficult to install or use with proper hardware (no winmodems). Windows 95 was about the same difficulty of installing since you also had to mess a lo
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I said "blind spot" earlier, but I think that failed to include the denial that is commonly heard when this is pointed out. Thanks for providing a sterling example. Remember, I was only speaking of the impression given to outsiders, and only for those distros that give
Re: (Score:2)
You didn't, but that was probably intentional.
The official page is not a page for (unpaid) support or discussion. They refer users to ubuntuforums and IRC.
Newcomers (i.e. outsiders) do indeed go to community support forums, where they will only see codenames used in the discussions. The practice is so widespread that it's not even worth debating. Whether you think it matters or not is up to you.
The existence of drivers is not enough (Score:2)
For instance, I recently installed Fedora on a system. This went pretty seamlessly, except that I wanted to use a dual monitor. The installtion video driver was not enough and I needed to find and install the NVidia rpms. Bummer was that the NVIDIA rpms were not built for xen, so I had to switch to a non-xen kernel (fiddle with GRUB etc). Not too hard, but a lot more hassle then Joe Average would be able to handle. XP worked straight out the box. Perhaps Ubuntu i
Re: (Score:2)
I installed two cards to a plain-vanilla box; one is a SoundBlaster Audigy, the other a four-port IDE card so I could use my old drives on a new SATA machine. In Fedora, both cards were detected at boot time and installed without a hitch. For XP, it couldn't identify the soundcard (not a particularly obscure one I might point out) nor could it find the drivers on the Internet. I still haven't found the magic combination to make sound work. As for the IDE card,
This is exactly.... (Score:2)
No actually, (Score:2)
I'm not saying SP2 was a bad thing in any way shape or form - having a firewall made available through the OS explicitly was great, being able to reset the winsocks was great, popup blocker in IE6 ruled...
But it wasn't ready for a year after it was released.
Embedded works because there is the use (Score:2)
The embedded space is different (Score:2, Interesting)
That's because everyone's got Linux. The same isn't true for Windows.
The worst case scenario means I h
The GPL embedded world (Score:1)
Well, I totally agree with you on this one. And I hope that, while they are at it, all these companies embracing GNU/Linux as their OS of choice declare it openly and distribute their GPL source code to the customers. Because there are sooooo bloody many GPL violations these days, specially in the embedded market...
If any of you know of any violation, PLEASE do report it at GPL Violations [gpl-violations.org].
Keep up the community work!
most people just want what works (Score:1)
Re:most people just want what works (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
"just works"
Re:most people just want what works (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Every once in a while, you'll come up with some esoteric hardware combination where two drivers clash with each other. (People who regularly build PCs know what I mean). And if you're an OEM, you're encouraged to provide either no reinstallation mechanism (easy), an automated building CD (rather than a standard Windows install CD) or a second-partition based installer. Neither of these are a case of "click... click... job done" - particularly not if you're working w
Re: (Score:1)
These guys sell machines that don't play MP3's out of the box? Maybe that's why I've never heard of them. Welcome to 1992!
Re: (Score:2)
This is actually starting to affect Windows users as well. With Vista, Microsoft introduced a new driver model, but did not allow enough time for manufacturers to make stable drivers. Now, you're getting lots of incompatibilities with older hardware, especially laptops where power management drivers that were just becoming stable hav
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
I've seen this a lot, plenty of people for whom Windows "Just works", and for the reasons mentioned - mostly they don't go around downloading everything they see, and runing it, and trusting every email blindly. Add to that a good firewall router, and they are just as happy as clams.
Evil is right, there is room for both Windows and Linux out there, as well as several other OSes.
If Linux were more popular in the user community, how long do you think it would be befo
Hell I can do that right now. (Score:3, Informative)
What's your email address? I'll send you one today.
The problem is NOT sending the email.
The problem is getting enough new people to run the script so that the infection rate exceed the disinfection rate. Otherwise the "virus" will "die" when it is "in the wild".
The more s
Re: (Score:2)
Paid any attention to this greeting card thing that is running amok as we speak? there are plenty of noobs out there that will click something for no apparent good reason.
Nope. Microsoft's security model is badly broken in MANY places. Think back to their last anti-trust trial where they claimed that "integrating" IE's code with th
Re: (Score:2)
XP doesn't come with a web server installed, or sendmail, or ping/ssh/ftp/sftp/scp/etc. services.
XP ships with IIS, its just not installed by default (which is the correct behavior). This includes an FTP server and an SMTP server if you choose to install them when you install the web server. It's all part of IIS.
XP includes ping and ftp. They're called 'ping' and 'ftp' respectively.
All windows boxes ARE sorely lacking in that there's no SSH/SCP/SFTP server built in by default.
