Giant Linux Boost From Washington Post

You've seen Penguin Computing's "Tux stomps Microsoft HQ" ad, right? It's the one with the caption, "Good evening, Mr. Gates, I'll be your server today!" This morning, when I opened up my copy of the Washington Post, that ad, in full color, dominated the entire front page of the business section. Below it was a story headlined, Microsoft's Next Trials - Windows Case Could Open Doors for the Upstart Linux Operating System. This may be the most unabashed piece of journalistic Linux advocacy ever published in a major daily newspaper. The print edition, but apparently not the Post's Web site, also contained a sidebar story about how the article's author installed Corel Linux on his home desktop computer -- and found it fairly easy to do. Indeed, he says, the hardest part of his personal Linux foray was parting with the high-end Linux-loaded Latitude laptop Dell loaned him to test. "It will pain me to give it back," he said.

Comments

Re:linux supporters want it both ways

[Kaufmann]

I personally am not a "Linux supporter", but I'm in shock nonetheless.

Tell me, what's your secret? How is it possible to fit so much stereotyping in just one single message?

Have you just gone through previous Slashdot discussions, picked up anything that any given "Linux supporter" ever said, and taken that as representative of the thoughts, desires and beliefs of the entire "Linux supporter" community? It sure seems like it.

You might as well finish off by claiming that all Windows users are MS-loving zombies, or that all Mac users are braindead graphic designers.

If this is the kind of stuff you post to Slashdot on a regular basis, then it's a tribute to the idiocy of the moderation system that you've managed to get the +1 score bonus.

Re:hmmmm

[JoeWalsh]

How many people have just had a guts-full of anti M$ BS?

I for one am not tired of the anti-Microsoft sentiment I see in this community.

First, this is the world that Microsoft created. They set the tone of the software industry very early on. Specifically, I'm thinking of that enraged letter Gates sent to the Altair community about the pirating of his BASIC interpreter. The letter was extremely unprofessional, whiny, and combative. It set the tone for the industry, and he and his company have kept it up ever since. Dirty tricks, lies, and outright illegal behavior are the rule of the day with Microsoft, as shown quite clearly in the antitrust trial. Being anti-Microsoft, to me, means being against that sort of corporate behavior. So I'm not tired of people being anti-Microsoft.

But that's not the only reason I'm not tired of it. The other reason is that Microsoft has made my life much harder than it would otherwise be. If they hadn't used illegal practices to dominate the industry, my life would be much better. Because in that case, either better products from other companies would be the standard, or Microsoft itself would themselves have produced products actually worthy of the industry leader. Either way, my life as a computer professional would be much better. Instead, they chose to use illegal practices to make their inferior products the standard. Again, this is a very valid reason to be anti-Microsoft.

So, while I sometimes abhor the tactics used by some members of the community, my feelings parallel theirs. And I can't really blame the most ardent Microsoft haters, given Microsoft's criminality, immorality, and general disrespect for its customers.

Being anti-Microsoft is simply the right thing to do.

-Joe

Confused posters want it both ways

[MostlyHarmless]

They fail to realize that two posters can have constrasting viewpoints; at the same time they blast "linux supporters" for having splits in the community

They think that because one person says something it is representative of the whole community; at the same time they just do not understand that it is possible for two people out of the thousands to see things a different way.

SATIRE=OFF

Seriously, some people think that MS _does_ need to be punished, while others think that free market forces will destroy it anyway.

Don't you get the fact that two people can have opposing viewpoints? By labeling a whole mass of unique people as "linux supporters", one overlooks the wide range of opinions contained therein. It is easy to mock a community by pointing out contradictions, ignoring the fact that there are always differences in the opinions of the community.
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Gotta point this out...

[Reality Master 101]

On the desktop, people use applications, not operating systems, to get work done.

Until Linux gets some applications that are clearly superior to the ones in Windows, it will never get any significant penetration. People need a really good reason to switch, and there just isn't one when it comes to Linux -- but there are a whole slew of negatives.

I mean, what's the "killer app" in Linux for the desktop? There are no end-user apps that I can get that are better under Windows. With Win2K, Linux doesn't even have the stability advantage anymore.

This is not to say that Linux won't see more penetration in the server arena. I personally like Unix better when it comes to server apps. But for the desktop, there simply isn't an overwhelming reason to switch.

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