Similar experience here. Been using XP way longer than Ubuntu. However, 2 new laptops arrived in a remote office, and whilst one user decided to stick with the pre-installed Vista another user decided to give Linux a try. Every job was harder to do on Vista, especially remotely. It was Home basic so no remote desktop, and VNC is very flakey and slow (as was the whole system - painfully so). Ubuntu on the other hand was installed by the novice user, and I was able to take control no problem - everything working perfectly. Even getting the company's ageing DOS software to work was easier on Ubuntu (both required DOSbox but it was easier to install in Ubuntu via ssh than by VNC).
Adding a scanner bar in Vista was very hard and in the end, I couldn't get it working. The user had tried to use XP drivers, they were interfering with the Vista drivers etc etc etc. The scanner software wasn't compatible with Vista. In Linux, I just searched and downloaded the firmware, copied it somewhere and it worked - surprisingly well.
Occasionally things can seem a little rough around the edges (especially if you insist on a GUI for everything) but this is becoming increasingly rare.
True on the 3rd party apps front though. I always have VMWare running for Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I could scrape by with gedit and GIMP, but the results are never quite as good.
Not all head teachers are the same. I write web based software for primary schools in the UK and when I suggested to one head that we install firefox in the classrooms for better compatibility he literally went mental. When I talked to the ICT guy at the same school about using firefox and openoffice he said that there were no plans, but then he shrugged his shoulders and said "but its the future, isn't it...?" The reason I keep my software web based is so that I don't have to rewrite it when schools finally make the switch. The spending in schools is quite astounding though - most schools have vast amounts of very new computers, whiteboards, powerful servers, video conferencing equipment etc - and that's just the primaries.
You only need the occasional look at European weather charts to see that Britain gets a great deal of wind. We seem to consistently have around twice the amount of wind of most other countries. Therefore I think it is a great idea to tap into this natural resource and stop depending on countries with dictators and poor human rights for our energy needs.
Coal could make us great? Great in what way? That we could pollute the environment even more than we do already? The coal industry was heavily subsidised for a long time before it was stopped. Why subsidise when other forms of fuel were proving more cost effective? Is inefficiency what would make Britain great?
I think you a quite right. It is not a monopoly market at all. Power comes from various sources - some cleaner than others. I would impose larger fines for power derived from coal powered stations and smaller fines for cleaner sources. In Scotland (where we are leading the way in renawables) when I choose my energy company I can choose to have all my energy from renewable sources; turbines, wave machines, solar panels (although these are ineffective in Scotland). Choosing this option is only slightly more expensive, but if the gov't taxed all other options, the clean way would become the cheapest way. The energy companies pay for electricity generated by personal rooftop turbines and solar panels too. There is no other option - except choosing to put on a jumper rather than heat your house like a furnace, insulating properly and switching off lights.
I guess you are right. I find I enjoy installing and configuring Linux, especially if there are a few challenges, but then I am not a linux admin by occupation. I look after a mostly windows environment - perhaps that is why I revel in the opportunity to install something a little better. I can see that it would be galling to find that it simply wasn't possible to get something working in linux if you had paid a lot of money for a new laptop. Is there still alot of hardware unsupported by modern distros? I guess soft modems are probably still a problem - I haven't had the need for one in years so wouldn't know.
I suppose the sales figures will speak for themselves. I hope that Dell promote it a bit and give it time to build up some sales. I expect there will be a large initial interest and then a reduction in sales, and then a slow increase. However I am not a market analyst by occupation either;)
Besides if you take the amount of time it actually takes to install Ubuntu (stripping out the bits where you watch the progress bar) it isn't much longer than it would take to scan through Slashdot articles, find an entry you don't agree with and write a long reply about how you simply don't have any time.
If Dell are shipping Ubuntu, then the required drivers for the machines in question (including the GoofyCool ones) will surely be included in the free to download distro and will install without problems. Just boot the CD and click next next next...? It takes half an hour for a default install tops.
When I buy a Windows machine I spend ages customising the default install - updating, removing junk, adding programs and data.
If I bought a Linux machine I would spend ages customising - updating, adding programs and data.
