Why Windows Lost The Battle for the Desktop

[John Bailo]

The war of the OSes was won a long time ago.

Unix has always been, and will continue to be, the Server OS in the form
of Linux.

Microsoft struggled mightily to win that battle -- creating a poor man's
DBMS, a broken email server and various other /application/ servers to
try and crack the Internet and IS markets.

In the case where they didn't spend their own money to get companies to
install servers, they failed miserably, and the 1 Billion per quarter
Linux market is testament to that.

But, what M$ didn't want you to know, is that the only reason they
wanted to dominate the server, is to protect their desktop and office
applications market.

Seal up the server, and the desktop is safe; cede the server, and the
desktop will fall.

And so it is...falling into the hands of Linux.

[Paul J Gans]

In alt.os.linux.su se David Wright <da************ @hotmail.com> wrote:

Jeff_Relf wrote:

Hi David_Wright and Andrew_DeFaria ( ? K-Unit ),

To this from me: << The common man/woman is not about to reprogram Linux
just so he/she can display the family photo album. Open source... ha !

>>

You replied: << I run a consultancy
and manage a mixture of Windows and Linux clients.
I have never had to compile a package under Linux,
you are talking about the early days,
today there is little or no need to recompile packages for yourself
if you are using a mainstream distro... Unless you want to.
The TCO argument is usually down to the fact that
MS funded reports say that it is cheaper to administer
a network of Windows machines than a network of Linux machines
( and many of the comparisons are laughable ). >>

You don't sound like the common man/woman to me
( who, by the way, wouldn't know a TCO from a TKO ). No, I'm probably not, having worked as an Programmer, Analyst, Consultant,
Project and Contract Manager for 15 years for one of the top 5 IT services
firms worldwide before moving to Germany and starting on my own. I've worked on machines from humble 8080 microprocessor boards with a
hex-keypad and 8 digit LED readout to big-iron from the likes of IBM, ICL,
HP and DEC. I've been a Windows developer since v2.0, I've also programmed for the Mac
and Amiga. I've not done any real programming on Linux until now.
[snip]
How often are you delving into the source code on your distro ?

Never. I've been running SuSE since version 8.0, originally as servers, and
lately as workstations as well... During that time (more than 2 years), I
have never loaded a single source package onto the machine, let alone
compiled it. That's why I use distro's like SuSE, Fedora and RH. If I
wanted to mess around with the source code, I'd build an optimised system
using something like Gentoo, but I just don't have the time or the need at
the moment.
I have not had to delve into the source since linux 0.96 or something
like that. And then it was because of driver problems.

Some folks like to do that. I don't. I do *write* programs,
but they are written to do things I want done. All I want
from my OS is that it work *well*.
I am not a religious user of Linux. I use Linux because it does what I need
effectively. I still use Windows for some tasks - and because my customers
do. I use the tools that suit me best. I just find that Linux is more
stable and requires less tinkering than Windows most of the time, it
doesn't run Windows viruses and displays HTML e-mails as source code until
I click on a button to say that I trust the code and want to view it
formatted (whoever invented HTML and scripted e-mail should be shot IMHO).
I believe that that was a Microsoft development. It quickly led
to making Windows one of the most insecure operating systems
around. And now it is too late to turn it off.

Folks who send me HTML-mail or scripted-mail find that I don't
bother reading them.

If Windows did the same tasks more efficiently and more cost effectively,
then I'd use Windows for those tasks. If I found another operating system
which did the tasks better than Linux and has software which I need (either
the relevant server processes; or for the desktop, applications which let
me read documents and e-mails sent from Windows and Linux platforms) then I
would switch to that. I like the Open Source concepts, but if a closed source package will allow
me to do the job quicker and cheaper, I'll probably use that instead. For
me it is about tools. I choose the right tool for the current job and I
take the best quality tool I can find/afford.

I run a dual boot system at home because I use several
windows-centric programs for web development. And I
run several games on my Windows machine.

In the office I have two computers. One runs pure linux,
the other pure Windows. It is sometimes a bother to move
files back and forth, but at least I can.

----- Paul J. Gans

[Jeff_Relf]

Hi John, Re: The hidden costs of Linux,
You suggested that people could just call the Geek Squad at Best Buy.
( Seattle PI, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...2_geeks09.html )

That's 300 bucks for two visits to handle a WinXP issue,
....with Linux it would be 600 bucks and the issue would still be unresolved.

Who could afford that ?
By the way, Don't these people have friends who could help ?

[Joe Cipale]

John Bailo wrote:

Jeff_Relf wrote:

Hi John, To this from me: <<
Sam Walton didn't create a bunch of spoiled brats ( billionaires )
by overpaying his employees... neither did Bill Gates. >>

You commented: << People forget.
The reason these companies are successful
are that they deliver low costs to the consumer.
For every pissed off programmer, there are 1000 happy customers,
making $30,000 a year, who can afford cheap goods.
Now Linux/WalMart are taking on that role.
Linux does what Microsoft does
-- but it doesn't have to pay a Bill Gates.
That's why its better. >>

Linux is ten times the price of Micro-Soft.

