[Sussex] The Indie recommends Linux!

[tealeg at tealeg.uklinux.net]

Iain,

With respect the reporter in this article is working from statistical analysis of the current marketplace and is not an uninformed rant. The following valid points underly his comments:

- iTunes in the US is currently making more money than any other music sales company in the world.
- Microsofts level of takeup for their new media formats is pitifully small.  The Windows Media Centre is proving to be of zero interest commercially and even the tablet PC has been flop.
- The iPod by vitue of only using Dolby format files locks out Microsofts services and software.  Microsoft by doing the same in reverse have locked them self out of by far the most popular portable music device.
- iPod already the dominant brand, and will continue to sell because of the sad but simple truth that it is cool and other brands are seen as uncool.  The general public now think of this type of device as an "iPod" and any non-Apple product as cheap, uncool rip-off.  The introduction of iPod Jr. will only strengthen this brand.  
- As security breaches in MS tools are becoming an area of interest for organised crime the damage done to MS's reputation becomes less of a technical annoyance and more of a serious social issue  -this could do more to harm M$FT's market share than any number of BSOD's.

All of that aside - the most important point is that strong, mass media sources (The independent, the Times and the Telegraph) have all advised against buying Microsoft based products in the same week.  That the Independent goes so far as tyo recommend not just Linux, but Mozilla and Opera over IE and Outlook as well is nothing short of a miracle.  This kind of populist support for these platforms is one of the most important steps in winning over the hearts and minds of the non technical user.

On a second point - Who wants Unix on a Mac?  Well - anyone who wants a machine that can multitask sensibly and handle it's memory in a reasonable manner.  I personally think that Apple are to be saluted for retaining the trade mark look and feel of a Macintosh whilst upgrading it's underpinnings to a reasonable level of technology.  Make no mistake - whilst Apple's GUI was innovative as were several other applications within their OS's, the basic design of the underpinnings of the Mac OS prior to Mac OS X was far worse than even Windows 95 was and certainly not as good NT.  The adoption of Unix has given Macintosh a level of respectability that (for instance) is winning it praise in articles like the one in todays Indie.
 
-- 
GJ Teale
mailto : tealeg at member.fsf 
http   : www.tealeg.uklinux.net

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