I bought the Xandros a month or so ago. I tried using it. Although it installed well (as is the case with most Linux distro's these days), I was unhappy with the selection and even the philosophy. The main thing that bothered me most was that I could find nearly no software on their network and most of what was installed out of date. I also didn't like the idea that all these facilities touted in these posts were only available on a paid for basis. The home edition didn't even have basic things such as the ability to play movies or listen to music. You had to pay for the premium. Didn't make alot of sense to charge for the these basic facilities.
I could have just gone and installed this stuff by getting the packages and struggling with them. I even started to do that, but I found there were almost NO repositories for it. When I went looking for info on the forums most people were not happy with either the software selection, the philosophy, or the registration mechanism.
Let's just say I was disappointed and went looking for a distro that had the software I wanted (basic essential stuff for a home system). I paid about $100 for it and then had to abandon it. I don't know what their 4.1 professional is but I suspect it is exactly more of the same.
I don't think any responsible business would be upgrading at this point. Many would be looking at it for possible upgrades and they may have test cases--those who are quality employees pushing their systems. I highly doubt any responsible business would ever consider rolling out Vista and Office 2007 to average employees, even on new computers. Businesses have much to loose if they switch too fast. Considering this is a day or two after the release to businesses it would be extremely irresponsible to push it onto any business employee's desktop. I'd say few if any of the IT people will move to it for the next 6 months or more.
What you are reading is that some businesses are evaluating the changes and planning on migrating. Almost none of them are considering immediately anyway both a switch to Vista and Office 2007 in any material way. They are most likely examining what hardware requirements are, what training is required, etc.
It really does cost a considerable amount to upgrade to Vista and then the added heavy requirements of Office 2007. You can estimate over $700 for both for just software and then another $1000 for hardware for the average machine. Since few if any OEMs are selling Vista machines with Office preloaded and the fact that it takes considerably more to train you won't see any sort of mass migration for at least a year.
I think there's great competition and I doubt any sort of fixing of price has been happening. One has to wonder the motivation behind this. Why are they spending our tax dollars when it is obvious that we have great competition, lots of manufacturers, great prices, lots of power, enormous competition with integrated chipsets, etc.
Any word on why this is happening or are we just funding some Justice Dept's employee's rise to celebrity?
What would happen is that Billy boy would create an open letter for the world community and claim we are all criminals stealing his government tax dollars.
He would proceed to make us all agree to some sort of EULA to remain citizens and he would change that without our participation with every coming year.
He would raise taxes on everyone and use that money to spend overseas on his pet projects instead of spending it on the American people.
He would work on education as long as it was within the scope of his company to make sales. He would be giving all sorts of government contracts to his company and it's subsidiaries.
Instead of working with everyone he'd go into one of his long tirades as he's done over the years and he would sit and incessantly rock in his chair in the Oval Office of the White House.
He would make exceptions for his vehicles to allow them to be brought into the US and he would drive far over the speed limit while dumping his empty milk cartons in the back seat.
Every time he would go get a visiting dignitary he'd drive so insanely they would never want to get back into the car with him. He would get into extreme fights with his VP during meetings that would shock his cabinet members.
I don't believe it. It's easy to revise history when you were one of a few partcipating in it.
Even if he did have some initial thoughts regarding the matter in that way clearly Microsoft did not, even from the beginning.
Several factors will hurt this deal. It will potentially taint the developers and their contribution back into the linux development cycle. It will give Microsoft some control on the development of Linux.
Microsoft knows they can't compete so they wanted to control the development and then threaten anyone that didn't do it their way. That is so utterly clear I can't understand how this guy expects me (or anyone) to believe his rendition.
Honestly he may have had some intent as he described it but clearly Microsoft never did. This was at attempt to get Microsoft into a position that if you pulled them out of the works the whole thing would fall.
If Microsoft can compete then let them. If they can't compete then let the company die. But do NOT threaten the Linux community and attempt to manipulate it with slight of hand.
I have tried Xandros and Freespire. With Xandros I did get a working system to start. When I installed Ubuntu I did not. Fortunately for Ubuntu that isn't a big problem.
With Ubuntu when I first tried it I booted with the CD. When the LiveCD got to the desktop load portion it wigged out my display. Actually, it wasn't the the display it was the video card. I have a gforce 6600gt that I was using and it failed to work properly with it when I used the LiveCD. I solved this easily by moving a gforce 6600le from another computer and booted with it. Everything worked, I did the install and then switched back. A glitch in their LiveCD but not in the actual installed desktop.
I then found that I didn't have the 3d accelerated video drivers, nor the ability to play mp3s or DVDs. These were easily remedied by following guides widely published that gave simple steps to resolving the issues. In less than 10 minutes I was able to play DVDs and listen to MP3s.
After this I found the guide to installing the nVidia drivers. It isn't that I didn't know how. I just had a problem getting the thing to allow me to terminate the XWindows desktop so I could run the nVidia installer. A guide showed me how and I had the updated drivers going in no time. I then went and installed compiz and beryl and had a pretty nice desktop running in no time. I don't even like gnome yet I was pleased with this Ubuntu distro.
