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Computer manufacturers should demand that MS allow them to sell new PC's with Windows 7 or else start shipping new computers with Linux. Many Linux distros are more similar to the Windows that people know and love than Windows 8. The reason why that wasn't possible before is that people wanted their new computer to come with the latest version of Windows, but that isn't the case anymore and it is hurting the PC market. Redmond doesn't have the leverage that it used to.
I don't think Linux is a feasible alternative. Linux doesn't attract consumers.
Yeah Linux sounds great until a user tries to install their favorite Windows software. May as well just buy an iPad.
I can imagine how horribly it could work out for a PC manufacturer: Billy buys an Asus laptop with Linux. Billy learns he cannot install Quicken. Billy tells all his friends not to buy Asus computers because they don't run their software.
I can imagine how horribly it could work out for a PC manufacturer: Billy buys an Asus laptop with Linux. Billy learns he cannot install Quicken. Billy tells all his friends not to buy Asus computers because they don't run their software.
I heard that a lot of early netbooks (the ones running Linux with a 16 GB SSD) got returned for that exact reason. People thought they were getting a good deal on a laptop until they got it home.
But the difference is when Win7 was new, and someones computer was getting a little old they'd take a look at Win7 and say "hey, that looks nice. They fixed the problems in Vista. Think I'll upgrade".
But now? They look at Win8 and say: "OMG! WTF IS THAT?!?!?! Ok, maybe I can make this computer last a few more years".
Microsoft is supposed to build a product that compels people to upgrade... not one that scares them away from it....
This is the reason, for me. I'd like to get a new laptop but not if it comes with Win8. So I've been putting it off and being content with what I have although a new laptop would solve some things. But...not until they stop making us buy with Win8.
I don't think Linux is a feasible alternative. Linux doesn't attract consumers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia
Yeah Linux sounds great until a user tries to install their favorite Windows software. May as well just buy an iPad.
That hasn't stopped people from buying Macs, so why will it stop people from using Linux? Consumers must be made aware that they're buying a Linux PC, not a Windows one. With proper marketing, Linux could take off, just like Android did. It only took two years for Android to go from an OS that nobody heard about to be the dominant mobile OS. The push by Google to make it succeed had a lot to do with it.
MS OEM pricing agreements prevent PC manufacturers from selling too many PC's with any other OS. But, MS doesn't get to make the calls anymore. If PC manufacturers make the effort to market Linux properly, app developers will soon follow and so will users.
Nobody wants a stupid operating system designed for a smart phone for a PC. I would never want my PC to be touch screen. When something ain't broke, don't fix it. Just make it faster, but the same.
Even sadder, and it doesn't get much press, is the fact that they've pushed the same UI on Server 2012.
A friend of mine was complaining about that recently. Somehow I could see it being potentially less maddening on Server because you aren't dealing with the GUI all the time.
04-12-2013, 09:03 AM
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Quote:
That hasn't stopped people from buying Macs, so why will it stop people from using Linux?
Probably because macs generally have decent quality, mainstream software available - Microsoft Office, Adobe's programs, etc. Both the OS and the hardware work well and are designed well, and they're supported reasonably well. Linux doesn't offer the software, hardware compatibility, or support that users want. It's a total non-starter, which is why it's been a total failure in the past when companies tried to push Linux onto consumers. Dell occasionally flirts with Linux by marketing it to a very small niche.
Windows 8 may have its issues (though they're completely overblown) and Microsoft may have made some missteps with its launch (would some tutorial videos really have killed them?). But at the end of the day it's still Windows and still works basically the same and still runs all the software people care about. The idea that the appropriate response to a UI change is to switch to another operating system with another radically different UI and none of the software users want is laughable.
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