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, I forgot to mention - unless the updates are done automatically, then most users won't bother with updating their machines in Linux any more than in Windows. So even if it is fixed, may computers will have a security hole that remains.
The only "real" solution is to make a diversified network.
For home PCs, I'd say
30
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Many of the problems that keep Linux from gaining a bigger slice of desktop market are known and could be solved. But the people who have the skills to solve these problems aren't interested in them. The standard response to "user" issues is: Well, why don't YOU write the patch / app / whatever.
But you see, most "average" users are not programmers, and don't want to be programmers. As long as the people with the programming skills requir
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, it's not as bad today as it was 5 years ago.
But even now, there are a few mailing lists and groups which are notoriously hostile towards anyone who asks what they consider to be a newbie question. Fortunately, such lists are mostly those dedicated to fairly technical pieces of software which most desktop users won't ever go near (will they, OpenLDAP?) but if you think they've died out altogether, I regret you are much mistaken.
Re:most people just want what works (Score:5, Insightful)
But those people with the skills that you're talking about don't give a flying fuck about Linux ruling the desktop market. They have what works for them, and do it for the love of doing it.
Besides, in my opinion that kind of polish is the job of the distro makers to pull it all together. If some distro wants to take on Microsoft on the desktop, then they'll fund developers doing that work (as Canonical is doing with Ubuntu), so I don't really see a problem or a need to villify developers who've already given you a whole boatload of free software as lazy.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The path is IMO quite clear - Linux is in the server room. The closest to that is office w
Re:most people just want what works (Score:4, Insightful)
Go to Best Buy and count how many programs you can buy for Windows. Now count how many for the Mac and then how many for Linux.
Go and look for a printer that says that it will work with Linux, WiFi card, Webcam,
This is from the end users stand point mind you.
One of the big problems for Linux is the lack of a stable binary driver interface. Even if you are going to make your drivers FOSS you can not just stick a cd in the box or post the driver on your website. The faithful will say that there is no need for the hardware manufacture to make a driver since they can just give out the specs. Well yes but then you have to wait for your driver to be included in the the kernel and then for them to be included in the distros.....
The hardware people all control of when the support will get to the end user that way. So even if a company creates a driver for a piece of hardware and makes it FOSS they may have to wait months before it becomes available as part of the kernel.
This isn't an issue for the embedded space or servers but it really is a pain for the average end user.
Yes there is a lot of really good free software that you can run on a Linux desktop but sometimes you just want to play Age of Empires, WOW, or buy that $10 set of card games at Best Buy.
Re: (Score:1)
The hardware people all control of when
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
So yes here is an example of it happening. I had to call the hardware company and get the tar ball compile it and build a new kernel to get my server up.
It isn't just a problem with getting in to the kernel tree. The problem is that the hardware compa
Re: (Score:2)
2. A script to compile the driver? Are you new to Linux? They almost always come with a script but not everyone has gcc installed or even the correct version of GCC. You can not just compile drivers and use them off the disk. Every driver I have ever worked with must have the kernel source installed and you must build the driver for the kernel. Sometimes you can use the force option
Re: (Score:2)
The other option, of course, is to ma
Re: (Score:2)
But when you are talking about sound cards, raid controllers, video cards, and even multi-function printers I think will be living with drivers for a long time.
Re: (Score:2)
Familiar? - check. I've used it for 6 years now.
"Just Works(tm)" - check. With _all_ my hardware, including wireless networks, every video card I've tried (both nVidia and ATI), winmodems (not my idea), and cheap-ass all-in-one printer/scanner/copiers. All my software too, most important being AutoCAD, and of course all my games from the original Civ and MOO to Oblivion.
Best of all, it's free (as in beer).
Re: (Score:2)
If there's ecstasy in becoming a Linux OEM... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Is this FUD? (Score:3, Insightful)
There are looming possibilities of "patent claims" and "copyright infringement" against linux and the components that various distributions include. As a Linux OEM, I would think that fact poses significant risk to your business. It only takes one weird case/judge/lobby such as the old JPG copyright scares, etc to potentially put you at legal risk.
Again I'm not saying such a thing would be justified, but the possibility of it...when it's your money on the line is scary.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
But let's say that you sold a distribution that included software for playing DVD's. If the DVD powers-that-be come along and claim that wasn't allowed, you now have a responsibility to your customers to provide the functionality that the system was supposed to have....which could mean that you have to cough up the money for DVD decoder.
Re: (Score:1)
There are serious legal concerns regarding patent claims and copyright infringement regarding components needed for desktop systems. Desktop customers don't want to see even a dialog box saying "The MP3 codec is not installed, download and install it?" they just want the box to play MP3s.
