flatfish+++ wrote:
> http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=140
>
> This reads like it came right out of COLA!!
>
> (Note the 1 percent desktop user base figure.)
>
> "But hardware support on Linux is good - all my stuff works!
>
> If all your hardware works, great. Congratulations. But ask yourself these two questions:
>
> * How much extra effort did you have to go to to get it to work?

Zero. I installed Ubuntu, and it detected everything and set it up
properly. It was easier to install than Windows, and the office suite,
database, and many other things were included in the single install.
With Windows, I would have to do several separate installs to get the
same functionality.


> * Did you research your purchase in advance to make sure that it would work?

No, I just put the CD in and everything worked. Actually, I had the PC
before I decided to put Linux on it, so there was no chance to research
the hardware compatibility first. Not to worry, most hardware just
works. With more and more hardware having a webserver built in for an
interface, this will only improve in the future. Wireless router ? It
has a web based interface that doesn't rely on Windows or Windows
programs. Is it easier in Windows ? No, it is the same on Windows as
it is on Linux.

>
> If you answered "yes" to either of these questions then you are willing to
> go to more effort than the average home buyer looking for a new printer,
> scanner or video card.

If you answered "yes" to the first question, well, then your reading
comprehension skills are lacking.

> Your average buyer isn't even willing to do enough
> research to make sure that they get the lowest price (that's how stores
> that charge over the odds stay in business). Is this the kind of person
> who's going to check to see if there's Linux support for what they want?"

As Linux grows in market share, more and more companies will sell
computers with Linux preinstalled. More and more peripheral
manufacturers will support Linux and/or and standards like USB. Such
devices already work fine in Linux, Mac, and Windows, without having to
rely on the OS. When the peripheral makers realise they are losing
sales in China, India, the EU, and other markets, they will adapt or
perish.

>
>
> and.........................
>
> " Poor hardware/software/games support is not a Linux issue
>
> True. It's a developer issue. But developers (and the folks who pay their wages) are following the money, and at present there's not a lot of money to be made from the Linux market.

At present, this may be true, but the same was true of Windows early
on. If one would only open their eyes and look at the trend, they would
see that the trend here is ever improving support for Linux.

>
> Another reason that hardware support is patchy is that manufacturers don't
> want their code secrets going open source - it's easier for a business to
> deal with another business than it is to deal with the open source
> community."

For video cards, they are more concerned about the hardware details
being made public, so they are reluctant to release complete specs. As
Linux has grown, they have improved their support, and this trend shows
no sign of reversing. But the reality is that most PCs are sold without
high end video cards. Linux is more focused on business and educational
markets, and less so on games. The only place where the video card
issues really come into play is in games. However, the "average user"
you speak of is more likely to be playing games on an Xbox or
PlayStation than on his or her PC.

>
>
>
> and.................................
>
> " Linux is more secure than Windows
>
> Yes, but ... do you think that the average user who runs executable attachments sent to them by email or who consents to the installation of adware or spyware on their machines would really be safer on Linux?

Yes, safer but not completely safe.

>
> At present there's a bar of technical competence that users wanting to
> make use of Linux have to be able to clear. This alone makes them
> unlikely to be the kind of people who do things that put their systems at
> risk. Security is not about software, it's mostly about education."

Security involved both education and software. Anyone who ignores
either aspect does so at their own risk.

But mostly what the author seems to be getting at is that it is easier
to use Windows because it comes preinstalled, and most users do not
make any significant upgrades to their hardware. If Linux were to be
preinstalled, then Windows would have no advantage here.

Dean G.