I just put openSuse on a new thinkpad and it all just worked. Wireless and all. By the time it was on (an hour later) most of the customizing had already been done.
To be honest I am in two minds about this... don't get me wrong, I am as much a Linux pusher as the next guy but I just don't know if it will work. Hopefully business buyers will order some - its very handy having a few linux machines in every office to perform server tasks. I put one in each of the offices I administer. It just always seems that there is *one* little windows app that they aaaabsolutely have to have and it wont work on wine. Therefore I would always go for a windows machine and then load linux on it. That way I have a licence to run a VM if required.
Dell aren't stupid though and I am sure they have studied the market.
I am an openSuse user but still find the need to use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Nutmeg, Sage etc. According to a recent survey of openSuse users 70% admitted having a dual boot environment. I guess a great deal more use Windows on VMs. I don't doubt that there are people who do not require any Windows based software but even amongst linux users this is a clear minority.
But good on them for having a set of requirements that linux can singlehandedly satisfy. I hate having to fanny around with VMs and dual boots just to use a piece of software that only works with Windows. I try to get stuff working on Wine but it is even more painful.
Who do I know that could use linux on its own? My Mum could manage without any Windows programs (ah no... she video-calls her friends on MSN all the time).
Perhaps my brother... he just surfs for porn all day. Linux can do good porn.
... that almost anyone clued in enough to decide that they want Ubuntu would be clued up enough to just buy the Windows version and install Ubuntu dual boot. Most linux users still have some use for windows and its lice to have it legally.
I wonder what discount could be had if there was a 'no support' option? I can't see regular home users queuing up to buy something they are unfamiliar with if the price is the same.
.. but as a race we are becoming more and more technically competent as a whole, surely? Children are using computers from a young age now and this *has* to produce more geeks = more poeple who like to change the settings = more people who get bored/dissatisfied with windows = more linux users. Competent users always have a string of people they 'help out' when their computer breaks and therefore more will be in a position to make the change.
In addition to that, nowadays we need to learn a new UI everytime we get a new digital TV box, PDA, mobile phone, console, TV, etc etc. We all learn new UIs all the time and its not that hard because they all essentially do the same thing and have an area for "settings". Linux is [almost] at the point where it can be used effectively without the command line. That is why it poses such a threat to Microsoft - its getting closer and closer to being easily set up and administered.
Exactly. I use linux and use a VMified XP install occasionally (photoshop, dreamweaver etc) and am very happy with it. I am IT manager of a small company and a few of the desktops and all of the servers are linux based. I am happy with this because I can help out when required.
I found that users put (forced) onto openSUSE were very nervous to begin with. Any problems were immediately blamed and the OS and in turn, myself. I one by one ironed out all the little problems and now these users (one of them an old lady) doesn't like using XP because she "doesn't know where everything is". That said she doesn't touch a single setting (I have to do it for her).
The Director also runs linux (multiboot). He is quite techinically competent, and on his laptop not having to run antivirus has made everything a lot faster for him. However he does feel a bit stupid every time I have to make any changes - it is just too different from XP for him to know how to do things himself. For this reason I wouldn't casually recommend linux to people who would be left to sort things out themselves. Everyone has someone nearby that has basic competence in XP. For now (and things are changing) this is not the case with linux. However, put it in the workplace (this is going to be a real growth area) and users will slowly find their feet in it.
I use OOo all the time and when working with odf files I find that anything I need to do I can do. Yes, it doesn't look as pretty as office but I'm not a slave to fashion.
I like many people wouldn't pay hundreds of pounds (or dollars) just so that I can write documents and produce spreadsheets with a pretty frame wrapped around them. I went through a phase of trying to skin every app that I use but it really has nothing to do with productivity.
I had problems... so I sold it to my Polish brother in law... muhahahaha!
BTW it could hook up to a screen and display at a useabe 640x480. My new phone (XDA Orbit) runs WM5 with radio, WiFi, GPS et al. TV out would be a small step (unlike having GPS on your phone which is cool - I use tomtom even when walking if I get lost).
Couldn't they com up with something more useful, like a phone with a screen the size of a tv?
Linux would become an illegal underground movement, with 'dealers' supplying distros on street corners and under bridges. Oh, the naughtiness of it all...