Of course, whether or not you or your customers will get sued as the OEM is an open question. No one ever really got sued by Unisys over the LZW77 comp
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft just released the latest "Be all, End all" OS called Vista, which if reviews are to be believed, has some SERIOUS issues which aren't going to go away anytime soon (e.g. Audio/Networking fiasco). The wholesale changes made to Windows, and none of the originally promised goodies and all the garbage that was left is scarier than any IP FUD being dug up by Microsoft and SCO.
No longer are the problems "Potential", but have crossed over to "Reality".
"You are coming to a sad realizati
Re: (Score:2)
If you are that concerned about the patent issues, you can always sell one of the distributions that have signed a deal the Microsoft. I installed Suse 10.02 last night and I have to admit I would be comfortable installing it on my 78 year old mother's machine. It has come that
Legality isn't a problem (Score:2)
A small Linux OEM can really only handle small, medium businesses, but they're already locked into Microsoft before you get anywhere near them. Hell, even the enterprise councils people give away Windows based busines
Re: (Score:1)
One would think folks would be more concerned with the legal challenges Microsoft is facing on multiple fronts (European Union and patent issues to name just two). But, no, that Linux thing, that's REALLY got some problems.
Re:Is this FUD? (Score:4, Informative)
First thing to understand is that so far, there has not been a single proven case of patent infringement against Linux. Many people have claimed patent infringement against various packages on Linux and of those, there has been only two; MP3/4, which was IMO an unethical and barely legal patent, and DeCSS, though DeCSS wasn't really a patent claim when you get down to it.
Instead, what you have is someone like Micro$oft claiming that Linux violates their patents, but refuse to produce or defend the patents. You have people like $COX claiming that Linux violates their copyright, but refuse to demonstrate the violations, and when forced to by a judge, the judge effectively laughed them out of court. Please note that I am not saying that Linux doesn't violate any patents or copyrights, however, the simple fact is that, no one has been successful at proving that it does.
It should also be pointed out that there are quite a few companies who have come out and offered Linux both patent protection and patent amnesty, should it be determined that Linux is somehow violating their patents. This is the critical piece as most, if not all of these companies, are now donating code directly to Linux and the Open Source movement. Such notables as Novell, IBM, and SUN.
Finally, as a distributor, you have an ethical obligation to defend your clients from these patent / copyright claims, however, you also have the right to choose what packages you will distribute and support, but even more importantly you have the right to choose what not to distribute and support. One of the tricks with Ubuntu is that they tell you upfront that they do not distribute MP3/4 or DeCSS packages, nor will they defend their customers from claims in reference to these packages.
Re: (Score:2)
That's the first thing from the stereotype
Re: (Score:1)
Micro$oft has twice been convicted of monopolistic tactics and is currently involved in three other cases of a similar nature, two of them are statewide class action suits as well. They have been fo
Re: (Score:2)
Given the paucity of significant investment opportunities in those areas - so what? (Not to mention that 'not losing' is as much a matter of luck as anything else.)
The moment you so lightly dismissed the patent question, you stopped looking at it
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is a small risk, but any IT business faces patent risks. A Windows OEM of an Apple OEM is in a very similar position. They might get support from the MS or Apple, but there are people who will put money behind fighting off threats to Linux too.
Are there any cases of an OEM for any
The 2 sides of the coin (Score:4, Interesting)
OEM=Original Equipment Manufacturer (Score:4, Informative)
Hmm....really... (Score:4, Insightful)
More so, they should avoid being Linux snobs and stop using phrases such as "idiot proof" if they are really interested in growing.
Re: (Score:2)
Was there a point to this article? (Score:3, Insightful)
What I saw were a few fairly vague suggestions and one piece of advice (know your market) repeated over and over. There wasn't any real research. There weren't any statistics. I'm sure my second reading was a waste of time and electrons, and the more I think about it, the first one was too.
As someone else mentioned, there are still end-user problems regarding linux in the mass market. A user wants something that works. Especially John Q. Public, who doesn't give a darn what its running underneath. What he wants is the stuff he clicks on (in the OS or in the Web Browser or Application) to work. That means when you go to YouTube, the movie plays and the sound works. When he wastes time on a web games site, the games play. When he needs some software for some idiotic reason, its easily available, easy to install, and after he installs it he clicks on the icon and it works.
I've run Linux as an only OS in the past. 10 years ago, when I started doing that, there were many challenges to running it day to day, from corporate compatibility to application bugs. The reality for me is that many of those issues simply haven't been resolved yet.
