MS Windblows is free in Europe

[woodsmoke]

I was reading down through the comments section over at DW today and there was a post which I include here in it's entireity:

100 • Ubuntu and Gnome 3 (by Deemon on 2011-06-29 06:21:56 GMT from Germany)
I have actually fallen in love with Gnome 3. My problem to day is whether I should dump Ubuntu for Fedora as Gnome 3 is bit slow in Ubuntu 11.04. Maybe, I'd try to install Gnome 3 in Ubuntu 10.04 and see.

Actually, in most parts in the world, MS windows is free. In Europe, if you wait a while, checking the supermarket few days, you can buy a laptop at 30 to 50% less as laptops had become a commodity there.

So, if you buy the laptop at 30% less, you are getting the Windows free.

There is also a way to use OSX in PC comps and laptops. I had used OSX10.6, which is a closed BSD system. Its quite easy to use, and without buying a Mac. Most probably illegal, but that is a relative meaning.

http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?is...110627&mode=67

There was an essay to the same effect only from a different tack in a big PC magazine a few years ago that was suggesting the idea that "the idea of free" becomes moot when the cost of the paid item is so low that it is inconsequential.

That, I think, is one reason why there have also been discussions in various forii and commentary from "the powers that be" that "Linuxdom" should probably forget about the idea of "free" in ANY of it's iterations, in terms of PROMOTING LINUX TO THE MASSES..

And instead come out with something that is SO innovative that the hardware manufacturers would think that they HAVE to have Linux to attract customers.

This leads, tangentially, to a "idea" that has been in my mind for some time and it goes something like this:

"Linux has, basically, got just about everything that can be done, done, (given the constraints of hardware manufacturers and patent items such as flash etc.)...... In other words "Linux" is now in a stage of "nuancing"..... this little tweak, that little tweak... but they are "just tweaks" to the OS....

And....I know this gets boring..... Gnome3 and Unity are different paradigms, they are not "tweaks"."

Rather like the Plasma interface was a paradigm shift..... rather like #! was somewhat of a paradigm shift.

Don't know....just some ideas that have come to mind, but the post by the fellow in Germany really made me think...

Your comments?

woodsmoke

[de_koraco]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

"Free" in this case comes with the installed crapware price. So, with taking the time to fiddle around in the registry and remove the incredible amount of useless junk, it's like the quote from the Unix Haters Handbook, it's free only if your time is worth nothing.

[woodsmoke]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

I agree completely with you Koraco, but we are the "cognoscenti" as it were. The comment that the guy was making was to the effect that the "guy/woman walking into a store" to get a 200 Kroner laptop that is Linux will perceive it as being no cheaper than a 200 Kroner Windows machine that was reduced from 300.

"The OS" is irrelevant then to the "guy or woman" walking into a store.

Then the selling point is the hardware or the OS/software that is SO "innovative" that the buyer says....I WANT that..because of the OS."

Again, Kubuntu is like that, it offers a truly different way to interact with the OS and information from the "standard menu system and clicking through layers" to get at information.

But, yes, your comment is spot on for the experienced user.

woodsmoke

[ardvark71]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

And instead come out with something that is SO innovative that the hardware manufacturers would think that they HAVE to have Linux to attract customers.

This leads, tangentially, to a "idea" that has been in my mind for some time and it goes something like this:

"Linux has, basically, got just about everything that can be done, done, (given the constraints of hardware manufacturers and patent items such as flash etc.)...... In other words "Linux" is now in a stage of "nuancing"..... this little tweak, that little tweak... but they are "just tweaks" to the OS....

And....I know this gets boring..... Gnome3 and Unity are different paradigms, they are not "tweaks"."

Rather like the Plasma interface was a paradigm shift..... rather like #! was somewhat of a paradigm shift.

Don't know....just some ideas that have come to mind, but the post by the fellow in Germany really made me think...

Your comments?

Hi Woodsmoke...

