Actually I think Linux is still too hard to use. I have been using it since 1993 off an on, and am a Windows developer in my past and now work for a network services firm. And as of a year ago or so I still had extreme difficulty getting a wireless NIC in a notebook to work in Ubuntu. What NDISWRAPPER? What settings? What is an NDISWRAPPER any way.... just too frustrating. I pop in a Windows 7 beta CD and everything works an hour later. This post in slashdot may be one of the better Linux experience descriptions I have personally seen:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1255403&cid=28196021
And don't get me wrong, I like Linux just fine when it has all been installed and is working, and why wouldn't I? Gnome and K-win basically copied the Windows UI...
What you say sounds kind of witty, but really? Is that true? Would Chrysler agree with you? How about the banks that did not want the TARP funds in the first place, want to pay back the TARP funds, but the government said no. As long as these companies are tied to any government funding, and in many cases there has been plenty to say they have no choice but do so, the government is telling them what to do.
We call that regulation, and it is on the increase.
Thanks for one of the best posts I have seen on here. I was using an early version of Linux in 1993 or so, and I still get frustrated with all of the simple things it will not do, and the crappy things it does.
Isn't Ubuntu older than Vista? It sure has gone through more version upgrades, and has no where near the same market share. If Vista is a flop, then Ubuntu is a megaflop.
At the risk of ruining my karma, I agree completely with you. That post and the subsequent one are worthless, and the only reason I am replying here is because I wish/. worked better to naturally limit those comments through mods.
Yawn...to keep it in context, they are releasing something very few people want and can only use on top of and in conjunction with a commercial product. I would be more interested if they open sourced solitaire, at least that could run on another OS. This still requires the dotnet framework. And yes I know it could work with Mono, but why?
I agree with your approach in general. When I found out my daughter was downloading MP3s via limewire, I went and bought all of the CDs (about $200 worth) she effectively should have bought and handed them to her. That ended that approach right there. There was no Amazon or iTunes then.
Do you also buy the DVDs of the movies you download? It seems like our approach should be to pick them up when we are on our next Best Buy trip.
That is great if you have time to be escorted to the security area for further questioning and investigation, but they are not going to let you get on a plane with that answer.
All of this (the article and our posts) are speculation, so as long as we are guessing/gossiping/conjecturing, etc.
Microsoft has indicated that they would prefer less manufacturers and models of Windows mobile based phones, so they can make the OS more tightly integrated with the hardware. There have also been rumors that Zune functionality would be folded into the phone, which tends to make sense. So my guess would be they gracefully lose, er...bow out to the iPod and say they are "providing a great combination to their customers by putting the Zune features into the phone."
I find the setting I use on my Toshiba M400 and some other Tablet PCs works ok. But Syndaemon would be helpful. I also found this:
TouchFreeze on Google code
I use a tablet PC, having 4 of them, and find the ability to simply touch the screen, or use a Wacom pen on it is as convenient as a mouse in a lot if situations, especially reading and reviewing document, browsing, etc.
I like the touchpads, but only if the drivers allow a "delay while typing" setting. Otherwise, my thumbs inevitably tap the touch pad while half way through an email, deleting half, or sending half...:(
I have a Fujitsu tablet now, which has a trackpoint/touch stick. That works fine once calibrated, and saves some space which allows for a bigger keyboard with a smaller screen.
You may have said that tongue in cheek, but it would be more likely to be something they found offensive against the perceived values of the culture they judge within.
But they also just spent a lot of money, and people like that do not spend money just to help their RIAA friends. The question is, can they make more by using Last.FM to distribute music counter to RIAA wishes, or within them? If it is counter, I suspect Redstone will get some new friends. That's cheaper.
I agree with your comments about the Mojave approach; that makes sense to introduce and position a product like Ubuntu to an audience that has not seen it.
But there is no Linux bandwagon for users. Internet servers in a rack yes; but not desktops. So I do not see that approach as being effective for this type of campaign.
I have to be disagree and say this makes no compelling argument. First of all it warps the idea of who many people are using Ubuntu, or or one of the other Linux kernel OSs. Compared to the number of Windows and Mac users, Ubuntu would be about a dwarf's worth in a room of people. Most people would just shrug and say "pass the beer". It can' be about the count for users, *nix would lose that argument.
The concept of the "I'm a ___" is who is using the OS. I am in IT sales (and do not sell product), but not marketing, so I will leave it up to somebody else to develop the message, but it needs to be more compelling and speak to people personally. The "I'm a Mac" ads were funny and emotional, they touched on people's frustration with Vista, and they could relate. The "I'm a PC" commercials are everyday people just using their PC; in other words they say quantity, and similarity. I think of them as less compelling because they are less emotional and make no connection. Even compared to the Seinfeld ads, they are flat.
