[ale] GO Windows!!! ;-)

[Jim Lynch]

Jim Kinney wrote:
> They can order a "ready to go" Dell laptop with Linux pre-installed 
> http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&l=en&cs=19 
> <http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&l=en&cs=19>  
> . System76  http://www.system76.com/   also sells hardware ready to 
> go. And of course, our Atlanta local EmperorLinux 
> http://www.emperorlinux.com/ has top of the line laptops ready to go 
> as well.
>
> The average home user is the perfect new Linux user. Those people that 
> do a little email and a bit of web surfing need, more than anyone I 
> know, the rock-solid reliability and security of a Linux system.
>
> On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 2:41 PM, Asher Vilensky 
> <ashervilensky at gmail.com <mailto:ashervilensky at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Sure, I agree with what you wrote below.  And, I have little
>     experience installing Windows on non-server machines (even with
>     the server installs, drivers were always a struggle).  But none of
>     this is to the point. 
>
>     The average home user is NOT INSTALLING Windows.  They get it
>     pre-installed on the box.  Everything is working for them.  Since
>     very few sell Linux ready to go boxes, it's difficult to compare
>     the two worlds.  So what we left with is comparing ready-to-go
>     Windows home machines (usually  laptops) with installing Linux on
>     them AND HAVE EVERYTHING WORKING RIGHT AWAY.  That's the discussion.
>
>     And again, don't misunderstand me.  I'm on the Linux side.  Always
>     was always will be.  Just saying how tough it is to sell it to the
>     non-geeky crowd.  As I said, you and I are not good examples.  My
>     only-know-how-to-read-email friends and relatives are the crowd
>     I'm talking about.
>
>     -- Asher
>
Jim makes a good point.  How many computer users actually install an 
operating system?  I suspect most folks buy a computer with an OS on it 
and if they do that, there's a very good chance all the hardware will 
work with the software on the system.

On top of that upgrading Linux is far less troublesome than Windows 
since Linux does not often stop support of "legacy" hardware while 
Windows sure does.  Then couple that with the need to have increasingly 
more memory, HD space, faster CPU with each new version of Windows.  
Granted Linux does sometimes suffer from the same problem, but not 
nearly as much as Windows.

Jim.