http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/comments/21461515/
Actually, Ubuntu is probably a GREAT choice for Grandma and Grandma-like users.
If all you want to do is browse the web, play Flash games, send & receive email, print, and maybe use an instant messenger, you can do all of that on Ubuntu without spending a dime (or breaking the law). It's more reliable and less prone to virus/trojan/whatever than MS Windows.
It's the gamer who insists on playing the very latest, or the guy with some niche market apps for which he only knows the MS compatible alternatives, who needs to be cautious of Linux.
Prices on netbooks have dropped low enough that the license to MS is a big part of the price. They are scared poopless of Ubuntu (or other user-friendly GNU/Linux alternatives) taking over the new low-price PC market, and rightly so. If Linux succeeds in the netbook market, it will get the recognition and user base it would need for compatibility to be a priority to game developers and those niche market apps, and MS will be up the proverbial creek.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458347/
Dealing with repositories.- OH NO I can go to one place to download the software I want. Crap. Unlike windows where you will spend hours and hundreds of $ surfing the whole of the net for the same programs. Yeah frustrating. Let me tell you.
Having stuff like Flash never working right.- Huh? My works great.
No printer drivers.- Uh, mine works.
"cool stuff" like Beryl or Compiz never starting or crashing.- Again mine hasn't crashed. Are you sure you know what your doing?
DeBootstrat errors- Never ran across this.
System panics- ? Like the blue screen of death? Linux can crash but it'll fix itself and you wont even have to reboot.
Not being able to find the software you need.- See repositories.
Having to spend (((((DAYS))))) on messageboards, trying to get stuff to work correctly.- Trust me you will be doing the same in windows, so your point is?
Having to explain to your spouse and parents that you cant use THAT program because it isnt for Linux.- Nope that's whats wine is for.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21474922/
That said nowadays both Linux and Windows are pretty much rock solid-I haven't seen a BSOD that was Windows' fault (only see them when stability testing on overclocks nowadays) in years. And similarly modern Linux distros have all been solid for me when used on servers, I've only needed a hard reboot of a remote server once.
But even though they're both stable there's no way in hell your average computer user is going to be using Linux. Stable as it is and "easy" as it is to access repositories nowadays it's only easy for people who are used to using a command prompt and the various keyboard shortcuts for everything in Linux. You could waste an entire week trying to explain moving processes to the background and calling them back to the foreground to the average computer user and they would still have no idea what you're talking about since a lot of people can barely figure out the mouse let alone why they shouldn't be logged in as root.
Seriously if regular people installed Linux they'd probably end up accidentally leaving all sorts of stupid stuff running like some wide open Apache installation and they'd probably all have root passwords like 1234. And I can say with total confidence that there'd be a ton of people who would log in as root all the time, and then eventually there'd be some confusion with some file or some permission that needed configuring or that they totally broke.
Not to mention with so many damned flavors of Linux all with subtle variations on how things are done it's a headache to figure out how to fix problems even if you know what you're doing. The info on the message boards don't work half the time because it's all stuff for other versions of the same distro or different distros or whatever. I don't think I've ever seen a Linux tutorial for doing ANYTHING that ever went 100% according to the instructions, even for "basic" stuff like setting up Apache-you pretty much have to be willing to figure out how to make it work on your setup but that's just not gonna happen if you can barely use Windows.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457501/
Less face something guys. Linux machines shouldn't be sold at Best Buy. Period. If you're savvy enough to use Linux, you're savvy enough to choose, download, burn, and install a distro your damn self. Even on a netbook. Linux, even Ubuntu, is not a beginner's OS, as much as Canonical may try to make people believe. This day in age, alot of folks who are buying PC's at Best Buy have no idea what a shell prompt IS, let alone Unix commands! These people need Windows or Mac OS X, because it's a GUI that's easy to understand from the moment your desktop loads.
Some of this stuff is accurate, some is not. I'll break down my $0.02.
Camera/PMP compatibility - False. Most devices show up as a mountable/removable disk. No fancy sync software like iTunes/iPhoto or whatever, but it does work. This much I think the average newbie can learn quickly.
Printers/Scanners - False. GIMP. It comes with most distros, and if not, is a DEB/YUM away.
