Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs

[yamawho]

Four trends: user-friendly Linux desktops, useful under-$500 laptops and desktops, near-universal broadband, and business-ready Internet office applications. Put them together and you have a revolution.

Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs

[k0NG0]

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. There's nothing to say that MS won't cut XP prices by 75% a year from now, sell support for a fee and create a community site/wiki for all other "default" support. It still isn't free, but it comes close, allows them to still squeeze some money out of an OS that has paid for itself ten times over by now and still offer superior hardware support compared to GNU/Linux.

I also like how he characterized Ubuntu (thus by extension GNU/Linux) as ready for the desktop just because Michael Dell uses it. Dell who started the company in his dorm building computers, which means he actually knows how to fiddle with them. He certainly isn't Joe Sixpack who only knows about the power button and how the CD is a neat cup holder.

[JoeFrat]

How many times have we heard this????

I'm running Kubuntu and like it alot, but until the last release wireless w/wpa sucked badly. Linux needs a unified front to really hurt MS. Ubuntu is a good start IF the community will get together behind it as a baseline for Linux. I doubt that will happen though.

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. There's nothing to say that MS won't cut XP prices by 75% a year from now, sell support for a fee and create a community site/wiki for all other "default" support. It still isn't free, but it comes close, allows them to still squeeze some money out of an OS that has paid for itself ten times over by now and still offer superior hardware support compared to GNU/Linux.

They would need to include Office 2003 I think ...

It will happen but businesses need to take the lead with Linux, otherwise it will not grow.

[SRTDodge05]

I dont think ms will let linux get that market. You xp or vist on low end machines all over the place from $349 and up.

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by SRTDodge05

I dont think ms will let linux get that market. You xp or vist on low end machines all over the place from $349 and up.

Maybe ... but you also have the 199$ systems at walmart running linux.
Thats 50$ less and comes with openoffice, gimp and others goodies.

[SRTDodge05]

Id rather Spend $50 or little more to get full tech support. Its also a lot easier to find drivers or software for windows then linux.

[k0NG0]

Problem is most people probably think OpenOffice and/or Gimp suck because they really do in comparison to pirated copies of MS Office or Photoshop. (Gimp especially is such a user interaction turd I get anxiety attacks just thinking about it.)

Also, they run on XP as well. Which means they aren't something you use as a clear-cut advantage for GNU/Linux.

Gimp, for example, could easily be replaced by Paint.NET if you're on XP, which is much better, equally free (as in beer) and not reliant on a port of GTK+ to XP.

[JoeFrat]

I agree with kONGO. We tried very hard to use gimp rather than photoshop but after 2 weeks the wife looked at me and said (direct quote) 'This thing sucks donkey nuts' LOL! So we got photoshop and she's much happier (means I'm happier too!)

We've never tried paint.net so I'll have to look into that.

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

Problem is most people probably think OpenOffice and/or Gimp suck because they really do in comparison to pirated copies of MS Office or Photoshop.

Using pirated copies is free as well

When more people see linux in action on preinstalled systems like the Asus EEE PC and others sure to follow, the perception may change.
After all, many people email, chat, and watch movies and listen to music.

[k0NG0]

Originally Posted by yamawho

Using pirated copies is free as well

When more people see linux in action on preinstalled systems like the Asus EEE PC and others sure to follow, the perception may change.
After all, many people email, chat, and watch movies and listen to music.

True. But I was using legal methods to acquire software as the topic of discussion.

[ephekt]

Yeah, the OSS crowd have been singing this tune for the past 15 or so years and it hasn't happened yet. Let me know when all the major OEMs are offering Linux PCs, or when Linux actually manages to get some marketshare.

[Cogar]

Linux is doing well in the server market and being associated with low end PCs will not help anything, since the low performance of those machines will become associated with Linux.

Regarding other comments in this thread, there is little doubt that the abysmal wireless capabilities in Linux are its weakest point with regard to the desktop. The pitiful wireless utilities in Linux are not significantly better than those we had perhaps 8 years ago in Windows 98SE.

Regarding the GIMP, well it is a good application with a legendarily poor interface. I recall suggesting alternatives like Inkscape (vector graphics) some time ago, but for those who have to work with raster type images, Inkscape is not satisfactory. Since only a masochist would want to learn to use the GIMP, everyone is stuck with Photoshop and its copycats. Fortunately, other Linux applications do not fall into the same category as the GIMP--and most of them are free in addition to being good quality products. For example, OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Audacity, and K3B are all satisfactory--and some are arguably as good as or better than their Windows counterparts.

[sorrow]

I've worked with UNIX servers for over 10 years and linux is slowly taking over. I work more and more with linux, and most companies are slowly switching to redhat enterprise or centos. At least it seems to me, from my job hunting and work.

As for the dekstop world. Stuff like wireless capabilities and what not, seems to me a lot of it has to do with companies not adopting linux and providing driver support, nor are they releasing the info so the open community can develop drivers for them. I recently went through a few distros again to check them out, i did fedora and it was pretty slick, got wow running easily with wine. The latest ubunut which is such a nice interface for the common man, again wow easily working, granted getting wow to work with wine is a lot easier then other games but still. I'm back to centos now because i pretty much am forced to use it due to the work i'm in. Again its just like redhat enterprise/fedora mix.

For me linux will never truly take over until the gaming community adopts it. Drop the mac support and pic up linux support in games and wow it will be a new dawn.

[ephekt]

Originally Posted by sorrow

For me linux will never truly take over until the gaming community adopts it. Drop the mac support and pic up linux support in games and wow it will be a new dawn.

I seriously hope this is never the case, since OSX is leagues ahead of any Linux distro for desktop readiness.

Also, Solaris and AIX seem to be doing quite well.