Selling Linux to Windows Users

[Dotan Cohen]

2008/12/9 Knapp <magick.crow at gmail.com>:
>> Windows has better accessibility features. Scratch that- Windows HAS
>> accessibility features. Gnome has nothing useful other, and all of
>> KDE's accessibility features were abandoned in KDE 4.
>
> As I have said elsewhere KDE 4 is not read for distro use, at least
> not one for mainstream users. As a person with good ears and eyes and
> a working body I can't say much about accessibility in any case on any
> system or OS.
>

As a person with no usage of part of his right hand I can say much! I
also have a very high resolution (129 DPI) monitor so I enjoy
accessibility enhancers for the visually impared as well.

>> Windows has software for professionals. In my profession, engineering,
>> what CAD software is available for Linux?
>
> I don't use it much but my system has qcad on it. Might not be the
> best but it is there. Could be others, I use Blender3d for 3d work not
> cad. Have to ask a real cad user about that.
>

If it's not Solidworks, then it won't get the job done. Solidworks is
the industry standard by a huge margin, and the second CAD program
(Pro/E) does run on Linux, but it pales in comparison. Engineers need
to interoperate and the two programs are not interoperable even if I
were willing to use Pro/E.

> Locking you in? How about treatment of workers (made my friend lie to
> his workers and then they fired the workers and made (do it or loose
> your job too) my friend train Indian workers to replace them, then
> they fired him and the Indians went back to India. (This might have
> been a subcontractor though, in has been to long since all this
> happened and it was not to me.)), lieing or at least misleading people
> (that is classic evil), getting people to work way to much (yes they
> again can do it or loose their job).

I don't care about that, I am an end user. I am not out to save to world. Sorry.

> Monopoly, and other low life business acts.

Monopoly is not a low-life business act. It is the goal of every business.

> Looking at the best software on the market, copy it,
> extend it and drive the first maker out of business (legal
> pragarisum).

Just what FOSS devs would do to MS, no? That's called competition. Or
dog eat dog. Or capitalism if you want to feel important and use bug
words.

> Sure a lot of this is standard business but would Jesus
> do it? (I am not Christian but this gives you the view point that I
> want, hope it does not offend anyone.) Yes, evil IMOHO.
>

I am not Christian either, but I find Jesus to be an admirable
historical figure just as I find Alexander, Patten, Gauss, Churchill,
and many others to be admirable historical figures. I don't expect
Jesus to run a business.

> Also, I might have a hard time proving this so will not try nor
> defend, MS seems to want people without money to steal their software
> so that they become addicted to it and then when they get older and
> have money they will have to pay for it.

MS execs hav estated this clearly, it is not a secret.

> This is stealing, stealing is
> evil as well by most religious definitions I have seen.
>

Really? Could you please point me to a reliable reference where I
could see this defined as stealing? It does not matter if I agree with
you, but I think that you are wrong here.

> Free open source lets the poor run their computers without stealing!

This is true.

> This was the second reason I changed to Linux. My MS computer was full
> of stolen software and I found that I could no longer feel good about
> myself as a thief (I developed morals about the same time I turned 18,
> LOL). Linux allowed me to have a great computer and be honest and
> crime free. I would love to see the percentage of Windows users that
> have crime free computer systems!
>

Ha! I agree that piracy is encouraged in the Window ecosystem.

>>> Many people would be much happier with Linux if they knew why they
>>> would benefit from changing and then made the change.
>>
>> And what they would be missing as well.
>
> Is that a trick question? Blue screen of death maybe or a game?
>

Or engineering software, or printer support, or those extra mouse
buttons, or that webcam, or that IE-only banking website. I could go
one (others have).

>>> Making the change from MS to Linux is hard.
>>
>> Then don't do it. I should switch you from Toyota to Ford, because
>> Ford is right for me.
>
> That is just plain dumb, sometimes doing what is best takes work.
> Would you say that to a smoker or other drug addict too?
>

I quit smoking after 13 years. Sometimes the hard work is worthwhile,
sometimes not. For you it was, but not for some others.

>> And those who need those freedoms can use their FOSS programs on
>> Windows. What freedom-giving Linux software does not run on Windows?
>
> 10 years ago when I started? Not much. Now a lot of it does but why
> would you want to? Despite the people saying that Linux does have
> viruses and other problems like Windows, I have yet to have any
> problems like that at all! I had problems with that on Windows all the
> time (one time a month), including problems with the virus checker
> itself crashing and slowing my computer.
>

I have been using Linux exclusively at home for a little over three
years now. No system compromises so far as I know of. But I am missing
out on some functions that Windows users have, as I stated above.

>> Note that I have not had any MS software in our household since
>> October 2005. However, it is not because I hate MS or because I am on
>> a mission to convert the world. It is because Linux suits our
>> household. That is not true for every household.
>
> How does it and why does it suit your household?
>

My wife can do her basic word processing for her own use in OOo.
Firefox is a suitable replacement for IE now. There are still many
Israeli websites that require IE, but things are getting better. In
fact, I switched banks because the old bank required IE. We use
Digikam extensively, and Amarok for music. I could go one, but
everything that we do in Linux we could be doing in Windows. And more.

-- 
Dotan Cohen

http://what-is-what.com
http://gibberish.co.il

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