Software Compatibilty. TRUE!!!! I can't stress this enough, as it's the sole reason I don't run Linux everyday! Music production? Forget it. Exchange support? Prepare for WINE or VM's. Photoshop? WINE or the aptly gimped GIMP. There just is not the amount and importantly the CALIBER of software available on Linux as there is on Windows and OS X.
Windows Live Essentials. TRUE. Are there Linux malware packages? Yes. Are they good? Yes. Are they made by who makes your distro? No, they are not. This is akin to those folks that only take their car to a dealer. People want official support and tools. Linux has none. See below.
Games. TRUE. WoW is a bad example, but WINE runs shitty, and has shittier compatibility. I know because I really wanted Linux to work for me, bottom line, a large portion of games aren't nearly as easy, nor as quick.
Authorized Support - TRUE. Can you just up and call Canonical? No. Think about that.
Video Chat - False. MSN doesn't exactly sport this either eh?
Again, Linux isn't for newbies. XP is much better suited for them. I'm not saying a newbie can't learn Linux. But most people don't want the hassle. They want to click and EXE and install, or click a DMG and drag to the applications folder. They want a quick, easy, FAMILIAR experience which most distros do not offer. I'm with Redmond on most of this.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458055/
You can call up canonical BTW
http://shop.canonical.com/product_info.php?products_id=529
The pricing is pretty reasonable too, about £75 for 1 year of 9x5 phone support.
You can't call up Microsoft if you buy your computer from PC world or best buy. You only get support from Microsoft if you buy a retail copy of the OS, and them I'm not sure what kind of service you get.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458252/
Matt - Hmm.. thanks for that heads up, I honestly wasn't aware of this since I have an MSDN license and build all my own PC's. Much like MS, I wonder how far Canonical's support goes? I mean if a shifty program bonks your Win/Lin install, it's not really MS or Canonical's fault.. I wonder how quick they'd be to answer those sort of questions?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458802/
I'm not sure what the support is like, I have never used it. I heard an interview with someone from the canonical support team on the rather excellent Ubuntu-UK podcast, and they would guarantee a fix from software in the Main repository and also some other selected packages. Obviously they can't guarantee a fix for proprietary bits or the other packages (Universe,Multiverse,random bit of software but they will offer a best effort to get it working. As I said I haven't used it, but the price seems reasonable, and they also offer starter support for £30 to get you started.
I could see it as being useful when the market share is bigger and you could buy a box with the Ubuntu CD together with a year(Or longer) of dedicated support. The problem with this is that I couldn't convince my Dad that it is a better idea to pay the £70 than just to ring me up when he wants to know how to do something, which is a situation that many of the less tech aware users are in, they are introduced to it by the family geek who will fix their computer for a few beers.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21466597/
That's a pretty good assessment. Thanks for proving that there are indeed sane Linux users available. We're just more laid back; less vocal :P
One exception is that I have been really impressed by Wine lately. It has run the last few games I have thrown at it _admirably_: Sid Meier's Pirates, The Sims 3 and Tales of Monkey Island. Sims 3 definitely ran better than in Windows. (Some new features, like providing file type associations to the surrounding desktop environment, make it pretty great to use as well).
On this note, I think it's funny that Apple gets away with saying "you can run Windows if you need" and people thus decide (ergo MacOS) is worthy, but Linux doesn't get the same credit even though it runs on even more exactly the same hardware.
Support: Canonical provides cheap, GOOD commercial support for end users. They have proper dedicated support contracts for individuals, too, which is (unless I am missing something) more than Microsoft really provides.
From the consumer's perspective, software compatibility is a problem. However, what irks lots of Linux people is that it often gets described as a fault of the operating system. The problem is, of course, that the third party software isn't compatible with Linux! Linux can't help this. This is partly because of a lack of awareness, partly because vendors don't see profit there, and partly because the platform isn't inviting enough. There's a recent surge of neat small applications that Just Work on Planet GNOME, so perhaps a good sign.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457640/
I'd like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457716/
On another note...I set my mom up with a basic PC (her windows box was crashing a lot and having issues). I loaded Linux Mint which pretty much took me about 20 minutes to install...then just put a Firefox shortcut on her desktop...configured Thunderbird for her Gmail account and put shortcuts for OpenOffice on her desktop.