As I recall, there were commercials a few years ago, I think by IBM. on behalf of Linux that were decent. Too bad they did not continue the campaign.
I fail to see the validity of the comment "or at least maybe wondering why this one religion dominates the rest for these few weeks"; in fact Jewish people have a high holiday season now, as do Muslims. Ask somebody on the middle east of Christmas is dominating, I do not think you will get a yes.
Sorry, but that is at least 1/2 wrong. The term WinModem did to an extent lock you into Windows because instead of adding certain functional points to the hardware, they wrote it into the software driver, and the driver they wrote was for Windows. This lowered the cost of a modem. You could get a 14400 WinModem for $80-$120, and a comparable hardware modem (aka Hayes) for quite a bit more. But since the majority of users were on Windows, and the cost was significant, it made sense to buy a WinModem.
The Manufacturers were not going after the Linux crowd, most people had never heard of it when WinModems were sold.
If somebody else wanted to write a driver for a WinModem I suspect it would have worked fine. No different than today's Linux support for software modems in most laptops.
So you are 1/2 right, it did lock people in, but nobody much cared and they were happy to save $, a trend that continues today.
And Microsoft's Rajesh Srinivasan calculated how much money Intel was set to lose, noting that "potential costs could get into billions."
Eventually, Microsoft dropped the requirements.
And now they have a significant perception (or real) problem about Vista. It is a hog and slow, etc. People are gravitating to Macs or staying with older versions of Windows. Geeks are staying with Linux.
So who cares about this now? It is not an answer to a pressing problem, it is an interesting explanation of what happened to Microsoft and Windows. The decided to risk future market and reputation for current opportunity and a strategic relationship. Hopefully they (and we) learned from it. It's a little like the goose and golden egg: now vs. later.
A software project that was at code freeze in 2004 is just now being released? Was it in some legal issue, did they not have any any automated test tools...
Slashdot Mirror
Actually I think Linux is still too hard to use. I have been using it since 1993 off an on, and am a Windows developer in my past and now work for a network services firm. And as of a year ago or so I still had extreme difficulty getting a wireless NIC in a notebook to work in Ubuntu. What NDISWRAPPER? What settings? What is an NDISWRAPPER any way.... just too frustrating. I pop in a Windows 7 beta CD and everything works an hour later. This post in slashdot may be one of the better Linux experience descriptions I have personally seen:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1255403&cid=28196021
And don't get me wrong, I like Linux just fine when it has all been installed and is working, and why wouldn't I? Gnome and K-win basically copied the Windows UI...
What you say sounds kind of witty, but really? Is that true? Would Chrysler agree with you? How about the banks that did not want the TARP funds in the first place, want to pay back the TARP funds, but the government said no. As long as these companies are tied to any government funding, and in many cases there has been plenty to say they have no choice but do so, the government is telling them what to do. We call that regulation, and it is on the increase.
Thanks for one of the best posts I have seen on here. I was using an early version of Linux in 1993 or so, and I still get frustrated with all of the simple things it will not do, and the crappy things it does.
Isn't Ubuntu older than Vista? It sure has gone through more version upgrades, and has no where near the same market share. If Vista is a flop, then Ubuntu is a megaflop.
At the risk of ruining my karma, I agree completely with you. That post and the subsequent one are worthless, and the only reason I am replying here is because I wish /. worked better to naturally limit those comments through mods.
Yawn...to keep it in context, they are releasing something very few people want and can only use on top of and in conjunction with a commercial product. I would be more interested if they open sourced solitaire, at least that could run on another OS. This still requires the dotnet framework. And yes I know it could work with Mono, but why?
I agree with your approach in general. When I found out my daughter was downloading MP3s via limewire, I went and bought all of the CDs (about $200 worth) she effectively should have bought and handed them to her. That ended that approach right there. There was no Amazon or iTunes then. Do you also buy the DVDs of the movies you download? It seems like our approach should be to pick them up when we are on our next Best Buy trip.
That is great if you have time to be escorted to the security area for further questioning and investigation, but they are not going to let you get on a plane with that answer.
All of this (the article and our posts) are speculation, so as long as we are guessing/gossiping/conjecturing, etc.
Microsoft has indicated that they would prefer less manufacturers and models of Windows mobile based phones, so they can make the OS more tightly integrated with the hardware. There have also been rumors that Zune functionality would be folded into the phone, which tends to make sense. So my guess would be they gracefully lose, er...bow out to the iPod and say they are "providing a great combination to their customers by putting the Zune features into the phone."
