The KDE folk are scared that people seeing good stable and useful software on their Windows machines will stop them from EVER moving to Linux.
Most general users are 2 things:
1) Uneducated about the technology they use: They click a button... it does something, that's all they care about. They don't understand Linux/Windows/OSX/Xenix/MPE/MS-DOS/OS2.. They don't care. For them, if they have Windows now, or they use Windows at work and they can use Program X that's OSS based (which they wouldn't know/understand), then they will associate Program X with Windows and actually make it easier for Windows to maintain that customer. People aren't used to applications that run on several platforms because so many don't.. and the whole DOS vs. Apple OS rift of the late 80's makes it an even tougher sell. People spent so much time pushing other people into knowing that Macs != Windows, that one program won't run on the other system, that people just expect all technology to work that way.
2) Lazy about technology If the application works under Windows why have to switch over to Linux to have the same application? They have this application on Windows and it works, and they know how it behaves, Linux is an unknown quantity. So they don't mind shelling out a few bucks to have that familiarity. So the day "windows shell" runs on a "linux kernel" might be the day that changes..
It's easy to say "Users will move to Linux because it's free" or "users will move to Linux because it's a better move" but 90%+ of users aren't "knowledgeable about technology", they just use the computer to do their office work or because they have to, and then when they go home, they don't touch their home box. Even with the advances in technology integration people still don't know that "the little tv' is a monitor or the box under their desk is not the "CPU"
It's really a catch 22 because people won't see the OSS applications without choosing an alternate OS, and by putting the OSS apps on Windows, it removes the need to move to an alternate OS..
- no "sent mail" folder (and no, you Can't make one),
This will be possible with the next version of the product, they are planning on including mail rules so you can specify all incoming mail to a folder..
Yeah!!!!
- filters/rules.. all your email goes into the inbox... spam and all. bletch.
Again this is planned for the next release...
- amazingly enough, there's no good alert sound to let you know when you've got a new message - no pop-up, no flashing Dock/startmenuthing blinking..
Uhhh, that's not true, how about a RED FLAG on all unread messages? How about a Sound effect to let you know when mail has arrived? (customizable to any sound you want)As well as a add-on notifier which shows you in the task tray or through a pop-up when you receive new messages.
- you can't back up the databases while its running - soooo... you'll probably do what i do, and that's mirror the drives, and pray to God there's no database corruption, but that its just a drive fault.
Well, FirstClass provides a FC mirror where you can mirror to another drive, pause the mirror and then backup. All contained within the product directly, no need for external software mirrors.
If you were to be a contract employee and you sign one of these contracts, you then leave and work someplace else and again sign one of these contracts. Continued this pattern over several years, who would own what????
If you were to write something amazing that the entire world would use, could you imagine the legal battles that would ensue over that bit of IP??
Centrinity creates an commercial alternative for mail/web/ftp/Unified Messaging.
It runs on Windows as well as Mac servers with Linux server/client coming soon.
So there are always other options.
What you are asking for is impossible to find, as you are dealing with certain "human" characteristics. A system is only as accessable, easy to use, secure and reliable as the people who administer, install and work with the technology.
We can't make blanket statements like "Windows is less secure than Unix" simply because a good Windows admin can make that Windows machine more secure than an Unix box that has a junior or bad admin.
That human factor cannot be understated and is the reason why just such a report or committee is impossible.
Like most other Gnutella, Napster, etc. users, I'll probably download one track, listen to it, if I like it (which I probably will) I'll then order the album.
Your comment made no sense in regards to how people who "use" P2P music sharing programs the way they were intended, to sample an artists work and then make an informed decision on whether they choose to buy it. You wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a test drive, I won't buy music (especially from unknown artists) without first sampling their work to see if I like it.
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The issue is fear.
The KDE folk are scared that people seeing good stable and useful software on their Windows machines will stop them from EVER moving to Linux.
Most general users are 2 things:
1) Uneducated about the technology they use:
They click a button... it does something, that's all they care about. They don't understand Linux/Windows/OSX/Xenix/MPE/MS-DOS/OS2.. They don't care. For them, if they have Windows now, or they use Windows at work and they can use Program X that's OSS based (which they wouldn't know/understand), then they will associate Program X with Windows and actually make it easier for Windows to maintain that customer.
People aren't used to applications that run on several platforms because so many don't.. and the whole DOS vs. Apple OS rift of the late 80's makes it an even tougher sell. People spent so much time pushing other people into knowing that Macs != Windows, that one program won't run on the other system, that people just expect all technology to work that way.
2) Lazy about technology
If the application works under Windows why have to switch over to Linux to have the same application? They have this application on Windows and it works, and they know how it behaves, Linux is an unknown quantity. So they don't mind shelling out a few bucks to have that familiarity. So the day "windows shell" runs on a "linux kernel" might be the day that changes..
It's easy to say "Users will move to Linux because it's free" or "users will move to Linux because it's a better move" but 90%+ of users aren't "knowledgeable about technology", they just use the computer to do their office work or because they have to, and then when they go home, they don't touch their home box. Even with the advances in technology integration people still don't know that "the little tv' is a monitor or the box under their desk is not the "CPU"
It's really a catch 22 because people won't see the OSS applications without choosing an alternate OS, and by putting the OSS apps on Windows, it removes the need to move to an alternate OS..
- no "sent mail" folder (and no, you Can't make one),
This will be possible with the next version of the product, they are planning on including mail rules so you can specify all incoming mail to a folder..
Yeah!!!!
- filters/rules.. all your email goes into the inbox... spam and all. bletch.
Again this is planned for the next release...
- amazingly enough, there's no good alert sound to let you know when you've got a new message - no pop-up, no flashing Dock/startmenuthing blinking..
Uhhh, that's not true, how about a RED FLAG on all unread messages? How about a Sound effect to let you know when mail has arrived? (customizable to any sound you want)As well as a add-on notifier which shows you in the task tray or through a pop-up when you receive new messages.
- you can't back up the databases while its running - soooo... you'll probably do what i do, and that's mirror the drives, and pray to God there's no database corruption, but that its just a drive fault.
Well, FirstClass provides a FC mirror where you can mirror to another drive, pause the mirror and then backup. All contained within the product directly, no need for external software mirrors.
If you were to be a contract employee and you sign one of these contracts, you then leave and work someplace else and again sign one of these contracts. Continued this pattern over several years, who would own what???? If you were to write something amazing that the entire world would use, could you imagine the legal battles that would ensue over that bit of IP??
Listen Samuel Clemens don't give all the secrets away.. :)
Isn't the subject of the post an oxymoron???
Centrinity creates an commercial alternative for mail/web/ftp/Unified Messaging. It runs on Windows as well as Mac servers with Linux server/client coming soon. So there are always other options.
What you are asking for is impossible to find, as you are dealing with certain "human" characteristics. A system is only as accessable, easy to use, secure and reliable as the people who administer, install and work with the technology. We can't make blanket statements like "Windows is less secure than Unix" simply because a good Windows admin can make that Windows machine more secure than an Unix box that has a junior or bad admin. That human factor cannot be understated and is the reason why just such a report or committee is impossible.
Hmmmm, I'm not sure what you mean.
Like most other Gnutella, Napster, etc. users, I'll probably download one track, listen to it, if I like it (which I probably will) I'll then order the album.
Your comment made no sense in regards to how people who "use" P2P music sharing programs the way they were intended, to sample an artists work and then make an informed decision on whether they choose to buy it. You wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a test drive, I won't buy music (especially from unknown artists) without first sampling their work to see if I like it.