Re: XP license to 2nd computer legal?

Carlos writes:

Linux is unique in that there are many different distributions
with various users in mind.

Yes. Unfortunately that's exactly the opposite of what is needed for
a mass-market desktop operating system.

If one car dealership sold only one engine, drive train, and
suspension for each model of car, and another dealership required
every customer to choose from among 200 different engine / drive train
/ suspension combinations for every model, which dealership would get
more business?

Most of the more popular ones (Ubuntu, Suse, Mepis, etc.) are aimed
specifically at the type of user you describe... mostly want to browse,
email, chat, music and video.

If they were aimed at the type of user I describe, there would be only
one.

There is one Windows, and one Mac OS. There are hundreds of systems
called "Linux."

I agree with you that drivers can be an
obstacle sometimes, but that's usually with hardware that the average
user you describe doesn't deal with too often, if at all, (TV tuners,
wireless, etc.) ...

Or hardware that is essential to system operation, such as video
cards.

AND, they can be overcome most times with less effort
than Windows users exert dealing with viruses and spyware.

That's not true. Viruses and spyware aren't necessarily even a
problem for Windows users; some have trouble, some don't. That's
still better than having to learn all about drivers and how to find,
compile, and install them just to get a system up and running.

I do agree with you that for more intensive applications linux is not
for everyone... specifically people who like to play games.

The vast majority of Windows applications won't run at all on Linux.
A few have Mac versions, but that's about it.

Furthermore, I think the majority of the reasons linux has to deal with
these obstacles is not due to the operating system itself, but rather
with the lack of industry support in terms of drivers... and I
understand this given the few number of linux users compared to Windows.
But, I believe this can and will change in the future to some extent.

Unless some major sea changes occur in the Linux world, this will be
the situation forever. There is currently no tendency in any other
direction.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I want to migrate to Linux
    ... Microsoft considers the x86 platform to still be what it was when it was ... Dirty Operating System"; not to be confused with the Q-DOS ... 1.x versions had a GUI called Presentation Manager, from which the Windows ... Thompson has stated that GNU/Linux and cousins are all de facto UNIX ...
    (comp.os.linux.hardware)
  • Re: Newbie to WCE!
    ... Windows CE, which is a full-blown operating system, just like Windows XP, ... the chip maker for the BSP if they have one (there ... All I want to know is can I buy a microcontroller chip (One of the chips ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsce.embedded)
  • [Full-disclosure] - IRISH VIRUS - DoS Security Bypass and System access
    ... THE operating system ... Apple Computer Apple DOS ... Windows CE ... LOLDONGS Research, a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Banned Town Security ...
    (Full-Disclosure)
  • Novell Client login form enables reading and writing from and to the clipboard of the logged-in
    ... Novell Client for Windows, ... Anyone with access to the computer's local operating system console, ... inject its own textual content into the clipboard of the currently logged-in ...
    (Bugtraq)
  • Re: Why most run Microsoft, not RedHat
    ... re-install has happened more than that. ... Heck, even Steve Ballmer, CEO for Microsoft needs to re-install Windows ... We have an enterprise grade firewall behind the router. ... The main problems I encounter again and again are with clueless operators who've ignored repeated instructions about dangerous surfing practices and clicking on attachments - those are the two most common causes of problems - are they caused by the operating system? ...
    (Fedora)