On the Xandros side, I bought it, paid almost $100 for it. It installed without a single snafu and came up looking pretty nice. Of course, all default distro interfaces look ugly and so I went about looking at what was necessary to get this thing customized. I began looking at the Xandros Network and found very little available. Most of the packages they had were out of date: Mozilla, amaroK, and several other packages I wanted to use. The selection was miserably limited and attempts to use other repositories with it failed. Few choices were available because the installed base was too small. I was able to get the updated Firefox (from the www.getfirefox.com website) running but it was a bit flaky. I was able to get amaroK playing but the choices were limited for playback engines. Most of the threads in the Xandros forums blasted the Xandros developers for such limited selection and rare updates. Also many didn't like the fact that Xandros has an activation feature akin to Windows XP.
Ubuntu won out because the features it lacked at first I could add quickly. Also there were plenty of guides. Xandros was extremely limited. The Xandros disclaimer was that it was stable and that's why you couldn't add stuff that you wanted for fear of breaking that stability. Ubuntu had the choices and the easy set up even though I had difficulty to start. On a second machine I did not have the same issues with the LiveCD even tho the video card was nVidia also. Apparently the drivers used in the LiveCD have a problem with the 6600gt cards.
Anyway, in the long run Ubuntu solved my problems and gave me the choices. In the short run Xandros solved my initial problems but in the long run it failed me. I'm looking for choice and reconfigurability even at the expense of some stability--at least it would be my choice.
This was the right thing for Mark to do. He is giving them another avenue that will benefit the whole linux community instead of benefiting Microsoft and Novell. It is obvious that Novell will loose in several different ways and this is just one of them. Developers should look to more pure linux development paths instead of sticking to Novell, which could, in the end, taint their accomplishments.
The first time I read a related article several days ago they were professing something like 450-475gigs not 250. Wonder who's got their story wrong? Some comments regarding those were that it was not possible or even more possible with color coded binary.
I don't agree that it is inexcusable. This is about normal for Microsoft and it is expected. Microsoft has a lot to loose on two edges of the sword.
The first edge is about the loss to the music industry. If they can't satisfy the demands of those guys and if they violate the music industry directives (for a lack of better words) in any way they could suffer the long term. If they implement a feature that allows Zune users the ability to too freely break the rules then the end result would be lawsuits. So, Microsoft joined the ranks of the DRM nightmare inclined--and the Zune users are going to pay.
On the second edge of the sword Microsoft has to take over the DRM industry or they will fail. Apple has that now. What I mean by the DRM industry is that they must take control of the technology that implements DRM in every household and every pocketbook. If they don't they loose to Apple and they will never gain their monopoly status in Content Rights Management (CRM).
Bill Gates said that computers are no longer primarily used to create content, instead they are used to consume it. He knows this is the bandwagon to get up on and to ride it out. He wants total control of all content on computers and that means CRM (the software used to create it) (DRM, et al).
DRM and CRM are the OS of protected data. Whomever controls that controls content and thus controls a lot of other markets. They can then begin to dictate things just as Apple was successfully able to dictate the price of music to the music industry. Steve Jobs was the greedy one in the pricing when that was being debated, IMHO. It is hard to see it until you recognize that he controls the DRM for 70% of the market.
Bottom line, unless Microsoft succumbs to the music industry to start they can't get industry players on board. Unless they take over the DRM and CRM control they'll never get the music industry (or any other industry producing protected content) to come on board. Considering their blatant failure to maintain backwards compatibility one can only guess they have fallen on their own sword on this one.
Hopefully, some realize that we can't let Microsoft get control of the DRM and become a monopoly in CRM like they did the OS. If they do then we'll have high and inflexible prices on our content as well.
I'm sorry to say but anyone using Windows is pretty much locked in. Not locked into a hardware vendor but certainly a software vendor--hence Microsoft's monopoly status.
I agree, that's a good exception, except it has been far too slow. Over 10 years and a good number of people still question whether Linux is ready for the desktop. That is what he means. In competing with the desktop OSes you have to have a desktop OS back then that was viable to compete with Microsoft and Apple.
Europe is an big continent with a lot of very intelligent people. One must ponder his statement seriously.
Europe is still an awakening sleeping giant.
Not related to the sleeping Europe: When you have your own community members disrespecting distro's like Ubuntu with extremely negative comments and nasty sigs you have to come at least to the conclusion that zealots are not good for an OS. To start they make it happen, but as with all humans you may be good at one thing but not another. For instance, there are plenty of people good at starting a business but not at running one. That's what is slowing Linux acceptance on the desktop. The zealot wants you to compile your own OS and apps and the true leaders, the true mature adults understand it is about the people. Zealots got it started, now let the mature adults finish it--and I don't mean commercialize--I mean make it usable by the masses. I have been somewhat impressed with some of the things I have seen recently and I eagerly await the time when users can simply be offline and double click an app and have it installed (or even drag and drop it). I'm not talking about a few programs I'm talking about that being the standard for all programs.
When that happens all hell in the OS world will break loose. And the winner will be Linux, period!
Ballmer is rich and is crazy. Put up or shut up Steve.
Still this does not change the position of the people that I know in the FOSS that the deal with Microsoft and Novell is a cover-up for lawsuits and is meant to split and alienate the linux community.
