Got a new computer recently? Can't find that Word 2000 disc? Unless you resort to piracy, you're dumb outta luck.
And do you honestly expect Word 2003 to work with Windows 8 or 9? I can't say Microsoft would be too interested in making that work out if the support contract is worn out.
But you are getting old and are going to die and you probably have no intention of buying a new version of Word since you are happy with the current one.
Besides linux people, the people that I personally see using openoffice most often are young, hip college students. The reason? They have no money to spend on things like software. You forget that young people also grew up with the internet and are accustomed lots of free software and see no reason to pay to use something that some other software does just as well but is free.
I fit this statement, and speaking from experience there's no chance in hell after using OO.o for a year or two that I'd ever use anything else. Well, maybe Abiword.
I'm the opposite way for OpenOffice.org, and you might be seeing a rise in that. I didn't like it at first, but I assimilated to its minor differences. Now any version of Word bugs the hell out of me. Neither is inferior, just different.
The question is if you buy a new computer, will you bother adjusting to OO.o for a few months, or pay $80+ for Word 2007, which you will probably also have to adjust to? Google Docs is good and all, but it's still quirky as well (I've ran into more bugs in GD than OO.o, but that's just me) and doesn't have a decent offline mode.
The only issue is when Ubuntu will be in the OEM's pocketbooks. It is Mom and Pop ready right now. It's easy and damn simple, and it's a really fantastic product, once someone sets it up for you. Unfortunately, that "once someone sets it up for you" addition cannot and never will change.
What Shuttleworth and gang need to do is polish their desktop up a bit more, get everything stable and then advertise the heck out of it. Even if people can't install an OS (which is a pretty big deal, honestly) they'll know what it is and then be able to tell Dell that they want something else.
I agree that it's a start, but I can't see Microsoft ever "dying" outright. All I see is a few pieces of competition, perhaps a few that will grab a few more percentage points of market share from Microsoft every year.
The interesting note to watch is what happens when the next generation of computer users comes forward. Teenagers these days know a lot more about computers than their parents do, on average. They understand the difference between Mac and Windows (and a heck of a lot know about Ubuntu - more than you might think), and can use their computers in fairly efficient ways. Will they be more willing to adapt and allow the market to morph? Considering that the market nowadays panders to the lowest common denominator (people who think "Windows" is a synonym with "computer") the fundamental shift in the next decade or two is when that lowest common denominator starts to rise. As computers become more integral to the average user's life, the more they'll bother to understand it.
Car analogy: while most people don't quite understand the entire workings of a car, they know enough to keep it running. This is not true for a hell of a lot of computer users, but when and how will this change?
They would certainly benefit from a new OS rising up. Firefox, for example, was funded by Google so that they could get into the search box by default. Google knows how to get their hands into what they can find, but Windows is one place where their hands simply don't fit. Any place they could place their flag and claim ground has already been grabbed by Microsoft. If Google boosts Linux up, you can bet they'd have an interest in benefiting from filling the rather minute cracks that desktop Linux has.
For example, saying, "Okay, we'll fix Pulseaudio for you guys by next Ubuntu release, if you do this or that." It would be a question of whether the Linux gang would accept them or not, depending on the offer.
This is like bad science fiction, written before the internet was invented - by Dan Brown.
You can just see it now - Microsoft has been infiltrated by the Illuminatti...developers start disappearing in a seemingly random fashion...and a mysterious dead body with a chair leg wedged into the chest...who turns out to support free software...
There are more users of Linux than most people realize, though the numbers get fuzzy. But hell, Blizzard keeps WoW working well with Wine. Too bad nobody else has the kind of money they have to do something like that.
Actually, Gnome Shell is very simple. All of the "paper cuts" they're fixing should stay as they migrate. If the shell stays simple like the pre-release version I tested, you can bet Linux will have the GUI to watch out for.
It's trying to cover up the issues with Alsa - that it's hard to develop for and has a completely lack of documentation. Unfortunately, it hasn't done a swell job.
This is where Ubuntu's dictator model comes in. Shuttleworth says, "We're switching to OSS." Transition for a year or two, and most issues are fixed.
Unless you've used vista on a machine that can't handle it. I don't mind it, but then again, I have 4 GB of RAM and a Core 2 Duo. I can't say I actively like it, however, it's nothing that special.
Absolutely, I'm gonna play that game. I hated Vista, skipped it after trying it for a week, and now that I've tried Windows 7 I'm convinced of moving away from XP.
Having used both, I can't understand this. They run the same, they operate the same, they are the same in most respects. The only way they differ in ways most people see is the UI.
In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, there were more than a couple times were I cracked a smile or outright laughed. Valve has a great way with keeping you amused.
"If you pull this off, Freeman, I might just forgive you for that incident back in Black Mesa," says Dr. Magnussun to the player. "I think you know the one, involving a certain microwave and casserole."
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Hey, if you were an OpenSUSE KDE user, that's what floated down the river. If you didn't like it, oh well.
And who cared about Halo 2 on PC? Exactly.
Got a new computer recently? Can't find that Word 2000 disc? Unless you resort to piracy, you're dumb outta luck.
And do you honestly expect Word 2003 to work with Windows 8 or 9? I can't say Microsoft would be too interested in making that work out if the support contract is worn out.
Besides linux people, the people that I personally see using openoffice most often are young, hip college students. The reason? They have no money to spend on things like software. You forget that young people also grew up with the internet and are accustomed lots of free software and see no reason to pay to use something that some other software does just as well but is free.