When I think of the masses and Linux, I think about my family. I have a range of people there who span from retirees to teenagers. I don't think a single one is capable, or, perhaps more importantly, has any desire to switch. I don't think I could even convince my 20 something step daughter, who grew up with computers, to switch, even though she needs a cheap computer and Linux would let her get a fairly decent machine for very little.
In some ways, Linux strikes me as being 95% of the way there. The problem is, that last 5% may well be the most difficult part. The remaining issues are ones that will prevent mass adoption. For instance, I see the issue of video. The end user couldn't care less about Codecs. What they care about is the fact that when someone sends them a video file (most likely created in Windows), can they click on it and it plays with sound? As long as there are Window's proprietary video adn audio formats, that may be enough to keep a good portion of the userbase on Windows.
Not only that, but I can't imagine what support issues must be like. Even with good customer support, if you try to sell to anyone other than a geek or semi-geek, the phone support has to be pretty deep. Like my video playing example above, what happens when someone emails some inane audio clip and it won't play? What if Uncle Leonard needs to install drivers for a USB device?
Even for me, the thought of it to the masses is overwhelming. That final 5% is just a bear of a mountain to climb, and there isn't any easy way to get over it.
I also think the author of the article misses something in his targeting of customers. Remember, you've locked out so many segments of the customer base, who is left? Gamers are out, especially casual ones. Gramma and Grandpa are out, they won't switch to save their lives. Anyone who has some favorite Windows application is probably out, even if Wine supports it. Do you really think the average user is going to want to know how to get Wine running (even with top notch support?), let alone figure out how to upgrade it each time a new version comes out?
I'm sorry, I just don't see how this article addressed anything that anyone who has even thought about setting up a business shouldn't have thought about 2 minutes after they get the idea.
Bill
Re:Was there a point to this article? (Score:5, Insightful)
it is however a case of gnu/linux vs. the entire world of proprietary software. a world with so much money that compatibility can only be bought on their terms. gnu/linux would have to become proprietary software to implement proprietary data formats or allow non-documented devices to work. instead of that, technically superior possibilities are being offered to us. ogg is technically superior to mp3, odf is technically superior to ooxml, lilypond is technically superior to finale files.
but how much does that help free software advocates to free others? if others insist on slavery, what can we do? one this is sure, we shouldn't implement these last 5% in gnu/linux: that would mean the end of everything gnu/linux stands for. it would mean the end of stallman's dream which has already produced the most remarkable software free of charge and open for the entire world running on the most remarkable hardware. throwing that away for out-of-the-box support for wmv files would be an act of utter idiocy.
Re: (Score:2)
Your slaves are the customers who make their decisions and influence felt in the marketplace. The users who drive devolopment because they have money to spend and not because they have a cause to promote.
Re: (Score:1)
" I don't think a single one is capable, or, perhaps more importantly, has any desire to switch."
"In some ways, Linux strikes me as being 95% of the way there. The problem is, that last 5% may well be the most difficult part."
"That means when you go to YouTube, the movie plays and the sound works."
I think the points you make are right on. I have used linux off and on for t
Re: (Score:2)
the same goes for hardware.
Every year... (Score:1, Interesting)
... is the year of the Linux desktop. The article says things like "Remember, it's the job of the Linux OEM to simply make everything work - out of the box, no excuses," but I don't know how true that is, unless we are talking about niche markets. Most average Jill users don't get an OEM computer that just works (unless they bought a Mac :D) -- they get what would be a decent PC were it not for it being bogged down by bloatware (and, very likely, a bunch of useless system restore crap that was put on the ha
I do NOT approve (Score:1)
"idiot-proof for users who don't care a whit about what OS they're using."
used in conjunction with "Linux user" or "OEM Linux customer".
It's nice to see... (Score:2)
Someone who is just buying PC's, installing a stock Linux on them, and reselling them probably won't see a lot of success. For the home market, stock Linux installs tend to suck. But, companies like the ones discussed in both the article and the comments here wh
People are retarded (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Just imagine that comment coming from a Linux user. That's when Linux will be ready for the desktop.
Re: (Score:2)
My girlfriend's flatmate says to me, looking at a Linux mag I am reading:
"Ah, I don't use an operating system, I'm a Mac boy. But I heard Linux is good."
That is the funniest one-liner I've read in years!
Now, if we could get enough functionality through a browser or thin client that the punchline read like:
Ah, I don't use an operating system, I just use the internet.
That's when things will start to change.
Re: (Score:1, Redundant)
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
There is actually some discussion of Linux happening here. It starts about a third of the way down the page.
The Wintrolls got in early and tried to drown out any discussion of successful Linux OEMs because it's a topic that scares MSFT.
It's a technique used to game Slashdot by soaking up any mod points which may have been used to upmod interesting posts about Linux OEMs.