Sheesh, stop talking about some of this banal Vista crap. Just let people know that Vista has no compelling reason to upgrade. This is a no brainer. I'm not being harsh nor trying to shut anyone down but these endless posts about little defects certain tend to color the fact that there's no reason to buy Vista, unless you want to have the latest stuff from Microsoft. If people want am OS that is solid and inexpensive that runs on a multitude of platforms then they should run Linux. Not that I am a huge Linux fan but it has to be definitely cheaper and requires alot less upgrading than buying Vista and installing it and then getting very little for the exchange of money.
So, please stop tossing little things that tend to color over the bigger issue: There's no compelling reason to buy Vista.
As I said in one of my postings regarding the Novell/Microsoft deal, Microsoft is simply trying to narrow the field for law suits. They had hoped to get as many companies under their control as possible and then sue as the others. CLEARLY, this is what is being demonstrated by these deals and the Ballmer-speak.
Microsoft couldn't get SCO to be successful by assisting it in suing the Linux community. Now they are using FUD by first forming deals that sheds doubt and shadow on Linux as a development platform. They are saying do it our way and you are safe (thus gaining control over linux and they will use that as a way to get the Antitrust regulators off their backs). This demonstrates they are claiming all kinds of woe caused by Linux to their IP, and then they'll begin suing. I'm sure they felt they could get more companies to join their partnership (which does nothing more than put Microsoft in charge of Linux). By using the FUD they are causing larger businesses to stray from using Linux on their servers and finally pushing people off Linux to Vista.
One thing people could always rely on--If you didn't want the Vista DRM and you didn't think Vista had any compelling reason for the upgrade, and you felt that cost of Vista was where it is due to Microsoft's monopoly--was that you had linux to fall back on.
I've tried Linux again after about 6 months away. Prior to that I had used it for about 2 years. I had it running on most of my machines in my office. The problem was that it became a lot of work to maintain it. Programs were often messy or under developed and getting them updated with apt-get was sometimes easy, it created some problems not worth dealing with. Since my business is something other than supporting or developing Linux I couldn't afford to put up with the time Linux was taking just to get some simple things going. So, I switched back to windows. Most of the time Windows was incredibly easier to install programs and drivers were readily available and if you had solid hardware you never got the BSOD. Granted though, I still used Open Source software and relied on every possible package that would compete with Microsoft for my day to day business.
So, after trying linux on two different boxes (after 6 months away and using Windows) I have to say the problems are still there even with distros such as Ubuntu and Kubuntu. Drivers are sorely lacking, accelerated 3d are missing on the default install (and not easy to install even using the nVidia drivers), packages crashed (amarok, for example--even though the sound and other drivers were sufficient enough to work with it), apps were still very primitive and unpolished, and a review of the desktop pictures at kde-look.org all showed the same old programs being run by everybody.
Nonetheless, I still love Linux. It just isn't there yet. Microsoft has whatever it needs to crush linux when it comes to IP rights (if in fact the IP is being used illegally)--but Microsoft has a reputation of violating other companies IP rights over it's long history as a company. At this time they must see some change we don't see because I can't figure out why they would be implicitly threatening to sue the Linux community at this time, other than they may be afraid that when people see the costs involved in upgrading to Vista -- which are excessive and uncalled for -- will switch to Linux.
Regarding comments on my post and the individual to whom I replied with my posts.
The guy I commented on was highly uninformed and he made an negative comments about WoW gamers on Linux. In my opinion he's out of touch and he fails to exercise enough self-discipline regarding matters when he has no facts.
I completely disagree that most people that comment on/. are uninformed posters. I read/. every day. Instead of him attacking WoW users on Linux some have attacked most people that post on/. His comments regarding WoW users on Linux are certainly less egregious than accusing most/. posters as being incompetent and uninformed.
Let's lay it out:
1) WoW was written on the Macintosh and ported to Windows (from all I have heard)--indicating that Blizzard recognized that there were other platforms that would be running this game (e.g., on OSX and potentially Linux).
2) There was a Linux client available before the game went live--indicating that they had initially wanted to release it on Linux.
3) Blizzard worked with Transgaming to correct bugs in the product when it was made clear that the way certain aspects of the game were written caused problems. Blizzard and Transgaming worked together to resolve the issues and those issues were resolved. From my understanding the cooperation between the two companies still exists.
4) There's a switch to WoW that allows it to be run in a mode other than DirectX and the Macintosh doesn't support DirectX. Thus opengl is the alternative they provided. Even though PCs support Opengl this switch most likely was intended for other environments other than PCs running Windows.
5) World of Warcraft has run under Linux since Beta and was in use by Linux users for the approximately 2+ years that World of Warcraft has been live, hence most users had a valid expectation that their continued use of the program under Linux would not result in them being banned.
6) Cedega is a known entity and it is prominently known as a commercial program used to allow users to run DirectX games (and other Windows games) on Linux. Transgaming has been in business for years.
The poster appears to have made no investigation into these facts, nor did he allude to having any hint of prior knowledge about these factors. These facts were not included in his post where he essentially dumped on every WoW user running it under Linux. Also, he did not have any direct information from Blizzard as to why their accounts were canceled or whether Blizzard planned to reinstate them.
