And how many of those 65% have geek friends that they call and say "Hi, my computer broke, can you fix it?"?
The rest have kids they can ask the same question.
In any case, "broke" normally means:
The battery in the wireless mouse is flat
A plug fell out the back
Its teh viruses, stupid!(I for one welcome our new porn overlords)
Profit!
If you upgrade them to Win7 they will hit you with a clue bat: Working means "Running WIndows XP".
It would be just as difficult to migrate from FreeBSD to AIX as it would be to Windows.
Its quite obvious you have never tried it. I have been involved in enterprise migrations from Windows to Suze, Suze to FreeBSD,
FreeBSD to Ubuntu, and FreeBSD to OpenBSD (Different organisation, not my choice of OS).
None of the above was more of a problem that moving from Win2k to WinXP.
However, I have to admit that it was the infrastructure I migrated, and not the workstations.
As has been said by previous posters, 90% of users could not tell a migration to Ubuntu from a Windows upgrade. The other 10% would probably recognise it as an improvement.
As for the argument that Linux support people cost more, you need far fewer of them. I believe the industry standard figure is in the order of 1 Linux person where you had 4 MCSEs. They also probably deliver more, because "support" in a Linux environment means providing additional facilities. "Support" in a Windows environment means reimaging machines. Support from Microsoft means "Jack Shit". Personally, I have never heard of MS support being an improvement on RTFM.
BASIC existed a hell of a long time before Gates wrote anything at all. it ran on Minicomputers a long time before Altair. Dartmoth college created BASIC as a tool for teaching students how to write interpreters, that was its origin. Dartmouth was churning out hundreds of graduates who could write BASIC interpreters each year!
Gates and Allen did what hundreds of teenagers did every day at the time.
However, Gates had a dad who knew someone who knew someone at IBM. The other students had girlfriends and booze. (This was the 60's).
You are behind the times: The latest news is that Moto have locked down their latest Android offering, thus ensuring that the main selling feature of Android is removed. This is on a par with selling a car which cannot have its tyres pumped up.
Moto sales have crashed.
Sure the average Andoid user will not flash it with Leedroid, but the average nerd knows that Moto have made most stupiest mistake in marketing history, and will tell anyone who asks them what phone to buy. In a year's time, when most Android users are on 3.4, and Moto users are stuck on 2.1, every last illiterate trailer trash will know "Moto is what you dont buy".
The main lesson from the near death of IBM in the 1990s was "Please the geeks - they sell your product!". Moto seem to have misunderstood this as "Displease the geeks" and are going to die for it.
There are tons of apps for Symbian smart phones. Unfortuantely, owning to the "Signed by Sybian" lockdown, you cant install them, or if somehow you mange, their certificate expires, o some othe grief, and though isntalled, they wont actually run. I have here as evidence, a SOny Ericson P1i, which is a wonderful phone, capable of superhuman feats, with the most amazing hardware keyboard, that is compact, but easy to use, except that it isn't any use, because of "Signed by Symbian".
I think you will find there are plenty of countries in the world where their own law is unenforceable, never mind US law. You might want to move. Travel broadens the mind (staying un the USA appears to broaden the waist).
Now, how do you feel when you're working extra weekends because those people who decided NOT to continue learning are partying with all the hot chicks?
In a lot of cases, "Make sure your employees are aware of their environment and know how to GTFO if something starts going wrong" is the best that can be done.
I have worked in these environments (Pallet racks, forklifts) , and I agree that this is the best policy by far. (Except you missed the "if you like having toes, wear your safety boots, if you like having a head, wear your hard hat).
PHBs unfortunately don't agree with us. they think its more important you _sign_ that "you have watched a video, and know what a bad cartoon drawing of a forklift looks like". Its the law.
Sure only geeks can install a new OS NOW. In the days of DOS, only geeks can install an OS on a PC,
and it wasn't easy for geeks at first - yes I do remember my first install of DOS 1.0 - the whole computer lab stood round offering helpful hints!
Android is open, You can get Cyanogen, OpenDesire, etc if you want. The real news is that people are beginning to discover that you can keep the hardware and change the software. Users may not be able to do it themselves, but they probably know a man who can. (Hint: where do you go to unlock your phome - oh, yes, its that nice Mohammed in the Somalian Internet cafe!)
