Problem is your average consumer simply do not know what the hell Linux
is, They go for Windows because it's what they have used and are
comfortable in using it. The average user wants something to be working
straight out of the box they do not want to be compiling Kernals or
running various commands in Bash and editing config files when
something goes tits up
That's my only major complaint with Linux
not everyone is a guru and when things do go wrong with it and you do
not know what you are doing it can be a daunting experience and from a
consumer point of view I would guess this would pretty much put them
off Linux and revert them back to Windows.
I mean your average
consumer does not really know what a GUI is let alone Linux :) I can
vouch for this I sell refurbished kit, primarily windows machines as
this where the demand is people are scared of something different. I
have sat there and talked customers through the benefits of Open Source
what you can achieve with Open Source Software and Why you do not need
a Windows machine to browse the internet and work with documentation. I
might aswell sit there and just say Windows is s**t buy this. Despite
my efforts it seems people are still very reluctant to get behind Linux.
As
for Netbooks you see a similar pattern for those customers who are
willing to make a change and invest in a Linux Netbook.The transition
has to be smooth i.e no problems with the O/S and configuration user's
simply end up out of there depth in terms of knowledge and end up with
a machine they cannot configure to resolve the issue and end up
reverting back to windows which is upping Windows Market share.
It'll
be interesting to see what will happen with the Netbook Market
obviously I predict Microsoft will continue to grow with the release of
Windows 7 netbook edition. Customers will eat this up if its anything
like XP.
It'll be interesting to see how Linux and distributions like Ubuntu counter
this.
Don't
get me wrong I am a keen Linux user and it is my preferred operating
system of choice but the end customer experience has to be improved in
order for it to gain a better reputation and market share.
My thoughts
> Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 20:59:32 +0100
> From: phi...@stuphi.co.uk
> To: hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk
> Subject: Re: [Hampshire] pcworld southampton & linux
>
> 2009/8/5 Keith Edmunds <k...@midnighthax.com>:
> > On Wed, 5 Aug 2009 12:35:31 +0000, a...@strugglers.net said:
> >
> >> PS is anyone else really put off by the use of "M$", "Micro$oft",
> >> "Microshaft" etc. in emails?
> >
> > Very much so. It's unprofessional (and to quote my teacher of years ago,
> > it isn't big and and it isn't clever). I'd like to think that Linux
> > devotees can rise above name calling.
>
> Also, they have now contributed code. That's more than I have done! :-)
>
> --
> Philip Stubbs
>
> --
> Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk
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