He blatantly acted as a Troll and hence he was modded as a troll. This clearly is in direct opposition most other posts on slashdot. Even so, he never came on and retracted nor did he admit going overboard with his conclusions.
Blizzard has worked with the people at Cedega to make the product work properly. One known issue they helped the linux community with was when the mini map used to cause the screen to freak out. The Cedega team worked with the Blizzard developers to come up with the solution to the problem.
Don't say that it isn't supported. No, officially it is not, but it is unofficially.
As for him being modded as a troll--it would seem he is a troll. He is speaking out his arse without any knowledge nor history on the subject.
WoW, if I recall correctly was written on the Macintosh and that prior to the official release there was a Linux client. That was pulled prior to the official release of the game.
There was once a man who was charged with a crime he says he didn't commit. He was tried and convicted. His sentence was far greater than the crime he was accused of committing. He, in a hand written form, petitioned the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court agreed to hear his case.
It was argued that he didn't have legal assistance or any legal knowledge and that he should be given a new trial. The US Supreme Court agreed and ruled that everyone is now entitled to legal assistance and a lawyer will be appointed if they can't afford one.
What's to note is that the Supreme Court noted that a man of average intelligence saw something and had the wherewithal to take action to petition the court that the vast majority of the top legal minds didn't see or agree with.
The man got a new trial and was found not guilty. The guilty person was found and tried with a court appointed lawyer.
So, yes, people every day (of average intelligence) can judge better than a massive legal system or even a smart organization that has been convicted of criminal monopolistic practices--one that was recently found guilty of stealing the IP rights used to ensure that their IP rights weren't violated (Windows Activation).
Microsoft has no intention of streamlining Linux even for purposes of interoperability. Their goal is to get as many Linux distros under their belt as they can so they can control linux. This will narrow down the field for them to sue. If they can control linux it is better than having to beat or compete with it. Hell, much of what was implemented in Vista is essentially concepts stolen from Linux. Even their trash bin is very close to the look of one of the icon sets available on kde-look.org. If they can narrow the field and control the majority it saves them money in the long run when fighting the remaining in court.
Microsoft has nothing to gain from paying out 300+ million to anyone/everyone who runs/owns a linux distro.
Gates said that the future of computers was not in content creation but content consumption. That's why DRM is so important now. DRM is to content as the OS is to programs. Once you own the DRM that everyone uses you own all the content.
Clearly, Gates is not necessarily interested in income based on the digital music sold, not any more than he's interested in the XBOX-360. He's interested in market share (rather market control) of the content.
Sit back, close your eyes, and think about it for a few minutes. Do we want Microsoft in control of our content as they are in control of our computer? Look how they tried to shaft everyone with their "one reinstall" of Vista. Look at the price of Vista. Look at the slow upgrade of XP? We really want Microsoft determining how we listen to our own music or how we watch our own video? Do we want the slow drawn out cash-cow oriented approach to their development? With Windows they can do things their way in their own time without anyone showing any sort of competition (due to hidden proprietary software/apis).
Mark my word, they will be doing the same thing with your content (being a little dictator) instead of getting out of our way to let us to do with it as we will as we like.
We already know that systems can become infected under Vista. There was a big long write-up of someone installing all sort of malware under Vista via iexplore. There's no question that what Allchin is saying is in direct response to the outcry that there's no compelling reason upgrade and that the security in Vista is really a minor feature. Maybe he's doing it to up his stock value so he can get out from under Microsoft with a big windfall in stock.
He's out-going employee so he may feel he can lie all the wants. When the time comes a lot of people will be very disappointed in Microsoft and they'll also already have been duped.
I wonder if Microsoft can be brought to court early for such fraudulent claims, maybe even to the point halting Vista's release. Making such false claims are akin to fraud. To let that out to encourage sales is to make those sales based on fraud.
Keep in mind that for the most part and for the average person, there is no compelling reason to upgrade. The costs of the OS, even to upgrade, are very high (most people have XP and it does more than the average person needs).
The majority of the costs are going to be in the hardware upgrades. I know that gets vendors all excited. The average person just doesn't need to have someone who is foaming at the mouth about upgrades trying to sell those to people who just don't need them. Be fair to the customers and sell them what they need. If they come in about vista be honest and tell them about it, and that it includes no compelling reasons to upgrade and that if they do choose to upgrade they will be asking for high costs without any real payback.
Warn them about the DRM infections and the privacy violations built into it with the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Notifications, the potential to be cut off the next boot, etc.
Also let them know that Vista is in the first release with known bugs some minor and most certainly some major ones (that weren't caught). Let them know there problems with hardware drivers and that few if any programs (except Office 2007) actually include any Vista features.
Advertisers know exactly what is going on with their dollars when they hire a company to distribute their ads, etc. The way to clear this up is to allow people to sue the advertisers. That'll stop it quickly. I remember, there's some site that has a wall of shame (or something like that) about advertisers who are doing business with these malware groups. That needs to be made more public.
