cold water on linux

[Joel Hammer]

On Fri, Apr 23, 2004 at 07:20:46PM -0500, Michael Hipp wrote:
> Joel Hammer wrote:
> 
> >I have been using lindows for a couple of years. It is the
> >most user friendly linux yet. ALMOST everything downloads
> >and works easily from the warehouse. If lindows can't
> >get average users to use linux, forget about linux on the
> >desktop for another 5-10 years, maybe in our professional
> >lifetimes.
> 
> You're essentially saying that Lindows is the best of the best. Which 
> just ain't so.

I am saying that lindows was aimed at the average desktop
user who uses windows now. This is not the best of the
best, just the easiest. For example, lindows runs as root
by default. Bad security, good ease of use. Which seems to
be the whole idea of lindows, coupled with a cheap price
($200 for a useful computer (minus monitor)). I have been
using this $200 walmart special for months, and overall it
works fine. Now, that is cheap. All I paid for above this
was the warehouse membership and for staroffice. Upgrades
have been free. Lindows, BTW, is now free I believe. They
just want you to use their warehouse for a fee. So, they
tried to market a cheap, easy version of linux. It's a
shame they have failed.

Most people forget that MS dethroned Wordperfect in part
by giving away MS works, getting people used to using their
products, and the switch over at the office came naturally.

MS dethroned netscape by giving away IE. 

It's all in the marketing. Lindows appears to be failing,
but I have to give them credit for trying a novel marketing
idea. They delivered what they promised, but, the public
isn't buying.

I suppose somebody else will pick up their idea and try
to make money on it with some new wrinkles.  Like, say,
selling music.

Joel