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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/bu...nted=1&_r=1&em
It appears the mainstream media is becoming more aware of the good stuff happening in Linux land.
However, I think the writer is way off base re: usability or the software needs of most PC users as impediments to adoption. The article mentions the ubiquitous "grandmother-readiness" as the litmus for "ready for the desktop"- we've gone over that issue ad nauseum here. Ubuntu is more than "ready for grandmothers", your Mom, niece and J6P.
The biggest impediment is not usability, or big application gaps- the article doesn't mention Wine for filling a few gaps average people may have that aren't met with Linux native apps, or the Web based Turbotax and other tax prep sites that work fine on Linux.
The impediment isn't multimedia any longer- all meaningful audio and video codecs are covered, with Flash improving and API's like VDPAU and XvBA coming along nicely.
The impediment isn't games for the hard core gamerz types- the Xbox360's, PS3's and Wii's of the world are filling that need, plus the announcement of Steam for Linux and other MMO games for Linux (native or Wine) address those issues.
The single biggest impediment is simply breaking the pre-install lock that MS (illegally) has. It should be law that every PC must be sold with a blank hard drive, with the customer choosing which OS, with all costs revealed, at time of purchase, or even after the purchase- i.e. you buy a blank machine for the lowest price and install whatever OS later. The OEM pre-install monopoly has to be addressed, which wasn't even mentioned in the article.
This includes every PC at the Staples, Best Buy's and Walmarts of the world.
That's how it was in the early 1990's and before.
It appears the mainstream media is becoming more aware of the good stuff happening in Linux land.
However, I think the writer is way off base re: usability or the software needs of most PC users as impediments to adoption. The article mentions the ubiquitous "grandmother-readiness" as the litmus for "ready for the desktop"- we've gone over that issue ad nauseum here. Ubuntu is more than "ready for grandmothers", your Mom, niece and J6P.
The biggest impediment is not usability, or big application gaps- the article doesn't mention Wine for filling a few gaps average people may have that aren't met with Linux native apps, or the Web based Turbotax and other tax prep sites that work fine on Linux.
The impediment isn't multimedia any longer- all meaningful audio and video codecs are covered, with Flash improving and API's like VDPAU and XvBA coming along nicely.
The impediment isn't games for the hard core gamerz types- the Xbox360's, PS3's and Wii's of the world are filling that need, plus the announcement of Steam for Linux and other MMO games for Linux (native or Wine) address those issues.
The single biggest impediment is simply breaking the pre-install lock that MS (illegally) has. It should be law that every PC must be sold with a blank hard drive, with the customer choosing which OS, with all costs revealed, at time of purchase, or even after the purchase- i.e. you buy a blank machine for the lowest price and install whatever OS later. The OEM pre-install monopoly has to be addressed, which wasn't even mentioned in the article.
This includes every PC at the Staples, Best Buy's and Walmarts of the world.
That's how it was in the early 1990's and before.