Selling Linux to Windows Users

[Dotan Cohen]

2008/12/9 Mark Haney <mhaney at ercbroadband.org>:
> So, having a sword is better than having a gun?  I mean, the sword came
> before guns.  And I do believe there was MASS adoption of the sword.

Swords work when they are full of sand, they do not need reloading,
they do not need the meticulous cleaning and frequent disassembly of a
firearm, and have many other advantages. They are faster and less
expensive to manufacture, less prone to abuse, and can be used for a
variety of purposes.

> This is not only misleading, it's just wrong.  True, Win95 did make
> computing easier for the masses.  /At the time./  However, the culture
> has changed drastically.  The internet has a lot to do with that, but
> the fact is, people are expecting more out of their systems than 'easy'.

But they will not forsake 'easy'. Fortunately, Ubuntu provides that.

>  They also want it to work, work well, consistently and securely.

Securely? Who? I do not know them. And consistency does not seem
important to anyone but people who take an active interest in
computers.

Do you take an active interest in kitchen appliances? Has the
inconsistency of the refrigerator lighting and the microwave lighting
ever bothered you? The refrigerator light is only active when the door
is open. The microwave light is only active when the door is shut.
Does that not bother you?

> This is why (as much as anything) that Vista has killed market share for
>  MS.  It's not usable, it's not easy and it doesn't work well.  So
> people are looking for alternatives.  I mean, if what you say above is
> true, then Vista should be picked up by everyone anyway, since Windows
> came first.
>
> History doesn't teach us about who came first. It's more about the
> victors write the history.

Hehe, it's the victors who usually write the history.

> So far, Microsoft has been the victor, so
> their version of history is the 'correct' one.  (For lack of a better
> way to phrase it.  This about having a better mouse trap.  The Romans
> conquered most of the known world, not because they had swords and
> others didn't, but because they were /better/ at using them than others.
>  So it goes with computing.  Once the 'new car smell' wears off, people
> start to really look at what they have and how they use it and find
> faults where they didn't see them during the test drive.

Not until they see something new, no. That's why I love to use Compiz
and answer people who ask "is that Vista"?

-- 
Dotan Cohen

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

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