Slashdot Mirror
I bought the Xandros a month or so ago. I tried using it. Although it installed well (as is the case with most Linux distro's these days), I was unhappy with the selection and even the philosophy. The main thing that bothered me most was that I could find nearly no software on their network and most of what was installed out of date. I also didn't like the idea that all these facilities touted in these posts were only available on a paid for basis. The home edition didn't even have basic things such as the ability to play movies or listen to music. You had to pay for the premium. Didn't make alot of sense to charge for the these basic facilities.
I could have just gone and installed this stuff by getting the packages and struggling with them. I even started to do that, but I found there were almost NO repositories for it. When I went looking for info on the forums most people were not happy with either the software selection, the philosophy, or the registration mechanism.
Let's just say I was disappointed and went looking for a distro that had the software I wanted (basic essential stuff for a home system). I paid about $100 for it and then had to abandon it. I don't know what their 4.1 professional is but I suspect it is exactly more of the same.
I don't think any responsible business would be upgrading at this point. Many would be looking at it for possible upgrades and they may have test cases--those who are quality employees pushing their systems. I highly doubt any responsible business would ever consider rolling out Vista and Office 2007 to average employees, even on new computers. Businesses have much to loose if they switch too fast. Considering this is a day or two after the release to businesses it would be extremely irresponsible to push it onto any business employee's desktop. I'd say few if any of the IT people will move to it for the next 6 months or more.
What you are reading is that some businesses are evaluating the changes and planning on migrating. Almost none of them are considering immediately anyway both a switch to Vista and Office 2007 in any material way. They are most likely examining what hardware requirements are, what training is required, etc.
It really does cost a considerable amount to upgrade to Vista and then the added heavy requirements of Office 2007. You can estimate over $700 for both for just software and then another $1000 for hardware for the average machine. Since few if any OEMs are selling Vista machines with Office preloaded and the fact that it takes considerably more to train you won't see any sort of mass migration for at least a year.
I think there's great competition and I doubt any sort of fixing of price has been happening. One has to wonder the motivation behind this. Why are they spending our tax dollars when it is obvious that we have great competition, lots of manufacturers, great prices, lots of power, enormous competition with integrated chipsets, etc.
Any word on why this is happening or are we just funding some Justice Dept's employee's rise to celebrity?
What would happen is that Billy boy would create an open letter for the world community and claim we are all criminals stealing his government tax dollars.
He would proceed to make us all agree to some sort of EULA to remain citizens and he would change that without our participation with every coming year.
He would raise taxes on everyone and use that money to spend overseas on his pet projects instead of spending it on the American people.
He would work on education as long as it was within the scope of his company to make sales. He would be giving all sorts of government contracts to his company and it's subsidiaries.
Instead of working with everyone he'd go into one of his long tirades as he's done over the years and he would sit and incessantly rock in his chair in the Oval Office of the White House.
He would make exceptions for his vehicles to allow them to be brought into the US and he would drive far over the speed limit while dumping his empty milk cartons in the back seat.
Every time he would go get a visiting dignitary he'd drive so insanely they would never want to get back into the car with him. He would get into extreme fights with his VP during meetings that would shock his cabinet members.
I don't believe it. It's easy to revise history when you were one of a few partcipating in it.
Even if he did have some initial thoughts regarding the matter in that way clearly Microsoft did not, even from the beginning.
Several factors will hurt this deal. It will potentially taint the developers and their contribution back into the linux development cycle. It will give Microsoft some control on the development of Linux.
Microsoft knows they can't compete so they wanted to control the development and then threaten anyone that didn't do it their way. That is so utterly clear I can't understand how this guy expects me (or anyone) to believe his rendition.
Honestly he may have had some intent as he described it but clearly Microsoft never did. This was at attempt to get Microsoft into a position that if you pulled them out of the works the whole thing would fall.
If Microsoft can compete then let them. If they can't compete then let the company die. But do NOT threaten the Linux community and attempt to manipulate it with slight of hand.
I have tried Xandros and Freespire. With Xandros I did get a working system to start. When I installed Ubuntu I did not. Fortunately for Ubuntu that isn't a big problem.
With Ubuntu when I first tried it I booted with the CD. When the LiveCD got to the desktop load portion it wigged out my display. Actually, it wasn't the the display it was the video card. I have a gforce 6600gt that I was using and it failed to work properly with it when I used the LiveCD. I solved this easily by moving a gforce 6600le from another computer and booted with it. Everything worked, I did the install and then switched back. A glitch in their LiveCD but not in the actual installed desktop.
I then found that I didn't have the 3d accelerated video drivers, nor the ability to play mp3s or DVDs. These were easily remedied by following guides widely published that gave simple steps to resolving the issues. In less than 10 minutes I was able to play DVDs and listen to MP3s.
After this I found the guide to installing the nVidia drivers. It isn't that I didn't know how. I just had a problem getting the thing to allow me to terminate the XWindows desktop so I could run the nVidia installer. A guide showed me how and I had the updated drivers going in no time. I then went and installed compiz and beryl and had a pretty nice desktop running in no time. I don't even like gnome yet I was pleased with this Ubuntu distro.