I think Linux has a ways to go before it becomes desktop worthy. Again, for the average user, the "linux way of doing things" will not be acceptable, let alone impossible. This is not including all the little bugs or glitches that routinely pop up along with the error messages that make absolutely no sense.

If a user wants to learn more about the OS and get into the nuts and bolts, Linux might be a good alternative. But most users just want it to work without any effort or hassles with as little input from their end as possible.

Regards...

[de_koraco]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

Then the selling point is the hardware or the OS/software that is SO "innovative" that the buyer says....I WANT that..because of the OS."

Actually, that would be the second step. The first would be to get Linux preinstalled on OEM machines. This means striking deals with OEM's, which Ubuntu has started doing, but I don't really see how Microsoft would let that slide if it became threatening.

The whole preinstall method has actually been a disservice to users. Yes, they get a ready made machine, but what they get is also a bunch of unnecessary marketing crap that hogs it down. I remember when I got my first computer. It came with a set of Windows 98 floppies. Ditto for Win 2k, but that one was on a CD. 98 was a piece of crap, but 2k run like a baby for five years without a single reinstall or BSOD - I didn't have the McAffe trial period antivirus or Toshiba brainwashing suite hoging my registry down. Installing the system yourself actually helps you learn some of it, and it's more of a hands down experience, which helps you not be afraid to solve problems that crop up.

[charles052]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

And instead come out with something that is SO innovative that the hardware manufacturers would think that they HAVE to have Linux to attract customers.

This leads, tangentially, to a "idea" that has been in my mind for some time and it goes something like this:

"Linux has, basically, got just about everything that can be done, done, (given the constraints of hardware manufacturers and patent items such as flash etc.)...... In other words "Linux" is now in a stage of "nuancing"..... this little tweak, that little tweak... but they are "just tweaks" to the OS....

And....I know this gets boring..... Gnome3 and Unity are different paradigms, they are not "tweaks"."

Rather like the Plasma interface was a paradigm shift..... rather like #! was somewhat of a paradigm shift.

Don't know....just some ideas that have come to mind, but the post by the fellow in Germany really made me think...

Your comments?

Hi Woodsmoke...

I think Linux has a ways to go before it becomes desktop worthy. Again, for the average user, the "linux way of doing things" will not be acceptable, let alone impossible. This is not including all the little bugs or glitches that routinely pop up along with the error messages that make absolutely no sense.

If a user wants to learn more about the OS and get into the nuts and bolts, Linux might be a good alternative. But most users just want it to work without any effort or hassles with as little input from their end as possible.

Regards...

Well, I kinda agree there. I've had great luck with fresh window's installs from XP up to 7. Problem is the constant maintenance I continually had to do to keep the OS running smoothly. My wife's laptop was a constant struggle because she liked to play games at a site that was notorious for trojans, spam, and such. I'd have to do a anti-spyware sweep and then another sweep with an anti-virus nearly 2 or 3 times a week.

Now, with Kubuntu, I don't have to do a damn thing to her laptop. It just works.

And yeah, I know that a lot of people are ignorant of how to work on a computer, much less one with Kubuntu or another Linux distro installed, but they do end up paying for their ignorance. I think that if you're going to have a computer that has all your personal info on it, such as credit card numbers and other sensitive information, you really do need to invest into the security of that computer, whether it be top of the line protection or spending time to learn a new, more secure OS.

[saurav]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

People don't care about freedom, of course, which is something that you won't ever get on a Windows or Mac system no matter what you do. As far as the cost goes, Windows is free in much of Asia too - just get a computer assembled or call upon anyone you know who has one. But besides all that, Linux-based systems have indeed become the most advanced systems in the world. I found this article once - http://www.techradar.com/news/softwa...7200?artc_pg=1.

[woodsmoke]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

very nice saurav

woodsmoke

[saurav]

Re: MS Windblows is free in Europe

Thanks, woodsmoke!