It's been a few weeks...I don't think she's noticed it's not Windows...but she has commented on how much faster it runs and how clean it looks.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458191/
My favorite part is the bar graph clearly enumerating "Many" and "few."
I'm looking forward to testing my helpful Best Buy employee:
Q - How many Windows-compatible titles are there?
A - This many.
Q - How many Linux titles are there?
A - This many.
I'm sold!
To be fair I think there should be a price comparison too.
Cost of Windows and Microsoft products? This much
Cost of Ubuntu and open-source products? ...nothing at all.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458379/
True true they are going towards the average consumer, but I was there once and scared to death to use Linux. I got a netbook with Linux and after more than a year and many tweakings later, I love Linux as much as I love Windows.
I wonder why Microsoft is so scared... of Linux of all things? The average consumer isn't educated enough on how similar Linux can be to Windows superficially to even consider it. Unless Microsoft has noticed how simple Ubuntu is...
Maybe they feel confident up against Apple these days?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458863/
Netbooks gave them a bit of a fright I think, as people were choosing purchases to a price where they simply could not compete so dropped the cost of an XP home installation to virtually nothing.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21460653/
--Camera, iPod, and MP3 compatibility
Wrong. Linux has support for epic amounts of these devices.
--Printers and scanners compatibility
Wrong again, for the same reason as above.
--Software compatibility
Talk about a generic point. There are as many Linux applications that Windows doesn't support as there are Windows applications that Linux doesn't support. It's called developing for a particular platform, and on that note there are still options such as Wine or CYGWIN to run those applications cross-platform.
--Windows Live Essentials
Wait, this is just as ridiculous as saying "You should buy a Ford because it has a Ford engine! Honda doesn't have a Ford engine!" Well, duh, a Honda has a Honda engine, and it goes just as fast, thank you.
--The games your customers want (e.g. World of Warcraft)
I see where MS is going with this (yes most games are developed for Windows), but they couldn't have chosen a crappier game as an example. As far as I know, World of Warcraft is the BEST performing game on Wine in Linux.
--Authorized support
I suppose they mean that Best Buy only offers authorized support for machines running Windows, but who the hell wants Best Buy tech support?
--Video chat on all major IM networks
I'm almost positive that this is also false. With all of the IM software alternatives for Linux, I find it hard to believe that there isn't video support.
I love how they use Linux.org as a source.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21460887/
What a load. I dual-boot Vista and Ubuntu, and I have spent countless hours on Vista installing drivers for every printer, webcam, and indeed piece of the computer i want to work. On Ubuntu, I have synched my DSLR and my iPod, video-conferenced with my webcam, you-name-it, Ubuntu doesn't need an extra driver for it. The only reason Micro$oft can get away with crap like this is because most people are clueless enough to blindly believe everything they read.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21462326/
ipod touch and iphone don't work well on linux, check the ubuntu forums, plenty of people find this out all the time.
sure distros like ubuntu have repos, but what about certain applications. say I need to run an applicatino not in the repos, installing can be annoying to the non computer savvy. Window sis the same for every app.
around the office we have a small joke and it goes, "yeah, but can it run Crisis"
Sure WoW works, but it runs better on windows, so does ever other game. Wine is great but I like my games to run as fast as possible, so its Windows for games.
Video chat on all major IM clients... Linux has only a few. Yahoo, AIM and MSN work horribly if at all. the best application, Pidgin, cant handle it Video at all yet. Skype works, but its way behind the windows version. Heck there is no native versions of AIM, Yahoo, or MSN. So we end up using apps like Pidgin.
Authorized support I dont get, Ubuntu offers support on its OS, so does RedHat and Novell...
Buy a Dell with Ubuntu and Dell can help you get it working just as well as windows.
as for printers. Lexmark is a popular brand that mostly doesn't work on Linux. Why because Lexmark doesn't make the drivers. When it comes to Device support blame the manufacturer not the OS.
I love Ubuntu, its great for simple use and I like it better for customization and my needs asa user. But to say that its great for the non savvy computer user like grandpa then I have to say no.