On the Xandros side, I bought it, paid almost $100 for it. It installed without a single snafu and came up looking pretty nice. Of course, all default distro interfaces look ugly and so I went about looking at what was necessary to get this thing customized. I began looking at the Xandros Network and found very little available. Most of the packages they had were out of date: Mozilla, amaroK, and several other packages I wanted to use. The selection was miserably limited and attempts to use other repositories with it failed. Few choices were available because the installed base was too small. I was able to get the updated Firefox (from the www.getfirefox.com website) running but it was a bit flaky. I was able to get amaroK playing but the choices were limited for playback engines. Most of the threads in the Xandros forums blasted the Xandros developers for such limited selection and rare updates. Also many didn't like the fact that Xandros has an activation feature akin to Windows XP.
Ubuntu won out because the features it lacked at first I could add quickly. Also there were plenty of guides. Xandros was extremely limited. The Xandros disclaimer was that it was stable and that's why you couldn't add stuff that you wanted for fear of breaking that stability. Ubuntu had the choices and the easy set up even though I had difficulty to start. On a second machine I did not have the same issues with the LiveCD even tho the video card was nVidia also. Apparently the drivers used in the LiveCD have a problem with the 6600gt cards.
Anyway, in the long run Ubuntu solved my problems and gave me the choices. In the short run Xandros solved my initial problems but in the long run it failed me. I'm looking for choice and reconfigurability even at the expense of some stability--at least it would be my choice.
This was the right thing for Mark to do. He is giving them another avenue that will benefit the whole linux community instead of benefiting Microsoft and Novell. It is obvious that Novell will loose in several different ways and this is just one of them. Developers should look to more pure linux development paths instead of sticking to Novell, which could, in the end, taint their accomplishments.
The first time I read a related article several days ago they were professing something like 450-475gigs not 250. Wonder who's got their story wrong? Some comments regarding those were that it was not possible or even more possible with color coded binary.
I don't agree that it is inexcusable. This is about normal for Microsoft and it is expected. Microsoft has a lot to loose on two edges of the sword.
The first edge is about the loss to the music industry. If they can't satisfy the demands of those guys and if they violate the music industry directives (for a lack of better words) in any way they could suffer the long term. If they implement a feature that allows Zune users the ability to too freely break the rules then the end result would be lawsuits. So, Microsoft joined the ranks of the DRM nightmare inclined--and the Zune users are going to pay.
On the second edge of the sword Microsoft has to take over the DRM industry or they will fail. Apple has that now. What I mean by the DRM industry is that they must take control of the technology that implements DRM in every household and every pocketbook. If they don't they loose to Apple and they will never gain their monopoly status in Content Rights Management (CRM).
Bill Gates said that computers are no longer primarily used to create content, instead they are used to consume it. He knows this is the bandwagon to get up on and to ride it out. He wants total control of all content on computers and that means CRM (the software used to create it) (DRM, et al).
DRM and CRM are the OS of protected data. Whomever controls that controls content and thus controls a lot of other markets. They can then begin to dictate things just as Apple was successfully able to dictate the price of music to the music industry. Steve Jobs was the greedy one in the pricing when that was being debated, IMHO. It is hard to see it until you recognize that he controls the DRM for 70% of the market.
Bottom line, unless Microsoft succumbs to the music industry to start they can't get industry players on board. Unless they take over the DRM and CRM control they'll never get the music industry (or any other industry producing protected content) to come on board. Considering their blatant failure to maintain backwards compatibility one can only guess they have fallen on their own sword on this one.
Hopefully, some realize that we can't let Microsoft get control of the DRM and become a monopoly in CRM like they did the OS. If they do then we'll have high and inflexible prices on our content as well.
I'm sorry to say but anyone using Windows is pretty much locked in. Not locked into a hardware vendor but certainly a software vendor--hence Microsoft's monopoly status.
I agree, that's a good exception, except it has been far too slow. Over 10 years and a good number of people still question whether Linux is ready for the desktop. That is what he means. In competing with the desktop OSes you have to have a desktop OS back then that was viable to compete with Microsoft and Apple.
Europe is an big continent with a lot of very intelligent people. One must ponder his statement seriously.
Europe is still an awakening sleeping giant.
Not related to the sleeping Europe:
When you have your own community members disrespecting distro's like Ubuntu with extremely negative comments and nasty sigs you have to come at least to the conclusion that zealots are not good for an OS. To start they make it happen, but as with all humans you may be good at one thing but not another. For instance, there are plenty of people good at starting a business but not at running one. That's what is slowing Linux acceptance on the desktop. The zealot wants you to compile your own OS and apps and the true leaders, the true mature adults understand it is about the people. Zealots got it started, now let the mature adults finish it--and I don't mean commercialize--I mean make it usable by the masses. I have been somewhat impressed with some of the things I have seen recently and I eagerly await the time when users can simply be offline and double click an app and have it installed (or even drag and drop it). I'm not talking about a few programs I'm talking about that being the standard for all programs.
When that happens all hell in the OS world will break loose. And the winner will be Linux, period!
This is old news. I don't know why it is being reposted.
The excuse is one of incompetence. The incompetence is not on the shoulders of the users but on the Microsoft dimwits that thought it up.
You never say that you are going to make an act illegal just because some do not understand it. Why would it be illegal for those that do?
Total and utter incompetence on Microsoft's part. Very lame excuse.
Seem more like the poster is trying to create friction more than the story has any meat.
Ballmer is rich and is crazy. Put up or shut up Steve.
