[Nottingham] Is the MS Tide is turning? - [Infopoint] more Interest gathering - a change

[Michael Leuty]

On 11/07/07, Paul Mellors <paul at paulmellors.net> wrote:
> Microsoft won't be on the decline until something better comes along
> that people are prepared to use and will run all the current windows
> apps they need. heh :)

Sorry, I was a bit terse in my previous post.  :-)

I agree very much with the comments that Martin quoted. I remember
telling some friends back in 2002 that I had been using Linux most of
the time for a year or two, but at that stage I would not have
considered recommending them to use it. I've now been using Linux 100%
for about 3-4 years, and over the past year I have set up Linux for
two friends. Neither had a computer, and I gave them second-hand PCs
converted from Win98. They are perfectly happy with them.

I think Vista is part of the problem for Microsoft. I recently
supervised a friend who had bought a new Vista computer with 500Mb RAM
which just crawled. After I installed another 500Mb it was just about
usable, but still slow. Someone who works on the Tech Guys help desk
told me that she has been dealing with no end of weird bugs. I hear
that some businesses are delaying a Vista roll-out, and that Dell has
warned about the difficulties of such a roll-out.

And my friend has proved that nowadays it is very difficult for a
non-techie person to buy computer & printer and software and get it
all working properly (I've still got to go round and try to get her
printer working with Vista) and safely with antivirus, anti spyware
and the like. Non-techies don't know how to cope with dialog boxes
showing incomprehensible messages. If they have to call in a
computer-savvy friend to advise and get things working, why shouldn't
the friend tell them how they can save quite a bit of money on
Windows/Office licences and buy an Ubuntu computer from Dell? For the
people who must run Windows-only software there is always
virtualisation.

I also think we will see increasing use of Linux on business desktops,
which will increase awareness and make Linux appear mainstream.

Gandhi's quote has become hackneyed in the extreme, but he seems to
have been a competent prophet where Linux is concerned: "then you
win".

And I liked Linus's comment that Microsoft's downfall will be a
totally unintended side-effect of Linux.

-- 
Michael Leuty
Nottingham, UK