I fit this statement, and speaking from experience there's no chance in hell after using OO.o for a year or two that I'd ever use anything else. Well, maybe Abiword.
I'm the opposite way for OpenOffice.org, and you might be seeing a rise in that. I didn't like it at first, but I assimilated to its minor differences. Now any version of Word bugs the hell out of me. Neither is inferior, just different.
The question is if you buy a new computer, will you bother adjusting to OO.o for a few months, or pay $80+ for Word 2007, which you will probably also have to adjust to? Google Docs is good and all, but it's still quirky as well (I've ran into more bugs in GD than OO.o, but that's just me) and doesn't have a decent offline mode.
The only issue is when Ubuntu will be in the OEM's pocketbooks. It is Mom and Pop ready right now. It's easy and damn simple, and it's a really fantastic product, once someone sets it up for you. Unfortunately, that "once someone sets it up for you" addition cannot and never will change.
What Shuttleworth and gang need to do is polish their desktop up a bit more, get everything stable and then advertise the heck out of it. Even if people can't install an OS (which is a pretty big deal, honestly) they'll know what it is and then be able to tell Dell that they want something else.
I agree that it's a start, but I can't see Microsoft ever "dying" outright. All I see is a few pieces of competition, perhaps a few that will grab a few more percentage points of market share from Microsoft every year.
The interesting note to watch is what happens when the next generation of computer users comes forward. Teenagers these days know a lot more about computers than their parents do, on average. They understand the difference between Mac and Windows (and a heck of a lot know about Ubuntu - more than you might think), and can use their computers in fairly efficient ways. Will they be more willing to adapt and allow the market to morph? Considering that the market nowadays panders to the lowest common denominator (people who think "Windows" is a synonym with "computer") the fundamental shift in the next decade or two is when that lowest common denominator starts to rise. As computers become more integral to the average user's life, the more they'll bother to understand it.
Car analogy: while most people don't quite understand the entire workings of a car, they know enough to keep it running. This is not true for a hell of a lot of computer users, but when and how will this change?
They would certainly benefit from a new OS rising up. Firefox, for example, was funded by Google so that they could get into the search box by default. Google knows how to get their hands into what they can find, but Windows is one place where their hands simply don't fit. Any place they could place their flag and claim ground has already been grabbed by Microsoft. If Google boosts Linux up, you can bet they'd have an interest in benefiting from filling the rather minute cracks that desktop Linux has.
For example, saying, "Okay, we'll fix Pulseaudio for you guys by next Ubuntu release, if you do this or that." It would be a question of whether the Linux gang would accept them or not, depending on the offer.
It's been too soon for a reaction. If something like that was released now, everyone would know immediately what MS was up to.
This is like bad science fiction, written before the internet was invented - by Dan Brown.
You can just see it now - Microsoft has been infiltrated by the Illuminatti...developers start disappearing in a seemingly random fashion...and a mysterious dead body with a chair leg wedged into the chest...who turns out to support free software...
Google ads don't appear in my browser when I'm running Ubuntu?
That example is especially ironic considering Firefox comes with Google as the default search engine. The article is a piece of crap.
There are more users of Linux than most people realize, though the numbers get fuzzy. But hell, Blizzard keeps WoW working well with Wine. Too bad nobody else has the kind of money they have to do something like that.
Woosh!
Vapourware? Dude, you can go and test the Gnome 3.0 prereleases right now. You'd be surprised how far along it all is.
Actually, Gnome Shell is very simple. All of the "paper cuts" they're fixing should stay as they migrate. If the shell stays simple like the pre-release version I tested, you can bet Linux will have the GUI to watch out for.
It's trying to cover up the issues with Alsa - that it's hard to develop for and has a completely lack of documentation. Unfortunately, it hasn't done a swell job.
This is where Ubuntu's dictator model comes in. Shuttleworth says, "We're switching to OSS." Transition for a year or two, and most issues are fixed.
Unless you've used vista on a machine that can't handle it. I don't mind it, but then again, I have 4 GB of RAM and a Core 2 Duo. I can't say I actively like it, however, it's nothing that special.
You can keep burning those Linux discs, sure. The Mac DVD's probably aren't legal, though.
If you're setting them on fire, put them on your junk first. It will melt into a permanent condom. You'll need it for Windows.
But you need at least 1 GB to run Win7 well (with virus protection). XP is half that. Some people can't be bothered or don't know how to upgrade.
Absolutely, I'm gonna play that game. I hated Vista, skipped it after trying it for a week, and now that I've tried Windows 7 I'm convinced of moving away from XP.
Having used both, I can't understand this. They run the same, they operate the same, they are the same in most respects. The only way they differ in ways most people see is the UI.
This should be modded up, if not for the discussion that may come after. ASTROTURF!!!
You mistook Win7 for XP.
He's going for multiple-thread metaphors and similies. It's a very complex joke. We wouldn't expect your Anonymous kind to understand.
In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, there were more than a couple times were I cracked a smile or outright laughed. Valve has a great way with keeping you amused.
"If you pull this off, Freeman, I might just forgive you for that incident back in Black Mesa," says Dr. Magnussun to the player. "I think you know the one, involving a certain microwave and casserole."
Randomly generated HUGE isn't nearly as good as designed small. Back to Morrowind, folks.