Still this does not change the position of the people that I know in the FOSS that the deal with Microsoft and Novell is a cover-up for lawsuits and is meant to split and alienate the linux community.
Sheesh, stop talking about some of this banal Vista crap. Just let people know that Vista has no compelling reason to upgrade. This is a no brainer. I'm not being harsh nor trying to shut anyone down but these endless posts about little defects certain tend to color the fact that there's no reason to buy Vista, unless you want to have the latest stuff from Microsoft. If people want am OS that is solid and inexpensive that runs on a multitude of platforms then they should run Linux. Not that I am a huge Linux fan but it has to be definitely cheaper and requires alot less upgrading than buying Vista and installing it and then getting very little for the exchange of money.
So, please stop tossing little things that tend to color over the bigger issue: There's no compelling reason to buy Vista.
As I said in one of my postings regarding the Novell/Microsoft deal, Microsoft is simply trying to narrow the field for law suits. They had hoped to get as many companies under their control as possible and then sue as the others. CLEARLY, this is what is being demonstrated by these deals and the Ballmer-speak.
Microsoft couldn't get SCO to be successful by assisting it in suing the Linux community. Now they are using FUD by first forming deals that sheds doubt and shadow on Linux as a development platform. They are saying do it our way and you are safe (thus gaining control over linux and they will use that as a way to get the Antitrust regulators off their backs). This demonstrates they are claiming all kinds of woe caused by Linux to their IP, and then they'll begin suing. I'm sure they felt they could get more companies to join their partnership (which does nothing more than put Microsoft in charge of Linux). By using the FUD they are causing larger businesses to stray from using Linux on their servers and finally pushing people off Linux to Vista.
One thing people could always rely on--If you didn't want the Vista DRM and you didn't think Vista had any compelling reason for the upgrade, and you felt that cost of Vista was where it is due to Microsoft's monopoly--was that you had linux to fall back on.
I've tried Linux again after about 6 months away. Prior to that I had used it for about 2 years. I had it running on most of my machines in my office. The problem was that it became a lot of work to maintain it. Programs were often messy or under developed and getting them updated with apt-get was sometimes easy, it created some problems not worth dealing with. Since my business is something other than supporting or developing Linux I couldn't afford to put up with the time Linux was taking just to get some simple things going. So, I switched back to windows. Most of the time Windows was incredibly easier to install programs and drivers were readily available and if you had solid hardware you never got the BSOD. Granted though, I still used Open Source software and relied on every possible package that would compete with Microsoft for my day to day business.
So, after trying linux on two different boxes (after 6 months away and using Windows) I have to say the problems are still there even with distros such as Ubuntu and Kubuntu. Drivers are sorely lacking, accelerated 3d are missing on the default install (and not easy to install even using the nVidia drivers), packages crashed (amarok, for example--even though the sound and other drivers were sufficient enough to work with it), apps were still very primitive and unpolished, and a review of the desktop pictures at kde-look.org all showed the same old programs being run by everybody.
Nonetheless, I still love Linux. It just isn't there yet. Microsoft has whatever it needs to crush linux when it comes to IP rights (if in fact the IP is being used illegally)--but Microsoft has a reputation of violating other companies IP rights over it's long history as a company. At this time they must see some change we don't see because I can't figure out why they would be implicitly threatening to sue the Linux community at this time, other than they may be afraid that when people see the costs involved in upgrading to Vista -- which are excessive and uncalled for -- will switch to Linux.
Regarding comments on my post and the individual to whom I replied with my posts.
/. are uninformed posters. I read /. every day. Instead of him attacking WoW users on Linux some have attacked most people that post on /. His comments regarding WoW users on Linux are certainly less egregious than accusing most /. posters as being incompetent and uninformed.
The guy I commented on was highly uninformed and he made an negative comments about WoW gamers on Linux. In my opinion he's out of touch and he fails to exercise enough self-discipline regarding matters when he has no facts.
I completely disagree that most people that comment on
Let's lay it out:
1) WoW was written on the Macintosh and ported to Windows (from all I have heard)--indicating that Blizzard recognized that there were other platforms that would be running this game (e.g., on OSX and potentially Linux).
2) There was a Linux client available before the game went live--indicating that they had initially wanted to release it on Linux.
3) Blizzard worked with Transgaming to correct bugs in the product when it was made clear that the way certain aspects of the game were written caused problems. Blizzard and Transgaming worked together to resolve the issues and those issues were resolved. From my understanding the cooperation between the two companies still exists.
4) There's a switch to WoW that allows it to be run in a mode other than DirectX and the Macintosh doesn't support DirectX. Thus opengl is the alternative they provided. Even though PCs support Opengl this switch most likely was intended for other environments other than PCs running Windows.
5) World of Warcraft has run under Linux since Beta and was in use by Linux users for the approximately 2+ years that World of Warcraft has been live, hence most users had a valid expectation that their continued use of the program under Linux would not result in them being banned.
6) Cedega is a known entity and it is prominently known as a commercial program used to allow users to run DirectX games (and other Windows games) on Linux. Transgaming has been in business for years.