And I have issue with Windows too. Their built in network program annoys the hell out of me. the constant berating of asking me if this or that is ok, even after they asked me if its ok to install is really annoying.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21474583/
Ah, good ol' FUD. Unfortunately, it's likely to be FUD that works because everyone knows Windows and the unknown is indeed kinda scary. I'm not going to dispute Microsoft's chart because I do believe that it is pretty much accurate but it does make numerous assumptions that favour Microsoft (you might as well have a category "Microsoft logo on computer") and no doubt the Linux community could make another chart with exactly the reverse results. For example, it is entirely true that "fewer software applications and devices work with Linux machines" but it is heck of a stretch to suggest that because of this a customer's experiences "will be negatively impacted". Personally, I use a Mac and this should have the same issue but oddly I do no find my experience negatively impacted because I have access to wonderful software applications that are not available for Windows and I am quite sure the same exists for Linux. The idea that Windows is the bastion of all that is wonderful is, frankly, complete and utter bunk but then I don't expect Microsoft to advertise this.
All I can suggest, as usual, is that the Linux community gets off its backside and fights fire with fire rather than relying on word-of-mouth. In this regard I wish them the very best of luck.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21779499/
Yes you can run WoW under WINE, but the technical support at Blizzard explicitly say that they can't help you. So if a random person who knows nothing about computers wanders into Best Buy and wants to buy one to run WoW, warning them against Linux is a smart thing... I know I don't want to be the person helping someone clueless in computers to get their Linux box running WoW, I have enough fun trying to get it running on Vista64 under a non-admin account.
Now if you have an uber hacker who can figure out how get WoW running on their PSP who is also able to get it running on their Linux Box, I doubt they'd be shopping at Best Buy or even worse trying to get technical advice from them...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21851132/
People who think that Ubuntu is a real contender against Windows are living in fantasy land. You may be able to use Ubuntu to run 4 command line windows at once, and you may be comfortable enabling Medibuntu to crappily support your hardware, but that doesn't mean it's ready for the average user to take home and install on their machines.
It might happen someday, but it sure ain't here now. Stop lying to people about how great Linux is, and they won't abandon it forever in disillusionment when they find out how much it actually sucks for the things they want to use their computers for. That way, if it ever stops sucking, they'll give it a chance instead of just ignoring it.
I want Linux to succeed, but I support Linux by trying to make it better, not by misrepresenting it to people who don't know any better.
Actually, Ubuntu is probably a GREAT choice for Grandma and Grandma-like users.
If all you want to do is browse the web, play Flash games, send & receive email, print, and maybe use an instant messenger, you can do all of that on Ubuntu without spending a dime (or breaking the law). It's more reliable and less prone to virus/trojan/whatever than MS Windows.
It's the gamer who insists on playing the very latest, or the guy with some niche market apps for which he only knows the MS compatible alternatives, who needs to be cautious of Linux.
Prices on netbooks have dropped low enough that the license to MS is a big part of the price. They are scared poopless of Ubuntu (or other user-friendly GNU/Linux alternatives) taking over the new low-price PC market, and rightly so. If Linux succeeds in the netbook market, it will get the recognition and user base it would need for compatibility to be a priority to game developers and those niche market apps, and MS will be up the proverbial creek.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458347/
Dealing with repositories.- OH NO I can go to one place to download the software I want. Crap. Unlike windows where you will spend hours and hundreds of $ surfing the whole of the net for the same programs. Yeah frustrating. Let me tell you.
Having stuff like Flash never working right.- Huh? My works great.
No printer drivers.- Uh, mine works.
"cool stuff" like Beryl or Compiz never starting or crashing.- Again mine hasn't crashed. Are you sure you know what your doing?
DeBootstrat errors- Never ran across this.
System panics- ? Like the blue screen of death? Linux can crash but it'll fix itself and you wont even have to reboot.
Not being able to find the software you need.- See repositories.
Having to spend (((((DAYS))))) on messageboards, trying to get stuff to work correctly.- Trust me you will be doing the same in windows, so your point is?
Having to explain to your spouse and parents that you cant use THAT program because it isnt for Linux.- Nope that's whats wine is for.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21474922/
That said nowadays both Linux and Windows are pretty much rock solid-I haven't seen a BSOD that was Windows' fault (only see them when stability testing on overclocks nowadays) in years. And similarly modern Linux distros have all been solid for me when used on servers, I've only needed a hard reboot of a remote server once.
