speaking of 180's
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| helios Nov 11, 2005 3:45 PM EDT |
I have been fairly tough on Linspire and Xandros in the past...for my own reasons and reasons shared by many in the community, but some folks here put a different light on it. Linspire, is I suppose "technically" Linux...Xandros I'm not sure really what it is. If it is Linspire that introduces the new user to Linux, a fair amount of them will then join the communities and "discover" other distro's. Not the way I wanted it to happen, but Linux is Linux...unless its Xandros. helios |
| tuxchick Nov 11, 2005 3:50 PM EDT |
I think we should welcome all points of entry into the FOSS world. After all, isn't freedom of choice a fundamental value? Anyway, training wheels are good. And, do you see anyone doing more than Linspire to open up the retail space? That doesn't mean you should stop being hard on Linspire and Xandros, when they deserve it. But don't overlook the good they do. |
| jimf Nov 11, 2005 4:17 PM EDT |
I think you're wrong about this helios. I know of a number of people who started in Linux with Xandros and have gone on to become very involved in the Linux community. People coming from Windows often feel that the want a supported Distro and are willing to pay for that. That's just the way that the Windows and Mac economic model trained them to think. While those people I know wouldn't use Xandros now, none of them have anything particularly bad to say about the quality of the build and the service supplied for their money. Both Xandros and Linspire are based on Debian and give new users a solid base for moving into something more sophisticated when they are ready. And, whatever it takes is worth it. |
| mdl Nov 11, 2005 5:30 PM EDT |
My only problem with this article was this crap about "a typical prospective Linspire user is someone looking to purchase a second or third PC or searching for a machine to use for basic e-mail, word processing and Internet surfing functions" and "Suppliers offering Linux are looking to satisfy users with needs dedicated to certain purposes like Internet access or personal productivity--low-end use". Linux is *not* low end and I resent very much this implication. I use nothing but Linux and do not consider myself low end. Also, the implication is that Windows is "high end". Unbeliveable! |
| helios Nov 11, 2005 5:45 PM EDT |
I may have communicated poorly...what's with the may have? I surly did. ME: "...If it is Linspire that introduces the new user to Linux, a fair amount of them will then join the communities and "discover" other distro's." JIMF: "Both Xandros and Linspire are based on Debian and give new users a solid base for moving into something more sophisticated when they are ready. And, whatever it takes is worth it. " I simply failed to mention Xandros in my statement...Freudian slip. One of my first Linux experiences with Linux was with Xandros. When I decided to try other distro's I was a bit confused by the radical differences in desktop and package management systems. But we agree, anyway we can get them there is a good thing. I personally think Xandros has wandered off the beaten path, but that is a personal observation...others may not see it that way. As well, I simply resent Linspires business model...selling them a "click software" subscription when it is easily had via the debian way/synaptic/apt-get chaps my southern regions. Others may not see it that way. TC: "I think we should welcome all points of entry into the FOSS world. After all, isn't freedom of choice a fundamental value?" Exactly...I preach that point ad nauseum. My personal preference would have been a different distro to commecialize Linux with, but again, the vehicle isn't as important as the destination. We will agree to onlypartially agree on the training wheels analogy. Check out the lxer article about the spanish municipality that changed the windoze desktops to Linux overnight whereas Munich (a beautiful city by the way) has been "planning" it forever. Training wheels are fine for those disciplined enough to take them off eventually. In my view, MS and AOL have welded the darned things on their systems. helios |
| tuxchick Nov 11, 2005 5:56 PM EDT |
mdl, I don't care for the "low end- high end" silliness either. I think in terms of "basic uses." Lots of folks want something fairly simple to do a few tasks with. I used to hear from my customers that an inexpensive, portable computer that booted up quickly and let them web surf, do email, and balance their checkbook would meet most of their needs. The hangup for this scheme is hardware costs only go so low, and people generally want more than they say they want anyway. :) But there is no good reason to call this "low end"- it's confusing what users want to do with it, with its actual quality. You can have an expensive, buggy, insecure piece of poo to perform these tasks, or something reliable. By those criteria, Linux is the high-end system. |
| jimf Nov 11, 2005 6:09 PM EDT |
Tuxchick, As I said 'That's just the way that the Windows and Mac economic model trained them (users) to think'. Furthermore, many in this culture equate the price of 'anything' with quality. The more something costs, the higher the quality and of course the inverse is true. It just shows how ingrained and effective this lie has become. Case in point our current troll ;-) |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!