That number seems very high. Where did you see that?
I prefer a simple, wide and long
That's what she said
I find the setting I use on my Toshiba M400 and some other Tablet PCs works ok. But Syndaemon would be helpful. I also found this: TouchFreeze on Google code
I have never tried that, but great point. Historically, for some reason I do like to tap. It is just faster and more convenient.
I use a tablet PC, having 4 of them, and find the ability to simply touch the screen, or use a Wacom pen on it is as convenient as a mouse in a lot if situations, especially reading and reviewing document, browsing, etc.
I like the touchpads, but only if the drivers allow a "delay while typing" setting. Otherwise, my thumbs inevitably tap the touch pad while half way through an email, deleting half, or sending half... :(
I have a Fujitsu tablet now, which has a trackpoint/touch stick. That works fine once calibrated, and saves some space which allows for a bigger keyboard with a smaller screen.
You may have said that tongue in cheek, but it would be more likely to be something they found offensive against the perceived values of the culture they judge within.
But they also just spent a lot of money, and people like that do not spend money just to help their RIAA friends. The question is, can they make more by using Last.FM to distribute music counter to RIAA wishes, or within them? If it is counter, I suspect Redstone will get some new friends. That's cheaper.
I agree with your comments about the Mojave approach; that makes sense to introduce and position a product like Ubuntu to an audience that has not seen it.
But there is no Linux bandwagon for users. Internet servers in a rack yes; but not desktops. So I do not see that approach as being effective for this type of campaign.
But I like the Mojave idea.
I have to be disagree and say this makes no compelling argument. First of all it warps the idea of who many people are using Ubuntu, or or one of the other Linux kernel OSs. Compared to the number of Windows and Mac users, Ubuntu would be about a dwarf's worth in a room of people. Most people would just shrug and say "pass the beer". It can' be about the count for users, *nix would lose that argument.
The concept of the "I'm a ___" is who is using the OS. I am in IT sales (and do not sell product), but not marketing, so I will leave it up to somebody else to develop the message, but it needs to be more compelling and speak to people personally. The "I'm a Mac" ads were funny and emotional, they touched on people's frustration with Vista, and they could relate. The "I'm a PC" commercials are everyday people just using their PC; in other words they say quantity, and similarity. I think of them as less compelling because they are less emotional and make no connection. Even compared to the Seinfeld ads, they are flat.
As I recall, there were commercials a few years ago, I think by IBM. on behalf of Linux that were decent. Too bad they did not continue the campaign.
I fail to see the validity of the comment "or at least maybe wondering why this one religion dominates the rest for these few weeks"; in fact Jewish people have a high holiday season now, as do Muslims. Ask somebody on the middle east of Christmas is dominating, I do not think you will get a yes.
The link posted is to the main site 4004 site; the actual project article is here: http://www.4004.com/busicom-replica.html
Sorry, but that is at least 1/2 wrong. The term WinModem did to an extent lock you into Windows because instead of adding certain functional points to the hardware, they wrote it into the software driver, and the driver they wrote was for Windows. This lowered the cost of a modem. You could get a 14400 WinModem for $80-$120, and a comparable hardware modem (aka Hayes) for quite a bit more. But since the majority of users were on Windows, and the cost was significant, it made sense to buy a WinModem.
The Manufacturers were not going after the Linux crowd, most people had never heard of it when WinModems were sold.
If somebody else wanted to write a driver for a WinModem I suspect it would have worked fine. No different than today's Linux support for software modems in most laptops.
So you are 1/2 right, it did lock people in, but nobody much cared and they were happy to save $, a trend that continues today.
And Microsoft's Rajesh Srinivasan calculated how much money Intel was set to lose, noting that "potential costs could get into billions."
Eventually, Microsoft dropped the requirements.
And now they have a significant perception (or real) problem about Vista. It is a hog and slow, etc. People are gravitating to Macs or staying with older versions of Windows. Geeks are staying with Linux.
So who cares about this now? It is not an answer to a pressing problem, it is an interesting explanation of what happened to Microsoft and Windows. The decided to risk future market and reputation for current opportunity and a strategic relationship. Hopefully they (and we) learned from it. It's a little like the goose and golden egg: now vs. later.
A software project that was at code freeze in 2004 is just now being released? Was it in some legal issue, did they not have any any automated test tools...
That was pretty slick, but of course it required you to have access to the housing *before* you broke in.