Useful advocacy

With the CAL’s that Windows server users have to pay (per client), and all the added costs, how can the TCO be lower? IT Managers Journal has a cool Migration from Windows to Linux saves thousands write-up.

And, Getting to know GNOME is rather useful. In some aspects, we’re really better than Windows/OS X. We still have plenty more work to do, but we’re getting there. All we need to do is reach there before Longhorn is released. Longhorn has promises – it has pre-announcements of features and products; features that will be around in 2 years. So don’t be fooled.

8 Comments

  1. Ruben says:

    You are really better than Windows? Tell me this. Windows cost so much, and Linux is free.
    So if you are better than Windows, why do most home users use Windows? And why do you need
    so much promotion for open source software? You know i have tried a version of Linux under
    your influence, and had a bad experience. So, in my opinion, you are not better than Windows.

  2. byte says:

    Home users use Windows because its bundled with their computers (OEM). They can’t be bothered to get any updates, etc… (hence the virii outbreaks, and all). If Linux was there by default, they’d use it too. Otherwise, Windows costs so little pirated, folks tend to use it too.

    Promotion? Because Microsoft keeps on promoting against open source software. It’s scary, but true. Visit microsoft and see them downplaying OSS.

    You tried Linux (Fedora Core 1 amd64 test1 release), and didn’t know how to configure GRUB for a dual-boot system. It might not be perfect (hence the test1), and we expect you to have some GRUB and general bootloader knowledge. An excuse of not being able to boot into Windows again is a bad one; I’d say it was successful – Linux won :P

    Erm, that said, we all work on fixing bugs, really. We need more testers. We need more test platforms. And most of all, we need to get there before Longhorn.

  3. Ruben says:

    The government was promoting a really cheap desktop that cost below RM1000. It came bundled with linux as I remember.
    But now i think its dead, and I don’t think anyone would want to buy it. I sure would not. There are a large majority
    of clone PC users here, like me, and we opt to install Windows eventhough we can install Linux. I tried installing
    Linux and it was time consuming and a little confusing if compared to the Windows installer.

  4. byte says:

    It wasn’t RM1,000 – it was nearly RM3,000, with support. Komnas 2020. They’re a bad company, run as a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM, and they don’t even understand what the open source model is. They take OpenOffice.org for instance and relabel it as Komnas office, packaging it and never even sharing the spec files with us. Suckers.

    It’s dead because their cost was wayyyyyyy more than what you could get a system like that for at Imbi or Low Yat. Which is sad, because it should have been just as cheap. But folks have to make money, no?

    Clone PCs if cheaper than a commercial Linux offering, I reckon most would prefer clone PCs and a pirated version of some proprietary OS. Linux isn’t hard to install; I’ve had more success installing it than Windows :P

    In fact, Red Hat/Fedora have a great tool called Anaconda – it beats Windows XP’s setup, since its entirely graphical rather than XP’s text-based startup.

  5. Ruben says:

    Well, I installed Fedora once and it was long and time-consuming and i had to be at the terminal, unlike the WinXP setup.
    Anyways, I am waiting for this new Linux you said will come out soon that will be really, really good. Don’t get me wrong,
    I am not anti-linux or anything. I just like to irritate you abit.

    Must enter email now???
    suckage

  6. byte says:

    Thats because the video card wasn’t recognised :)

    E-mail entering well, seemed like a nice way of doing things so I could respond back to folks with offers, etc…

    We’ll we’ve beaten this advocacy thread down, there’ll be more. *grin*

  7. Ruben says:

    There’s always more when dealing with you my friend.

  8. byte says:

    Home users use Windows because its bundled with their computers (OEM). They can't be bothered to get any updates, etc… (hence the virii outbreaks, and all). If Linux was there by default, they'd use it too. Otherwise, Windows costs so little pirated, folks tend to use it too.

    Promotion? Because Microsoft keeps on promoting against open source software. It's scary, but true. Visit microsoft and see them downplaying OSS.

    You tried Linux (Fedora Core 1 amd64 test1 release), and didn't know how to configure GRUB for a dual-boot system. It might not be perfect (hence the test1), and we expect you to have some GRUB and general bootloader knowledge. An excuse of not being able to boot into Windows again is a bad one; I'd say it was successful – Linux won :P

    Erm, that said, we all work on fixing bugs, really. We need more testers. We need more test platforms. And most of all, we need to get there before Longhorn.


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