In a couple of years, Everyone will know that Motorola sucks. They don't support their phones will regular s/w upgrades, like what Apple do, and are stuck in the last century. The PC experience tells us: annual hardware phone upgrades are going to die - users will expect their phone OS to be upgraded regularly for five years, and not keep buying new phones,
The standard spec is here, now: 800x480 is good enough we don't need better, micro SD, micro USB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, motion sensing, and a compass, and might want a keyboard, OJ, camera and FM radio. Now apps can go in the SD card, and swapping is supported, that should last at least 7 years.
Most of the world already has a phone, and enough have seen a decent smart phone that crap ones wont sell for much longer. And they wont want crap support either.
I for one welcome our new Android overlords Yes I do own an HTC Desire - and yes it has more computing power than the entire world had when I was in college! It is also is more powerful than the PC I am using to type this!
Will I dump Sense for OpenDesire to get better battery life, fewer bugs and decent control of the audio? Eventually! Will I replace it with a newer Desire model? Yes, eventually. Will any of my relatives buy another Motorola product? No chance whatever, not because of advice from me - once bitten twice shy does not require you to be a nerd!
The Labour Party manages to look worse than bad without any help from others.
In fact, the Labour party could not look other than bad:
Old labour still believes Marxist economic theory is correct - despite the fact that it was proven stupid in theory and practice,
while new labour: Blair was secretly negotiating with Mugabe!
There are NO redeeming features of Labour whatever.
However, if the bankers' "derivatives" ponzi scheme is not stopped soon, even the rich will be in the same situation as flooded Pakistanis.
The tyre shop a the end of my street offers "used tyres from £3". Ask them "How far from £3?" and the answer is
"a very long way" For average cars, approximately £60 away.
My grandmother used to say "The adverts speak very highly of it!", meaning: no one else does.
We all know marketing execs are taught "there's one born every minute". Those days are over. No, its not 1999 any more:
almost everyone on the planet has used a computer, and before they buy another one, they will be asking some relevant
questions, or getting someone else to - like "Will I have to throw it away next month cos of virus infestation?". And, they wont be asking the sales person in Walmart, either.
Slashdot Mirror
The rest have kids they can ask the same question.
In any case, "broke" normally means:
The battery in the wireless mouse is flat
A plug fell out the back
Its teh viruses, stupid!(I for one welcome our new porn overlords)
Profit!
If you upgrade them to Win7 they will hit you with a clue bat: Working means "Running WIndows XP".
Its quite obvious you have never tried it. I have been involved in enterprise migrations from Windows to Suze, Suze to FreeBSD, FreeBSD to Ubuntu, and FreeBSD to OpenBSD (Different organisation, not my choice of OS). None of the above was more of a problem that moving from Win2k to WinXP. However, I have to admit that it was the infrastructure I migrated, and not the workstations.
As has been said by previous posters, 90% of users could not tell a migration to Ubuntu from a Windows upgrade. The other 10% would probably recognise it as an improvement.
As for the argument that Linux support people cost more, you need far fewer of them. I believe the industry standard figure is in the order of 1 Linux person where you had 4 MCSEs. They also probably deliver more, because "support" in a Linux environment means providing additional facilities. "Support" in a Windows environment means reimaging machines. Support from Microsoft means "Jack Shit". Personally, I have never heard of MS support being an improvement on RTFM.
Gates and Allen did what hundreds of teenagers did every day at the time.
However, Gates had a dad who knew someone who knew someone at IBM. The other students had girlfriends and booze. (This was the 60's).
Moto sales have crashed.
Sure the average Andoid user will not flash it with Leedroid, but the average nerd knows that Moto have made most stupiest mistake in marketing history, and will tell anyone who asks them what phone to buy. In a year's time, when most Android users are on 3.4, and Moto users are stuck on 2.1, every last illiterate trailer trash will know "Moto is what you dont buy".
The main lesson from the near death of IBM in the 1990s was "Please the geeks - they sell your product!". Moto seem to have misunderstood this as "Displease the geeks" and are going to die for it.
My local pub offers hadron flavoured beer.
There are tons of apps for Symbian smart phones. Unfortuantely, owning to the "Signed by Sybian" lockdown, you cant install them, or if somehow you mange, their certificate expires, o some othe grief, and though isntalled, they wont actually run. I have here as evidence, a SOny Ericson P1i, which is a wonderful phone, capable of superhuman feats, with the most amazing hardware keyboard, that is compact, but easy to use, except that it isn't any use, because of "Signed by Symbian".
