ESR Says as PCs Get Cheaper, Windows Will Die

james writes "Eric Raymond reckons Windows will be obsolete because people won't be able to afford it soon." Owning the OS gives MS too great of an advantage. They'd sell the client for 5 bucks if it meant that they could still control Office, the server market, and the zillions of other markets that their OS monopoly lets them crush.

Comments

./, please post *more* idiotic ZDnet editorials

[lukeduff]

ZDnet's infalliable crystal ball has never lead us wrong.

Old News

[mosch]

Wow, this is shocking. First ESR claims that Microsoft is doomed. What's next, RMS claiming that the GPL is the One True License, or JWZ saying that Netscape sucks now?

ESR will still be able to afford Windows

[gowen]

... because his VA Linux stock has made him fabulously wealthy. Do we need anymore reasons why we shouldn't take the latest ramblings of this pillock seriously?

Open Letter to Linus Torvaldez

[Anonymous Coward]

This is an open letter to Spanish Linux creator Linus Torvaldez. I really hope that these few criticisms are addressed soon.

Dear Linus,

I have always felt that Linux is a nice operating system (for hobbyists and geeks), but there are some areas where it is seriously lacking, especially when compared to its main competitor, Microsoft Windows.

• File sharing. Windows has long been superior when it comes to making large amounts of files available to third parties. Even early versions of Windows automatically detected and made available all directories thanks to the built in NetBIOS-powered file sharing support. But Microsoft has realized that this technology is inherently limited and has added even better file sharing support to its Windows XP operating system. "Universal Plug an Play" will make it possible to literally access any file, from any device! I think universal file sharing support needs to be built into the Linux kernel soon.
• Intelligent agents. With innovations like Clippy, the talking paperclip and Microsoft Bob, Microsoft has always tried to make life easier for its customers. With Outlook and Outlook Express, Microsoft has built a framework for developers to create even smarter agents. Especially popular agents include "Sircam", which automatically asks the users' friends for advice on files he is working on and the "Hybris" agent, which is a self-replicating copy of a humorous take on "Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves" (the real story!). Microsoft is working on expanding this P2P technology to its web servers. This project is still in the beta stage, thus the name "Code Red". The next versions will be called "Code Yellow" and "Code Green".
• Version numbers. Linux has real naming problems. What's the difference between a 2.4.19 and a 2.2.17 kernel anyway? And what's with those odd and even numbers? Microsoft has always had clear and sophisticated naming/versioning policies. For example, Windows 95 was named Windows 95 because it was released in 1995. Windows 98 was released three years later, and so on. Windows XP brought a whole new "experience" to the user, therefore the name. I suggest that the next Linux kernel releases be called Linux 03, Linux 04, Linux 04.5 (OSR1), Linux 04.7B (OSR2 SP4 OEM), Linux 2005 and Linux VD (Valentine's Day edition). Furthermore, remember how Microsoft named every upcoming version of Windows after some Egyptian city? Cairo, Chicago and so on. I think that the development kernels should be named after Spanish cities to celebrate Linux' Spanish origins. Linux Milano or Linux Rome anyone?
• Multi-User Support. This has always been one of Microsoft's strong sides, especially in the Windows 95/98 variants, where passwords were completely unnecessary. Microsoft has made the right decision by not bothering the user with a distinction between "normal" and "root" users too much -- practice has shown that average users can be trusted to act responsibly and in full awareness of the potential consequences of their actions. After all, if your operating system doesn't trust you, why should you trust it? (To be fair, Linux is making some progress here with the Lindows distribution, where users are always running as root.)

  With Windows XP, Microsoft has again improved multi-user support. Not only does Windows XP come with a large library of user pictures that are displayed on the login screen, such as a guitar and a flower, it also has "quick user change". This makes it possible to login as a different user with a simple keyboard shortcut, and the good news is: programs from the old user keep running in the background! Beat that, Linux!

• Programmability. Microsoft has always been known for making computer machine power accessible to end users. The operating system comes with many helpful tools such as VBScript, a programming language especially useful for developing intelligent agents as mentioned above, and QBASIC, a truly innovative "hacker" tool that makes it possible to develop even sophisticated applications without much foreknowledge. Scripts can even be embedded into documents such as Word files. This together with the mind-blowing Windows XP shell, which now also has amazing features like "autocompletion" (you no longer have to type all those long paths) and a scrollback buffer, makes Windows XP the "hacker's choice". Linux should stop "dumbing down" users with pretty pictures such as in KDE or GNOME. Also, I think that a BASIC interpreter should be an unremovable component of the Linux kernel.

I also find it disappointing that Linux has not embraced new technologies such as Digital Rights Management which will finally make it profitable for artists to sell their intellectual property on the web. The content industry has calculated that it loses about 450 trillion dollars per day to piracy. If this continues, the economic effects will be devastating. Richard Stallman has supported DRM for years and made it a fixed part of his GNU/Hurd operating system -- Linux should not hold back progress in this important area. DRM should be made part of the Linux Standard Base (LSB), and Linux distributors should put "DMCA-Compliant" buttons on their websites. We all know that Linux would never have been created without strong intellectual property protection as enforced by the FSF, so let's not be hypocritical.

On the plus side, I have found Linux an absolutely superior operating system for viewing pornography. Porn is loading much faster than on Windows, especially with the Cox and Love kernel patches and powerful porn browsers such as Pornzilla. This is truly an operating system written by geeks, for geeks!

Sincerely,

Bruce.

Re:Oh lord.

[Fulcrum of Evil]

mmm... Natalie

mmm... hot grits...

try this:

[Lord Omlette]

Next time you find something that's News for Nerds, and it hasn't been posted to slashdot, submit the story as you normally would, but include comments from some Open Source luminary who ISN'T quoted anywhere in the story or even remotely related to it. Guaranteed front page post.

Re:Blah blah blah, says Mr Three Letter-Acronym

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Sir,
It has recently come to our attention that you made a reference on the popular weblog "slashdot.org", to an event that:
a) Predated the release of the motion picture "Star Wars"
b) Failed to occur in the United States Of America
and that you failed to provide explanatory URLs.

Please deduct all karma points and start again, replacing all references to Ms. Davis with unamusing innuendos about Monica Lewinsky.

Re: Please post this to the kernel list

[Slashamatic]

The above letter makes some very interesting points. It should be posted to the Linux Kernel list. For best reception in two months and a day's time.

Re:Oh lord.

[Tackhead]

> I would even go so far as to say Ballmer is a spaz.

"so far"?

After seeing "monkey boy" and "developers", I suppose one might also go so far as to describe the Grand Canyon as a ditch.