True but if the average consumer could pick between a free car that does
everything they want and gives them the option between easy or
do-it-yourself and any car that cost money I'd figure the majority of
people would take the free car. And each person who goes with a free car
makes their friends and neighbors more likely to want a free car too. :)
*^*^*^*
Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sungod robes
on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little
pickles at you? -- Real Genius
On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Ken Wahl wrote:
> My simpleton view on the Wintendo vs. Linux thing..
>
> Windows will always have its place because there will always be computer
> users who DO NOT want to have to learn anything to use a computer. "Just
> point and click" as the saying goes.
>
> If we think about the OS's like cars maybe you'll see what I'm saying.
>
> We all know "car people." Maybe you are one yourself. They purchase cars
> with standard transmissions so they can control the performance of the car
> at a finer level. They love working on their cars on the weekend, fitting
> it with afterstock shocks, struts, tires, pistons etc. They experiment
> with fuel/air mixture settings to squeak out another .25 horsepower.
> They take their cars to car shows and compare notes with other car people.
> They are always ahead of their maintenance schedule and do all the
> maintenance themselves. They do all this because they love it.
>
> Then there are people like me. I'm not really interested in how the car
> works. I just want it to get me from point A to B comfortably. I drive a
> Ford Taurus with an automatic transmission and A/C. I need the little
> sticker on the windshield to remind me to get my oil changed. I don't
> want to "worry" about the car. I just want to get in and go. I get
> annoyed when I have to replace the wiper blades.
>
> Computer users are the same way, at least home users. Not everyone gets a
> kick out of spending 3 hours to set up their own mailserver. Some people
> are terrified of a command line. Some people would be annoyed at having
> to RTFM.
>
> Introduce Wintendo. The Ford Taurus of Computing.
>
> Linux users hate Wintendo because as an OS it hides the computer from
> them.
>
> Windows users love Wintendo because it hides the computer from them.
>
> Their is a big push to make Linux more "user friendly" but at what price?
>
> Do we really want an open-source wintendo?
>
> I think wintendo will always own the home user market but I think as the
> home user population becomes more proficient in computer use, their
> demands will increase and the ones who really get into it will switch to
> Linux. Wintendo will still reign but nothing like it has the past several
> years.
>
> There are plenty of wintendo users out there with a little penguin happy
> geek inside them waiting to be awakened. It's just a matter of time
> before they outgrow their training wheels.
>
> As an aside and for some perspective, when I had outgrown my training
> wheels and was trying to decide whether to go with Linux or FreeBSD I
> spent some time reading the archives of FreeBSD mailing list like this
> one. The thread turned to Linux vs. FreeBSD. The comment that sticks out
> in my mind was "....let them cut their teeth on Linux and then they can
> switch to FreeBSD. That way we won't have to spend so much time teaching
> them the basics."
>
> As you can see I went with Linux. Not because of any technical reason, but
> because of the supportive atmosphere I saw in the Linux community.
>
> That is my (longwinded) $.02 on the subject. Calif residents add sales
> tax.
>
> --
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