Wal-Mart ends test of Linux in stores

[jaketerminate]

I found this article just thought it was funny how Wal Mart claims Linux dosent attract enough users. I think its attractive enough for the market.

Wal-Mart ends test of Linux in stores - Yahoo! News

[traveler]

One really wonders what the IQ is of these decision makers. (product sold out)

Or

They really did cheat their way through all of their educational career.

Or

It's M$ monopolistic, bullying tactics again. ("Get that out of your store or we will never sell you a thing again!")

I know how I define monopoly.

[Cogar]

Part of the problem is that retail computers using Linux are often bottom rung hardware--stuff that might not even run with Windows--especially Vista. Although Linux is better than Windows from a performance standpoint, it cannot fully compensate for the essentially obsolete hardware. Compare a $199 Linux computer with a $600 Windows computer and you will get the idea.

[jaketerminate]

Originally Posted by Cogar

Part of the problem is that retail computers using Linux are often bottom rung hardware--stuff that might not even run with Windows--especially Vista. Although Linux is better than Windows from a performance standpoint, it cannot fully compensate for the essentially obsolete hardware. Compare a $199 Linux computer with a $600 Windows computer and you will get the idea.

I understand this completely, like I found this Linux PC for $100 ( Mini Linux PC breaks $100 barrier ) and it comes with a 200mhz processor, I mean who in there right mind would buy that in an age where we now have quad cores?

[maraud]

Does Linux have customer support to handle Walmart users problems and questions? Do they have tech support?

[mameluke]

Great, more Microsoft hatred.


linux is failing for the reason states above plus much more.

The most important reason is because it is NOT user friendly. Yeah so it has a GUI which is quite preety and nice etc but it is not enough.

That GUI cannot be used to do EVERYTHING, unlike in Windows and comman line commands must be used to complement it.

I tried Linux three times, three different distributions and I have reached the same conclusions most people who try it do: WHY?

Cost you say? No

Let's be honest. Some people DO buy Windows but the vast majority do not. For every person you know who has bought it there are probably a few hundred who have not. Companies buy it cause they are scared of lawsuits. Users do not. Cost is therefore a terrible argument.

Wait, companies who have to buy Windows could use Linux then right? Um no, because being so user unfriendly as it is, training people to use it would be very costly.


Ok so it's not the cost, but Linux is more secure right? No more secure than Windows when secured properly.
Securing Windows is all done visually and as long as the user has the proper protection (Av, Firewall and most of all COMMON SENSE) Windows can be very secure.

Given that security can be reached in a visual and friendly environment WITHOUT the NEED to enter ANY commands, Windows continues to win. The Majority has chosen time and time again. People know about Linux, and plenty have tried it.

Microsoft is fine



Mame

[jaketerminate]

Nobody said Microsoft wasnt fine, actually its pretty innovative and easy to use and thats why it sells a lot, but imagine a "free" operating system that lets you use all the options offered in the Microsoft OS's and Mac OS's all in one package, thats usually under 700MB? I think that something like that has a big chance on the market. Im not trying to cause any grudges toward Microsoft I just think that the market should be open to Linux.

[k0NG0]

To be fair, Windows hasn't been innovative for almost a decade now. It just isn't. It might still be a good and usable OS, but innovative it ain't. Everything that sort of seemed innovative was cut from Vista. That's Microsoft's problem. They've reached a plateau where they can't seem to take WIMP further, yet don't have any real idea how to go beyond that.

The Office stuff with ribbons was rather innovative. But that's just a small part of a huge portfolio. Which is Microsoft's problem. They're lucky they can still feed their monoculture with iterations on the same theme thanks to that monopoly.

I think all OSes suck. Some suck a bit less, but they all suck.

[maraud]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

To be fair, Windows hasn't been innovative for almost a decade now. It just isn't. It might still be a good and usable OS, but innovative it ain't. Everything that sort of seemed innovative was cut from Vista. That's Microsoft's problem. They've reached a plateau where they can't seem to take WIMP further, yet don't have any real idea how to go beyond that.

The Office stuff with ribbons was rather innovative. But that's just a small part of a huge portfolio. Which is Microsoft's problem. They're lucky they can still feed their monoculture with iterations on the same theme thanks to that monopoly.

I think all OSes suck. Some suck a bit less, but they all suck.

Well if they all suck then the next step is for you to produce one that does not suck and if your price is reasonable you should control a portion of the market. I for one would try it.

[jaketerminate]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

I think all OSes suck. Some suck a bit less, but they all suck.

I agree. I stand corrected.

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by k0NG0

They've reached a plateau where they can't seem to take WIMP further, yet don't have any real idea how to go beyond that.

I guess they should learn from what Intel and AMD have done since they plateaued with the Ghz barrier ... 2 cores, 4 cores

How many cores are needed to surf the web ...
I can see it now, the sales at Best Buy ... with 16 cores you can surf the net and check your email

This is what M$ needs to do ... go with the core idea but instead of more cores they would have us buy into the idea that RAID is it

Yes, thats right folks grandpa will be running 4 cores with new Vista quad

[k0NG0]

Parallelization is basically a foundation jazz-up, though. It has little or nothing to do with the experience of the major OS features (though this is only partly true, it will affect responsiveness which is a feature of sorts, I guess).

The analogy is: it doesn't matter if you're on a single-lane highway or a 4-lane highway, if the car you're in sucks, it still sucks if you have three lanes beside you.

(I could use some sort of Seinfeldian analogy here, with Vista being Kramer's adopted stretch of highway with wider lanes but still basically the same, and the user being Newman happily humming along the road until you hit that stretch of highway where the new Thinner(tm) feature makes your car bathe in flames, but I don't know if that one really works...)