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How Open Source is Faring in Retail

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the man-on-the-street dept.

SilentBob4 writes to tell us MadPenguin is running the first of two articles taking a look at the 'world of retail as Tux is experiencing it'. From the article: "Of the stores we visited, only Linspire Linux was sold pre-installed on computers in-store. Those FOSS boxes were often among the store's best volume sellers, primarily because they were the cheapest, according to store staff. The staff believed, based on conversations with frequent customers, that most customers were buying the boxes to install Windows on them. But that is not surprising to us, because, as we discuss in section two, brick-and-mortar "computer" stores are still part of the Microsoft distribution chain. The fact that there were some open source products at all in these stores is actually surprising, as Microsoft guards its distribution chain jealously, and punishes those business partners who stray into carrying FOSS products."

5 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU DUMB FUCKING NIGGERS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    You niggers are so fucking dumb!

  2. Who cares? Software in boxes is obsolete. by Werrismys · · Score: 0, Troll
    Open Source fits in server market (solutions!).

    It does not fit in commodity stores who sell milk, minced meat and sucking, proprietary end-used-software with no warranty or service.

    --
    'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
  3. Re:MS punishing for FOSS? by Slash+Veteran · · Score: -1, Troll
    I work for Microsoft. So I am really getting a kick out of most of these replies.

    Some of you guys are very good at making it sound like you know what you are talking about.

    But trust me.... You don't.

    I think you just want to make yourself sound smart, when in reality you don't know what you are talking about.

    This is how bad info gets passed around.

    If you don't know about the topic....Don't make yourself sound like you do.

    Some people will believe anything they read.

    Open Source isn't doing well in retail. Microsoft doesn't care whether Best Buy sells Open Source products.

  4. Re:That is a shocker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Nobody is 'forcing' you to do anything. Work something out? How about selling your Windows license on eBay?

    Yes, you can do that, yes, it is legal, and no, MS is not stopping people from doing so.

    The problem with the Linux community isn't that they don't know anything, it's that they know too many things which aren't true.

  5. Prostitute Schedule for Mar. 24 at the MBOT in SF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    Folks, check out the updated prostitute schedule for March 24 at the Mitchell Brother's O'Farrell Theater (MBOT), located at 895 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, California. The MBOT is the most convenient way for you to buy a blow job, a hand job, and full service (i.e. vaginal sexual intercourse).

    I kid you not.

    Please establish a hypertext link to this message. Spread the word!