But even though they're both stable there's no way in hell your average computer user is going to be using Linux. Stable as it is and "easy" as it is to access repositories nowadays it's only easy for people who are used to using a command prompt and the various keyboard shortcuts for everything in Linux. You could waste an entire week trying to explain moving processes to the background and calling them back to the foreground to the average computer user and they would still have no idea what you're talking about since a lot of people can barely figure out the mouse let alone why they shouldn't be logged in as root.
Seriously if regular people installed Linux they'd probably end up accidentally leaving all sorts of stupid stuff running like some wide open Apache installation and they'd probably all have root passwords like 1234. And I can say with total confidence that there'd be a ton of people who would log in as root all the time, and then eventually there'd be some confusion with some file or some permission that needed configuring or that they totally broke.
Not to mention with so many damned flavors of Linux all with subtle variations on how things are done it's a headache to figure out how to fix problems even if you know what you're doing. The info on the message boards don't work half the time because it's all stuff for other versions of the same distro or different distros or whatever. I don't think I've ever seen a Linux tutorial for doing ANYTHING that ever went 100% according to the instructions, even for "basic" stuff like setting up Apache-you pretty much have to be willing to figure out how to make it work on your setup but that's just not gonna happen if you can barely use Windows.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457501/
Less face something guys. Linux machines shouldn't be sold at Best Buy. Period. If you're savvy enough to use Linux, you're savvy enough to choose, download, burn, and install a distro your damn self. Even on a netbook. Linux, even Ubuntu, is not a beginner's OS, as much as Canonical may try to make people believe. This day in age, alot of folks who are buying PC's at Best Buy have no idea what a shell prompt IS, let alone Unix commands! These people need Windows or Mac OS X, because it's a GUI that's easy to understand from the moment your desktop loads.
Some of this stuff is accurate, some is not. I'll break down my $0.02.
Camera/PMP compatibility - False. Most devices show up as a mountable/removable disk. No fancy sync software like iTunes/iPhoto or whatever, but it does work. This much I think the average newbie can learn quickly.
Printers/Scanners - False. GIMP. It comes with most distros, and if not, is a DEB/YUM away.
Software Compatibilty. TRUE!!!! I can't stress this enough, as it's the sole reason I don't run Linux everyday! Music production? Forget it. Exchange support? Prepare for WINE or VM's. Photoshop? WINE or the aptly gimped GIMP. There just is not the amount and importantly the CALIBER of software available on Linux as there is on Windows and OS X.
Windows Live Essentials. TRUE. Are there Linux malware packages? Yes. Are they good? Yes. Are they made by who makes your distro? No, they are not. This is akin to those folks that only take their car to a dealer. People want official support and tools. Linux has none. See below.
Games. TRUE. WoW is a bad example, but WINE runs shitty, and has shittier compatibility. I know because I really wanted Linux to work for me, bottom line, a large portion of games aren't nearly as easy, nor as quick.
Authorized Support - TRUE. Can you just up and call Canonical? No. Think about that.
Video Chat - False. MSN doesn't exactly sport this either eh?
Again, Linux isn't for newbies. XP is much better suited for them. I'm not saying a newbie can't learn Linux. But most people don't want the hassle. They want to click and EXE and install, or click a DMG and drag to the applications folder. They want a quick, easy, FAMILIAR experience which most distros do not offer. I'm with Redmond on most of this.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458055/
You can call up canonical BTW
http://shop.canonical.com/product_info.php?products_id=529
The pricing is pretty reasonable too, about £75 for 1 year of 9x5 phone support.
You can't call up Microsoft if you buy your computer from PC world or best buy. You only get support from Microsoft if you buy a retail copy of the OS, and them I'm not sure what kind of service you get.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458252/
Matt - Hmm.. thanks for that heads up, I honestly wasn't aware of this since I have an MSDN license and build all my own PC's. Much like MS, I wonder how far Canonical's support goes? I mean if a shifty program bonks your Win/Lin install, it's not really MS or Canonical's fault.. I wonder how quick they'd be to answer those sort of questions?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458802/
I'm not sure what the support is like, I have never used it. I heard an interview with someone from the canonical support team on the rather excellent Ubuntu-UK podcast, and they would guarantee a fix from software in the Main repository and also some other selected packages. Obviously they can't guarantee a fix for proprietary bits or the other packages (Universe,Multiverse,random bit of software but they will offer a best effort to get it working. As I said I haven't used it, but the price seems reasonable, and they also offer starter support for £30 to get you started.