The poster appears to have made no investigation into these facts, nor did he allude to having any hint of prior knowledge about these factors. These facts were not included in his post where he essentially dumped on every WoW user running it under Linux. Also, he did not have any direct information from Blizzard as to why their accounts were canceled or whether Blizzard planned to reinstate them.
He blatantly acted as a Troll and hence he was modded as a troll. This clearly is in direct opposition most other posts on slashdot. Even so, he never came on and retracted nor did he admit going overboard with his conclusions.
This is not true, and it is irrelevant. They have supported it through the Cedega development team.
Blizzard has worked with the people at Cedega to make the product work properly. One known issue they helped the linux community with was when the mini map used to cause the screen to freak out. The Cedega team worked with the Blizzard developers to come up with the solution to the problem.
Don't say that it isn't supported. No, officially it is not, but it is unofficially.
As for him being modded as a troll--it would seem he is a troll. He is speaking out his arse without any knowledge nor history on the subject.
WoW, if I recall correctly was written on the Macintosh and that prior to the official release there was a Linux client. That was pulled prior to the official release of the game.
There was once a man who was charged with a crime he says he didn't commit. He was tried and convicted. His sentence was far greater than the crime he was accused of committing. He, in a hand written form, petitioned the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court agreed to hear his case.
It was argued that he didn't have legal assistance or any legal knowledge and that he should be given a new trial. The US Supreme Court agreed and ruled that everyone is now entitled to legal assistance and a lawyer will be appointed if they can't afford one.
What's to note is that the Supreme Court noted that a man of average intelligence saw something and had the wherewithal to take action to petition the court that the vast majority of the top legal minds didn't see or agree with.
The man got a new trial and was found not guilty. The guilty person was found and tried with a court appointed lawyer.
So, yes, people every day (of average intelligence) can judge better than a massive legal system or even a smart organization that has been convicted of criminal monopolistic practices--one that was recently found guilty of stealing the IP rights used to ensure that their IP rights weren't violated (Windows Activation).
Microsoft has no intention of streamlining Linux even for purposes of interoperability. Their goal is to get as many Linux distros under their belt as they can so they can control linux. This will narrow down the field for them to sue. If they can control linux it is better than having to beat or compete with it. Hell, much of what was implemented in Vista is essentially concepts stolen from Linux. Even their trash bin is very close to the look of one of the icon sets available on kde-look.org. If they can narrow the field and control the majority it saves them money in the long run when fighting the remaining in court.
Microsoft has nothing to gain from paying out 300+ million to anyone/everyone who runs/owns a linux distro.
Gates said that the future of computers was not in content creation but content consumption. That's why DRM is so important now. DRM is to content as the OS is to programs. Once you own the DRM that everyone uses you own all the content.
Clearly, Gates is not necessarily interested in income based on the digital music sold, not any more than he's interested in the XBOX-360. He's interested in market share (rather market control) of the content.
Sit back, close your eyes, and think about it for a few minutes. Do we want Microsoft in control of our content as they are in control of our computer? Look how they tried to shaft everyone with their "one reinstall" of Vista. Look at the price of Vista. Look at the slow upgrade of XP? We really want Microsoft determining how we listen to our own music or how we watch our own video? Do we want the slow drawn out cash-cow oriented approach to their development? With Windows they can do things their way in their own time without anyone showing any sort of competition (due to hidden proprietary software/apis).
Mark my word, they will be doing the same thing with your content (being a little dictator) instead of getting out of our way to let us to do with it as we will as we like.
We already know that systems can become infected under Vista. There was a big long write-up of someone installing all sort of malware under Vista via iexplore. There's no question that what Allchin is saying is in direct response to the outcry that there's no compelling reason upgrade and that the security in Vista is really a minor feature. Maybe he's doing it to up his stock value so he can get out from under Microsoft with a big windfall in stock.
He's out-going employee so he may feel he can lie all the wants. When the time comes a lot of people will be very disappointed in Microsoft and they'll also already have been duped.
I wonder if Microsoft can be brought to court early for such fraudulent claims, maybe even to the point halting Vista's release. Making such false claims are akin to fraud. To let that out to encourage sales is to make those sales based on fraud.
Keep in mind that for the most part and for the average person, there is no compelling reason to upgrade. The costs of the OS, even to upgrade, are very high (most people have XP and it does more than the average person needs).
The majority of the costs are going to be in the hardware upgrades. I know that gets vendors all excited. The average person just doesn't need to have someone who is foaming at the mouth about upgrades trying to sell those to people who just don't need them. Be fair to the customers and sell them what they need. If they come in about vista be honest and tell them about it, and that it includes no compelling reasons to upgrade and that if they do choose to upgrade they will be asking for high costs without any real payback.
Warn them about the DRM infections and the privacy violations built into it with the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Notifications, the potential to be cut off the next boot, etc.
Also let them know that Vista is in the first release with known bugs some minor and most certainly some major ones (that weren't caught). Let them know there problems with hardware drivers and that few if any programs (except Office 2007) actually include any Vista features.
Advertisers know exactly what is going on with their dollars when they hire a company to distribute their ads, etc. The way to clear this up is to allow people to sue the advertisers. That'll stop it quickly. I remember, there's some site that has a wall of shame (or something like that) about advertisers who are doing business with these malware groups. That needs to be made more public.