0.5 will be released soon and looks to be shaping up well. Our medium sized company uses it every day (around 20 users) along with phpicalendar (highly recommended). As the number and size of the calendars grow, so does thunderbird's startup time. That is pretty annoying, although you can use the "minimise to try" plugin to avoid lots of restarts (although you will need to restart occasionally to sync up your calendars again).
I am hoping the 0.5 will introduce some sort of cache feature... as soon as you disconnect you cannot see your diary anymore - that's not good for mobile staff trying to check their diaries in a meeting. On the whole though, the entire setup doesn't cost a penny and it is pretty reliable.
Lightening is terribly basic (but pretty stable) just now, the current version being 0.3.1. The 0.5 release was planned for April 14th but clearly is still working out a few bugs to prepare it for release.
I think the new version will tie in with the email side of things a little more, rather than just being an integrated version of Sunbird. Its a while since I checked the dev blog but I think it will allow automatic emailing of attendees etc. It also provides better printing facilities for those who like their hard copies (?)
I certainly think it is moving in the right direction (albeit slowly;)
The open source solution is phpicalendar. It truly is the poor man's calendaring system. It runs on php (duh) and apache no problem. It requires a small amount of configuration (mostly getting the permissions correct) and it provides a web interface (whihch looks nice and allows searching/themeing/filters, but doesn't allow direct editing) and allows sunbird / thunderbird+lightening / outlook2007 to connect in without problems. Our small business uses it for around 20 users daily and it works reliably.
I would suggest really understanding its workings to ensure the security is correctly set up.
http://phpicalendar.net/
Think of how many brands of car there are on the market, and how many models each brand provides. I don't see motorists running with their hand in the air shouting "I wish my choice was more limited". No. Instead they cut the choice in half by considering what they can afford. Then they cut it in half again by considering their space needs, whether they want petrol or diesel, etc etc etc.
Okay... its a rubbish analogy because they are all cross compatible with highways... and petrol... but surely something in there proves the case for choice? Anyone?
Slashdot Mirror
Similar experience here. Been using XP way longer than Ubuntu. However, 2 new laptops arrived in a remote office, and whilst one user decided to stick with the pre-installed Vista another user decided to give Linux a try. Every job was harder to do on Vista, especially remotely. It was Home basic so no remote desktop, and VNC is very flakey and slow (as was the whole system - painfully so). Ubuntu on the other hand was installed by the novice user, and I was able to take control no problem - everything working perfectly. Even getting the company's ageing DOS software to work was easier on Ubuntu (both required DOSbox but it was easier to install in Ubuntu via ssh than by VNC).
Adding a scanner bar in Vista was very hard and in the end, I couldn't get it working. The user had tried to use XP drivers, they were interfering with the Vista drivers etc etc etc. The scanner software wasn't compatible with Vista. In Linux, I just searched and downloaded the firmware, copied it somewhere and it worked - surprisingly well.
Occasionally things can seem a little rough around the edges (especially if you insist on a GUI for everything) but this is becoming increasingly rare.
True on the 3rd party apps front though. I always have VMWare running for Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I could scrape by with gedit and GIMP, but the results are never quite as good.
Not all head teachers are the same. I write web based software for primary schools in the UK and when I suggested to one head that we install firefox in the classrooms for better compatibility he literally went mental. When I talked to the ICT guy at the same school about using firefox and openoffice he said that there were no plans, but then he shrugged his shoulders and said "but its the future, isn't it...?" The reason I keep my software web based is so that I don't have to rewrite it when schools finally make the switch. The spending in schools is quite astounding though - most schools have vast amounts of very new computers, whiteboards, powerful servers, video conferencing equipment etc - and that's just the primaries.
No. That suggests that tall Scots don't know how to make scary food.
You only need the occasional look at European weather charts to see that Britain gets a great deal of wind. We seem to consistently have around twice the amount of wind of most other countries. Therefore I think it is a great idea to tap into this natural resource and stop depending on countries with dictators and poor human rights for our energy needs.
Coal could make us great? Great in what way? That we could pollute the environment even more than we do already? The coal industry was heavily subsidised for a long time before it was stopped. Why subsidise when other forms of fuel were proving more cost effective? Is inefficiency what would make Britain great?