Welcome our new "security by stupidity" overlords.
No! he means the attack of the Zombie media overlords (probably lack of caffiene).
Personally, I have never even seen a bluray disk, and I am not sure I know anyone who has!
(But I live in the UK).
There that's fixed it for you.
I think you will find there are plenty of countries in the world where their own law is unenforceable, never mind US law. You might want to move. Travel broadens the mind (staying un the USA appears to broaden the waist).
There, thats fixed it for all of us!
I have worked in these environments (Pallet racks, forklifts) , and I agree that this is the best policy by far. (Except you missed the "if you like having toes, wear your safety boots, if you like having a head, wear your hard hat).
PHBs unfortunately don't agree with us. they think its more important you _sign_ that "you have watched a video, and know what a bad cartoon drawing of a forklift looks like". Its the law.
And yes, BT will probably claim that their pathetic service is because you are in a rural area if you have a tree within sight of your house.
If there is a cow in sight, you are probably only entitled to dial-up.
BT broadband was not arriving for me this morning, so if the pigeon fails to arrive, it might not actually lose!
Or may be the universities whos research showed "children learn" or "alcohol makes students drunk"?
"A study" may not be the same as a "meaningful and credible study". YMMV
Steve Jobs has bought Samsung?
Is that an analogy, or has Motorola changes their name?
You forgot: Porn! (cant have that on an iPhone!)
Fortunately you can have your car any colour you like, so long as its black!
Sure only geeks can install a new OS NOW. In the days of DOS, only geeks can install an OS on a PC, and it wasn't easy for geeks at first - yes I do remember my first install of DOS 1.0 - the whole computer lab stood round offering helpful hints!
Android is open, You can get Cyanogen, OpenDesire, etc if you want. The real news is that people are beginning to discover that you can keep the hardware and change the software. Users may not be able to do it themselves, but they probably know a man who can. (Hint: where do you go to unlock your phome - oh, yes, its that nice Mohammed in the Somalian Internet cafe!)
In a couple of years, Everyone will know that Motorola sucks. They don't support their phones will regular s/w upgrades, like what Apple do, and are stuck in the last century. The PC experience tells us: annual hardware phone upgrades are going to die - users will expect their phone OS to be upgraded regularly for five years, and not keep buying new phones,
The standard spec is here, now: 800x480 is good enough we don't need better, micro SD, micro USB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, motion sensing, and a compass, and might want a keyboard, OJ, camera and FM radio. Now apps can go in the SD card, and swapping is supported, that should last at least 7 years.
Most of the world already has a phone, and enough have seen a decent smart phone that crap ones wont sell for much longer. And they wont want crap support either.
I for one welcome our new Android overlords Yes I do own an HTC Desire - and yes it has more computing power than the entire world had when I was in college! It is also is more powerful than the PC I am using to type this!
Will I dump Sense for OpenDesire to get better battery life, fewer bugs and decent control of the audio? Eventually! Will I replace it with a newer Desire model? Yes, eventually. Will any of my relatives buy another Motorola product? No chance whatever, not because of advice from me - once bitten twice shy does not require you to be a nerd!
I would hire a team of crack ninjas, as well as a lawyer or two. Plus advertise for the A-team.
Cos Latex gloves cause allergies in pubic employees, and the union would strike!
You might want to tell Boeing and you local congresscritter.
In fact, the Labour party could not look other than bad: Old labour still believes Marxist economic theory is correct - despite the fact that it was proven stupid in theory and practice, while new labour: Blair was secretly negotiating with Mugabe!
There are NO redeeming features of Labour whatever.
However, if the bankers' "derivatives" ponzi scheme is not stopped soon, even the rich will be in the same situation as flooded Pakistanis.
My grandmother used to say "The adverts speak very highly of it!", meaning: no one else does.
We all know marketing execs are taught "there's one born every minute". Those days are over. No, its not 1999 any more: almost everyone on the planet has used a computer, and before they buy another one, they will be asking some relevant questions, or getting someone else to - like "Will I have to throw it away next month cos of virus infestation?". And, they wont be asking the sales person in Walmart, either.