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Drivers, patents and other threats, yawn.

May 23, 2007  By Tom Adelstein

Let's see how long have I used Linux as a desktop? Hmmm. Over 10 years? That's right. And the first issue I had at that time was finding an easy way to get to my ISP. The second issue at the time was the lack of a graphical web browser. Then Netscape produced an unsupported one that worked fine.

The video card issue came up with X. I had to find older cards to work with it. I found them and that was that.

I'm attempting to remember a time when something about Linux didn't draw criticism. I'm also attempting to remember a time when Windows didn't draw criticism. What about when my Mac crashed a dozen times a day?

I also recall how Darl McBride told the world he would beat us into flat Coca Cola cans or something like that. He had me shaking in my Dockers. I didn't own any Dockers at the time.

People forget that Linux grew out of community. A bunch of young kids in college produced it over the Internet communicating on usenet. That was around 1991. In 1994, Linux had 30,000 users. Most of the developers were kids.

Who really knows how many Linux users exist on the planet? At the same time, how many Windows users exist on the planet given the piracy in more countries than one can count?

I'm willing to admit Windows owns the PC business. I also recall that Microsoft gave Novell a free ride when it came to patent infringements. Let's consider that free ride for a moment or two while I yawn.

I seem to recall something about unfair trade practices. Can a monopoly favor one organization with the same product offering over another? Hmmm, I'm not a lawyer and I don't practice law. But, as a private citizen, I can recall some interesting legal battles here and there. Something about Linspire comes to mind. And something about announcements that stop people from buying products because of threatening announcements also comes to mind.

I don't know the outcome of these so called threats.

I do know I won't lose no sleep over that, cause I gotta plan - James Blunt.

Oh, the plan? Yawn.

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MS is for slow death?

exceltalk.net's picture
Submitted by exceltalk.net (not verified) on Thu, 07/05/2007 - 00:32.

As pointed out MS has the same fate of Novell which it sbjected to a death earlier. Now that Linux is sweeping the third world countries and in few years applications similar or even better are for Linux Ms will be subjected to a slow death unles it changes the way it takes it business.
Thanks Adelstein for your wonderful topic!

great review only covers "mainframe users"

Rich442's picture
Submitted by Rich442 (not verified) on Fri, 05/25/2007 - 19:41.

This is a great argument for linux on the desktop. I, too, have used linux since the early nineties. With the proper hardware, the author is completely right as far as users who keep linux on their workstations as part of a LAN. Desktop users don't tend to have these options given them at the time they buy they the typical Desktop home PC. The author further sabotages his own cause when he compares a Mac LAN to a Windows or Linux/ LAN. Overlooking the factor of human error, there is no reason to believe that any one of these systems is better than the other, save that Linux and Windows Server continue to develop new solutions and innovations. Macintosh has sold the same system with the same software since the 80's. Linux and Windows share a continual program of new technology that is not comparable to Mac, DOS or OS/2. By the away, my DOS PC never crashes either. I attribute the author's apparent system problems to user error. Read your documentation, everybody!

Mac Comments

Claire's picture
Submitted by Claire (not verified) on Sun, 05/27/2007 - 09:12.

Macintosh has sold the same system with the same software since the 80's.

Where have you been Rich? Apple brought out various updates to its hardware over the years and similarly with its operating system culminating in the most recent OSX.

But then, you are trying to provoke a reaction?

Claire

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