I could see it as being useful when the market share is bigger and you could buy a box with the Ubuntu CD together with a year(Or longer) of dedicated support. The problem with this is that I couldn't convince my Dad that it is a better idea to pay the £70 than just to ring me up when he wants to know how to do something, which is a situation that many of the less tech aware users are in, they are introduced to it by the family geek who will fix their computer for a few beers.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21466597/
That's a pretty good assessment. Thanks for proving that there are indeed sane Linux users available. We're just more laid back; less vocal :P
One exception is that I have been really impressed by Wine lately. It has run the last few games I have thrown at it _admirably_: Sid Meier's Pirates, The Sims 3 and Tales of Monkey Island. Sims 3 definitely ran better than in Windows. (Some new features, like providing file type associations to the surrounding desktop environment, make it pretty great to use as well).
On this note, I think it's funny that Apple gets away with saying "you can run Windows if you need" and people thus decide (ergo MacOS) is worthy, but Linux doesn't get the same credit even though it runs on even more exactly the same hardware.
Support: Canonical provides cheap, GOOD commercial support for end users. They have proper dedicated support contracts for individuals, too, which is (unless I am missing something) more than Microsoft really provides.
From the consumer's perspective, software compatibility is a problem. However, what irks lots of Linux people is that it often gets described as a fault of the operating system. The problem is, of course, that the third party software isn't compatible with Linux! Linux can't help this. This is partly because of a lack of awareness, partly because vendors don't see profit there, and partly because the platform isn't inviting enough. There's a recent surge of neat small applications that Just Work on Planet GNOME, so perhaps a good sign.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457640/
I'd like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21457716/
On another note...I set my mom up with a basic PC (her windows box was crashing a lot and having issues). I loaded Linux Mint which pretty much took me about 20 minutes to install...then just put a Firefox shortcut on her desktop...configured Thunderbird for her Gmail account and put shortcuts for OpenOffice on her desktop.
It's been a few weeks...I don't think she's noticed it's not Windows...but she has commented on how much faster it runs and how clean it looks.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458191/
My favorite part is the bar graph clearly enumerating "Many" and "few."
I'm looking forward to testing my helpful Best Buy employee:
Q - How many Windows-compatible titles are there?
A - This many.
Q - How many Linux titles are there?
A - This many.
I'm sold!
To be fair I think there should be a price comparison too.
Cost of Windows and Microsoft products? This much
Cost of Ubuntu and open-source products? ...nothing at all.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458379/
True true they are going towards the average consumer, but I was there once and scared to death to use Linux. I got a netbook with Linux and after more than a year and many tweakings later, I love Linux as much as I love Windows.
I wonder why Microsoft is so scared... of Linux of all things? The average consumer isn't educated enough on how similar Linux can be to Windows superficially to even consider it. Unless Microsoft has noticed how simple Ubuntu is...
Maybe they feel confident up against Apple these days?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21458863/
Netbooks gave them a bit of a fright I think, as people were choosing purchases to a price where they simply could not compete so dropped the cost of an XP home installation to virtually nothing.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21460653/
--Camera, iPod, and MP3 compatibility
Wrong. Linux has support for epic amounts of these devices.
--Printers and scanners compatibility
Wrong again, for the same reason as above.
--Software compatibility
Talk about a generic point. There are as many Linux applications that Windows doesn't support as there are Windows applications that Linux doesn't support. It's called developing for a particular platform, and on that note there are still options such as Wine or CYGWIN to run those applications cross-platform.
--Windows Live Essentials
Wait, this is just as ridiculous as saying "You should buy a Ford because it has a Ford engine! Honda doesn't have a Ford engine!" Well, duh, a Honda has a Honda engine, and it goes just as fast, thank you.
--The games your customers want (e.g. World of Warcraft)
I see where MS is going with this (yes most games are developed for Windows), but they couldn't have chosen a crappier game as an example. As far as I know, World of Warcraft is the BEST performing game on Wine in Linux.
--Authorized support
I suppose they mean that Best Buy only offers authorized support for machines running Windows, but who the hell wants Best Buy tech support?
--Video chat on all major IM networks
I'm almost positive that this is also false. With all of the IM software alternatives for Linux, I find it hard to believe that there isn't video support.
