Re: Dell Linux blog -- Bull! This is just unexplainable!

[Jonathan <j.e.drews@worldnet.att.net>]

On Sun, 2004-02-08 at 11:44, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> On Sun, 2004-02-08 at 09:54, Jonathan wrote:
> > I got the same treatment when I bought my Red Hat Dell Dimension. At the
> > time there were 800 MHz machines but I could only get the preinstalled
> > Linux on a 600 MHz computer.
> 
> It was total baloney.  But they would not sell you an memory beyond
> 128MB, and they said they would not support it if you upgraded it since
> it was not "certified."


In my case, I was able to get 512 Mb of RAM but the sales rep I talked
to was oblivious to what Linux was and entered the order with the extra
RAM. However, when the computer arrived it was really badly configured.
X was misconfigured. I now can see that some form of sabotage was going
on. I, as a complete newbie, was able to reconfigure X and get it
working satisfactorily.
 Doc, and others, as I recollect my experiences with buying The
preloaded Dell, I have to say that I think Bryan is right. Certainly
there is a powerful motive for Microsoft to do everything it can to
discredit Linux. I claim there are three reasons why they want to do
this:
      * Installing Linux now is really easy. I mean distros like
        Libranet, Xandros, Lycoris, Mandrake and SuSE are just a point
        and click affair. So the ease of replacing Windows or just
        installing and experimenting with an alternative to Windows is a
        huge threat to Microsoft. The barrier to discovering
        alternatives is not that great.
      * Open Source software for Windows is a huge threat to Microsoft.
        Even the retiring Mr. Stutz said so himself: "Open source
        software does not reflect a 'new world order,' but rather a
        first approximation at the way that businesses will incorporate
        software into their operations in the 21st century.". He went on
        to say:   "The software industry has a dearly held belief that
        installable applications can and should be treated as packaged
        product, to be sold to consumers at retail like a bottle of
        shampoo or a box of dried pasta. ..... what they are doing is
        propagating the myth that software can stand alone. Software
        companies are desperately defending a business model that has
        not stood the test of time." 
        http://www.synthesist.net/writing/failureofshrinkwrap.html
        Furthermore Open source applications have a much more speedy and
        cost effective delivery model, the Internet. I believe that it
        is simply easier and cheaper to disseminate software by the
        Internet rather than putting it on store shelves or shipping it
        on machines. Finally the availability of Open Office will
        seriously erode Microsoft's office products profitability.
      * That Linux and FreeBSD have no licenses or restrictions on
        installs and are free is another big threat. The whole "total
        cost of ownership" prpaganda campaign is an attempt to ward this
        off. You can't beat something that is free and has no licensing
        restrictions. Furthermore, Gnome/Kde are just as easy to use as
        Windows and have better features. 


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