hoax or bad taste joke by Redhat's CEO?

Kaspars Melkis liste2 at isolis.lv
Wed Nov 5 13:14:07 UTC 2003


>It isn't just marketting schmock. It is millions, if not billions of dollars
>spent trying to *ensure* that either you, or friend of yours, can navigate
>Windows enough to get you going. Linux has not infiltrated the desktop
>market enough to have this status.
>  
>

I don't think that installation and using of Windows XP or Fedora Linux 
is that much different. Windows XP might have a better Clear Type 
technology/fonts but for the basic programs, like office or e-mail 
client it is basically all the same.

>As for the worm/virii comments, this is uninformed anti-Microsoft
>hype. The most dangerous exploit in any system, is the user. Microsoft
>Windows is a platform designed to be convenient for these sorts of
>people. 
>

Isn't it the self-contradictory statement? In other words: Windows XP is 
the best for a dumb user because it is easy to use, and at the same time 
it is not OS fault for worms and viruses because a user is too dumb to 
use it properly. It's like half-hen logic.

Clearly, marketing is not Linux strong side, but is it really so bad for 
home user? If we consider open ports, or unpatched software, or 
usability issues I would say that there is not much difference. However, 
since most home users are using pirated Windows copies anyway, I can see 
why Microsoft will be most popular for a long time.

But technically speaking the only weakness I see for Linux on the 
desktop for a home user is a lack of high quality applications. Not just 
Internet/E-mail/Office suite but hundreds of different small utilities 
offered for free or small cost by diffrent wendors, be it calory 
calculator used by my wife, IP telephony to chat with my friend for 
hours or a driver for a digital camera. And it is exactly because Linux 
is not very widespread on desktops, catch-22. But once I am in Linux I 
have no choice but to evangelise Linux right now to make it happen on 
the desktop tomorrow.

Moreover, being from post-USSR country where income per capita is only 
1/10 of European counterparts and software licences cost twice as much 
because of tax system with the natural outcome that 90% software is 
pirated I am very interested in Linux solutions. I have even opened my 
small consulting business (http://www.isolis.lv/it/index_en.htm) to 
offer small and medium sized companies to legalise their software by 
using Linux installations wherever it is appropriate. It is the question 
of cost and exploiting -- the free ride, hmm, but even more it is the 
question of legitimacy. To become civilized country and join EU, we have 
to lower piracy rate considerably. Despite all controversy, it seems 
that Fedora Core is the most balanced (open/quality/reliability) for 
cheap bastards like me and to some clients of mine. I mean, I can use it 
for free legally and have some expectations that the development work 
will continue. And if clients will grow and start to require better 
reliability then it will be easily to migrate and purchase RHEL. Debian 
is too geeky for many and Suse have startup costs. The only other 
considerable option is Mandrake. But I really wish RedHat success.

Kaspars






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