I love how they use Linux.org as a source.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21460887/
What a load. I dual-boot Vista and Ubuntu, and I have spent countless hours on Vista installing drivers for every printer, webcam, and indeed piece of the computer i want to work. On Ubuntu, I have synched my DSLR and my iPod, video-conferenced with my webcam, you-name-it, Ubuntu doesn't need an extra driver for it. The only reason Micro$oft can get away with crap like this is because most people are clueless enough to blindly believe everything they read.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21462326/
ipod touch and iphone don't work well on linux, check the ubuntu forums, plenty of people find this out all the time.
sure distros like ubuntu have repos, but what about certain applications. say I need to run an applicatino not in the repos, installing can be annoying to the non computer savvy. Window sis the same for every app.
around the office we have a small joke and it goes, "yeah, but can it run Crisis"
Sure WoW works, but it runs better on windows, so does ever other game. Wine is great but I like my games to run as fast as possible, so its Windows for games.
Video chat on all major IM clients... Linux has only a few. Yahoo, AIM and MSN work horribly if at all. the best application, Pidgin, cant handle it Video at all yet. Skype works, but its way behind the windows version. Heck there is no native versions of AIM, Yahoo, or MSN. So we end up using apps like Pidgin.
Authorized support I dont get, Ubuntu offers support on its OS, so does RedHat and Novell...
Buy a Dell with Ubuntu and Dell can help you get it working just as well as windows.
as for printers. Lexmark is a popular brand that mostly doesn't work on Linux. Why because Lexmark doesn't make the drivers. When it comes to Device support blame the manufacturer not the OS.
I love Ubuntu, its great for simple use and I like it better for customization and my needs asa user. But to say that its great for the non savvy computer user like grandpa then I have to say no.
And I have issue with Windows too. Their built in network program annoys the hell out of me. the constant berating of asking me if this or that is ok, even after they asked me if its ok to install is really annoying.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21474583/
Ah, good ol' FUD. Unfortunately, it's likely to be FUD that works because everyone knows Windows and the unknown is indeed kinda scary. I'm not going to dispute Microsoft's chart because I do believe that it is pretty much accurate but it does make numerous assumptions that favour Microsoft (you might as well have a category "Microsoft logo on computer") and no doubt the Linux community could make another chart with exactly the reverse results. For example, it is entirely true that "fewer software applications and devices work with Linux machines" but it is heck of a stretch to suggest that because of this a customer's experiences "will be negatively impacted". Personally, I use a Mac and this should have the same issue but oddly I do no find my experience negatively impacted because I have access to wonderful software applications that are not available for Windows and I am quite sure the same exists for Linux. The idea that Windows is the bastion of all that is wonderful is, frankly, complete and utter bunk but then I don't expect Microsoft to advertise this.
All I can suggest, as usual, is that the Linux community gets off its backside and fights fire with fire rather than relying on word-of-mouth. In this regard I wish them the very best of luck.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21779499/
Yes you can run WoW under WINE, but the technical support at Blizzard explicitly say that they can't help you. So if a random person who knows nothing about computers wanders into Best Buy and wants to buy one to run WoW, warning them against Linux is a smart thing... I know I don't want to be the person helping someone clueless in computers to get their Linux box running WoW, I have enough fun trying to get it running on Vista64 under a non-admin account.
Now if you have an uber hacker who can figure out how get WoW running on their PSP who is also able to get it running on their Linux Box, I doubt they'd be shopping at Best Buy or even worse trying to get technical advice from them...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/08/microsofts-training-materials-teach-best-buy-employees-how-to-t/comments/21851132/
People who think that Ubuntu is a real contender against Windows are living in fantasy land. You may be able to use Ubuntu to run 4 command line windows at once, and you may be comfortable enabling Medibuntu to crappily support your hardware, but that doesn't mean it's ready for the average user to take home and install on their machines.
It might happen someday, but it sure ain't here now. Stop lying to people about how great Linux is, and they won't abandon it forever in disillusionment when they find out how much it actually sucks for the things they want to use their computers for. That way, if it ever stops sucking, they'll give it a chance instead of just ignoring it.
I want Linux to succeed, but I support Linux by trying to make it better, not by misrepresenting it to people who don't know any better.