Unless you appreciate Murdoch's sided opinion, xenophobia, over-dramatization and FUD. Clearly a lot of Brits and Americans are lapping it up.
I think you a quite right. It is not a monopoly market at all. Power comes from various sources - some cleaner than others. I would impose larger fines for power derived from coal powered stations and smaller fines for cleaner sources. In Scotland (where we are leading the way in renawables) when I choose my energy company I can choose to have all my energy from renewable sources; turbines, wave machines, solar panels (although these are ineffective in Scotland). Choosing this option is only slightly more expensive, but if the gov't taxed all other options, the clean way would become the cheapest way. The energy companies pay for electricity generated by personal rooftop turbines and solar panels too. There is no other option - except choosing to put on a jumper rather than heat your house like a furnace, insulating properly and switching off lights.
I think the driver did a core dump just before he crashed.
I guess you are right. I find I enjoy installing and configuring Linux, especially if there are a few challenges, but then I am not a linux admin by occupation. I look after a mostly windows environment - perhaps that is why I revel in the opportunity to install something a little better. I can see that it would be galling to find that it simply wasn't possible to get something working in linux if you had paid a lot of money for a new laptop. Is there still alot of hardware unsupported by modern distros? I guess soft modems are probably still a problem - I haven't had the need for one in years so wouldn't know. I suppose the sales figures will speak for themselves. I hope that Dell promote it a bit and give it time to build up some sales. I expect there will be a large initial interest and then a reduction in sales, and then a slow increase. However I am not a market analyst by occupation either ;)
Besides if you take the amount of time it actually takes to install Ubuntu (stripping out the bits where you watch the progress bar) it isn't much longer than it would take to scan through Slashdot articles, find an entry you don't agree with and write a long reply about how you simply don't have any time. If Dell are shipping Ubuntu, then the required drivers for the machines in question (including the GoofyCool ones) will surely be included in the free to download distro and will install without problems. Just boot the CD and click next next next...? It takes half an hour for a default install tops.
it is lice to have people like you to correct me...
When I buy a Windows machine I spend ages customising the default install - updating, removing junk, adding programs and data. If I bought a Linux machine I would spend ages customising - updating, adding programs and data. I just put openSuse on a new thinkpad and it all just worked. Wireless and all. By the time it was on (an hour later) most of the customizing had already been done. To be honest I am in two minds about this... don't get me wrong, I am as much a Linux pusher as the next guy but I just don't know if it will work. Hopefully business buyers will order some - its very handy having a few linux machines in every office to perform server tasks. I put one in each of the offices I administer. It just always seems that there is *one* little windows app that they aaaabsolutely have to have and it wont work on wine. Therefore I would always go for a windows machine and then load linux on it. That way I have a licence to run a VM if required. Dell aren't stupid though and I am sure they have studied the market.
I am an openSuse user but still find the need to use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Nutmeg, Sage etc. According to a recent survey of openSuse users 70% admitted having a dual boot environment. I guess a great deal more use Windows on VMs. I don't doubt that there are people who do not require any Windows based software but even amongst linux users this is a clear minority. But good on them for having a set of requirements that linux can singlehandedly satisfy. I hate having to fanny around with VMs and dual boots just to use a piece of software that only works with Windows. I try to get stuff working on Wine but it is even more painful. Who do I know that could use linux on its own? My Mum could manage without any Windows programs (ah no... she video-calls her friends on MSN all the time). Perhaps my brother... he just surfs for porn all day. Linux can do good porn.
... that almost anyone clued in enough to decide that they want Ubuntu would be clued up enough to just buy the Windows version and install Ubuntu dual boot. Most linux users still have some use for windows and its lice to have it legally.
I wonder what discount could be had if there was a 'no support' option? I can't see regular home users queuing up to buy something they are unfamiliar with if the price is the same.
In addition to that, nowadays we need to learn a new UI everytime we get a new digital TV box, PDA, mobile phone, console, TV, etc etc. We all learn new UIs all the time and its not that hard because they all essentially do the same thing and have an area for "settings". Linux is [almost] at the point where it can be used effectively without the command line. That is why it poses such a threat to Microsoft - its getting closer and closer to being easily set up and administered.