Just in terms of difficulty to use alone.

Why do you have to pay for MS products ?
Because the code is Designed/Tested for the common man,
and that costs money.

The telephone.

The greatest client app ever created.

The PC has been trying to catch up every since.

Bill Gate$ failed to 'sell' the PC to the consumer.

That took Yahoo! and Amazon and e-Bay and Google.

Now they rule the roost...and they choose Linux

They demand a PC as solid and simple as the telephone.

Not a flake-fest geekwagon built by Winks!

The People want a telephone, that talks to the Web and let's them order
CDs, and talk with their friends.

Mainstream America. Mainstream OS: Linux.

And the amazhing thing j-ho, is you beleive the crap you post...

The only 'flake' here is you.
--
#----------------------------------------------------------#
# "Don't fear the penguin!" #
#----------------------------------------------------------#
# Registered Linux user: #309247 http://counter.li.org #
#----------------------------------------------------------#

[Jeff_Relf]

Hi John, Re: Bill Gates and Paul Allen doing serious contract work
for the city of Seattle at the age of sixteen,
You replied: << No, thanks. I could care less. >>

Fine, no welcome then.

However I though you were the guy who was complaining about
all the advantages some kids get.

Don't you think Bill's family had something to do with that early start ?

My child support arrearages are directly related to my upbringing,
both from my family and my community.
( I was merely 22 and 23 when they were born )

Blame is hard to assign like that...
Fate plays a much larger role than most will ever admit.

Bill simply won in the casino of life
( if wealth is how you're keeping score )
and now he's cashing in his chips ( stocks ).

[John Bailo]

Jeff_Relf wrote:

Hi John, You wrote: <<
The war of the OSes was won a long time ago.

exactly.

there was no need for the existance of windows.

--
Language is a virus from outer space.
--William S. Burroughs

[John Bailo]

Jeff_Relf wrote:

Hi John, Re: The hidden costs of Linux,
You suggested that people could just call the Geek Squad at Best Buy.
( Seattle PI, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...2_geeks09.html )

That's 300 bucks for two visits to handle a WinXP issue,
...with Linux it would be 600 bucks and the issue would still be
unresolved.

Who could afford that ?
many people today are spending $5000 on wide screen tv's and $30-60,000 on
vans, SUVs etc.

in case you haven't noticed, the average buying power of americans has been
steadily climbing.

what it shows is that the general public, is willing to pay for personal
support for technology.
By the way, Don't these people have friends who could help ?

sure, the same way they have friends who could clean their carpets and mow
their lawns...but why would they?

--
Language is a virus from outer space.
--William S. Burroughs

[John Bailo]

Jeff_Relf wrote:

Meanwhile, Bill buys anther Jumbo Yacht with twin helicopters,
And that means what?

The guy who founded IKEA is the richest man in the world.

Did he have anything to do with technology that didn't involve particleboard
and allen wrenches ?
...Why ? Because his competition thinks like you John.

The desktop is the net.

Sure.

And your television is your girlfriend.

In Relfland.

--
Language is a virus from outer space.
--William S. Burroughs

[John Bailo]

Jeff_Relf wrote:

the casino of life

You say it's /fate/ then you claim it to be a /casino/ ( a game of chance )?
As always, you mix metaphors, and create a persona of even greater
buffoonery than before. And, as always, you pepper your code with mallocs
that randomly affect performance. No wonder your code is so slow.

There's nothing wrong with getting a money out of life. However, if you
want to go around fooling people into thinking that you are some kind of
rags to riches story, or something to be looked up to for it, when in fact,
the deck is stacked...then people have every right to expose it.

What is put up as a role model for all -- can now be seen as chimera. The
true idiot is the person, such as yourself Jeff, who sits like a loyal
lapdog, who will only be kicked in the teeth, when his master gets up from
the dinner table. To burp.

--
Language is a virus from outer space.
--William S. Burroughs

[John Bailo]

Jeff_Relf wrote:

My child support arrearages are directly related to my upbringing,
both from my family and my community.
( I was merely 22 and 23 when they were born )

Some people use these challenges to grow strength.

They rise to the occasion, and become more solid people.

They find ways to solve the problem.

They gain resolve; and never quit.

They laugh at the wind, while riding their bike up a 16 degree hill climb at
night with pounding rain and traffic all around, and they say "Bring It On"
-- just like Gabrielle Union said to Kirsten Dunst in the film "Bring It
On".

Others crumble...and write "letters to the editor" or compose vast and
archaic "newsreader s" that will "show the world". Yes, Jeff, keep hacking
away at X.CPP. And, when they find you on the floor of your flophouse
room, one hand on your trackball, the other on a litre of Cisco, you'll
have really "shown them". Hah.
--
Language is a virus from outer space.
--William S. Burroughs

[Scott M.]

> The guy who founded IKEA is the richest man in the world.

John, just this one statement basically proves that you are talking out of
your butt and will say anything that comes to mind whether true or not.