Yes... lure them into the linux car with the 'candy'...
Here little windows user... here's a bag of plums for your trouble...
Exactly. I use linux and use a VMified XP install occasionally (photoshop, dreamweaver etc) and am very happy with it. I am IT manager of a small company and a few of the desktops and all of the servers are linux based. I am happy with this because I can help out when required. I found that users put (forced) onto openSUSE were very nervous to begin with. Any problems were immediately blamed and the OS and in turn, myself. I one by one ironed out all the little problems and now these users (one of them an old lady) doesn't like using XP because she "doesn't know where everything is". That said she doesn't touch a single setting (I have to do it for her). The Director also runs linux (multiboot). He is quite techinically competent, and on his laptop not having to run antivirus has made everything a lot faster for him. However he does feel a bit stupid every time I have to make any changes - it is just too different from XP for him to know how to do things himself. For this reason I wouldn't casually recommend linux to people who would be left to sort things out themselves. Everyone has someone nearby that has basic competence in XP. For now (and things are changing) this is not the case with linux. However, put it in the workplace (this is going to be a real growth area) and users will slowly find their feet in it.
I use OOo all the time and when working with odf files I find that anything I need to do I can do. Yes, it doesn't look as pretty as office but I'm not a slave to fashion. I like many people wouldn't pay hundreds of pounds (or dollars) just so that I can write documents and produce spreadsheets with a pretty frame wrapped around them. I went through a phase of trying to skin every app that I use but it really has nothing to do with productivity.
I had problems... so I sold it to my Polish brother in law... muhahahaha! BTW it could hook up to a screen and display at a useabe 640x480. My new phone (XDA Orbit) runs WM5 with radio, WiFi, GPS et al. TV out would be a small step (unlike having GPS on your phone which is cool - I use tomtom even when walking if I get lost). Couldn't they com up with something more useful, like a phone with a screen the size of a tv?
Thats why real perverts run linux ;)
Linux would become an illegal underground movement, with 'dealers' supplying distros on street corners and under bridges. Oh, the naughtiness of it all...
0.5 will be released soon and looks to be shaping up well. Our medium sized company uses it every day (around 20 users) along with phpicalendar (highly recommended). As the number and size of the calendars grow, so does thunderbird's startup time. That is pretty annoying, although you can use the "minimise to try" plugin to avoid lots of restarts (although you will need to restart occasionally to sync up your calendars again).
I am hoping the 0.5 will introduce some sort of cache feature... as soon as you disconnect you cannot see your diary anymore - that's not good for mobile staff trying to check their diaries in a meeting. On the whole though, the entire setup doesn't cost a penny and it is pretty reliable.
Lightening is terribly basic (but pretty stable) just now, the current version being 0.3.1. The 0.5 release was planned for April 14th but clearly is still working out a few bugs to prepare it for release.
;)
I think the new version will tie in with the email side of things a little more, rather than just being an integrated version of Sunbird. Its a while since I checked the dev blog but I think it will allow automatic emailing of attendees etc. It also provides better printing facilities for those who like their hard copies (?)
I certainly think it is moving in the right direction (albeit slowly
The open source solution is phpicalendar. It truly is the poor man's calendaring system. It runs on php (duh) and apache no problem. It requires a small amount of configuration (mostly getting the permissions correct) and it provides a web interface (whihch looks nice and allows searching/themeing/filters, but doesn't allow direct editing) and allows sunbird / thunderbird+lightening / outlook2007 to connect in without problems. Our small business uses it for around 20 users daily and it works reliably. I would suggest really understanding its workings to ensure the security is correctly set up. http://phpicalendar.net/
Think of how many brands of car there are on the market, and how many models each brand provides. I don't see motorists running with their hand in the air shouting "I wish my choice was more limited". No. Instead they cut the choice in half by considering what they can afford. Then they cut it in half again by considering their space needs, whether they want petrol or diesel, etc etc etc. Okay... its a rubbish analogy because they are all cross compatible with highways... and petrol... but surely something in there proves the case for choice? Anyone?