Just for the record, here's the response I sent to Mr. Volz ;
Dear Todd; Interesting article . Was this picaresque novella written to
judge the reaction of the general public? Were you attempting to take a
survey of Linux enthusiasts, and some bonehead in your marketing department
said "Hey let's write something demeaning and shallow, and see what the
readers do"? Or, ARE YOU NUTS ???!!!
I can't beleive (although you're making it mighty easy) that someone of
your apparent stature wouldn't see the benefits and necessity of providing
an abundance of applications. First, let's consider the current situation in
regards to available software. Typically, it's very expensive, and doesn't
always provide what the customer is looking for. If it manages to accomplish
this particular feat, chances are that it will be difficult to learn. How
many people are totally satisfied with a particular piece of software. If
they master it, they usually ending up jumping at the next version hoping it
has the improvements that they feel it needs. And so the vicious circle
begins. Upgrade after expensive upgrade. But how many more buy it, try it,
and fry it? They get fed up and give up. Wouldn't it be great if they could
try several and make their own decision.
Perhaps they would appreciate certain features of one application, and
other features of another. Your article seems to suggest that these choices
should be made for the public by someone else, and that the consumer should
simply accept what is offered. In other words, having been caught up in the
insidious trap deployed by Microsoft, we should now allow history to repeat
itself with Linux? How Orwellian of you. Haven't you clued in yet? Linux is
all about choice ! It's about having an opportunity to not only personalize
the way your desktop looks, it's about choosing the software you want to use
without having to pay through the nose for it.
I also noticed that you have taken it upon yourself to decide what
people do and don't want on their computers. My firm ships out hundreds of
computer per week, and my tech support department handles large quantities
of phone calls regarding a larger range of questions. The funny thing is,
they're almost all about how to select software, and how to personalize
their computers. Having been in this business for almost 14 years, I've seen
software companies come and go. Remember Delrina ? Global Village? I do. I
remember that they expected consumers to pay high price tags for software,
and I remember that they didn't give a rat's ass about discontinuing support
or revisions to existing software. I remember may others doing the same, and
I'm sure that you do as well. Wouldn't it be great if you already had a
large selection of software you could pick from?
One of the most repetitive accolades we receive from our clients is that
we take the time to "Demystify" how computers and software work. The
majority of our clients (Corporate and Individual by the way) are surprised
and pleased to learn about their IT investments, especially when it's
explained in Plain Old English. The terminology is what scares most people,
not the necessity to choose from too many programs. They certainly don't
have a problem learning, they have a problem understanding "Techno-Babble"
It can be as painful as listening to a politician who's trying to tell the
truth !
No Sir ! You're way off the mark ! In this day and age, consumers are
being treated like idiots. They don't like it one bit, and I don't either.
Ever had surgery done? I'll bet you appreciated having the surgeon explain
WHY they were going to remove that part of your brain that gives you a
conscience, and what was involved, right? Well consumers are exactly the
same. They want to know, but they don't want to be treated like morons in
the process. Your article strongly suggests that these decisions and choices
should be made by the companies who make the products. I find the
implication insulting. So would my clients.
In the future, please pay more attention to the ramifications of what
you say in your articles. What's next Terry? Left handed mice for everyone,
and we'll let Henry Ford pick the color of every car ? ( any Color you
want,...as long as it's black!)
Have a nice day !
Dan LaBine
MCSE, MCP.
General Manager,
Atlantis Computers Ltd.
President
Maximum L.A.N.'s Ltd.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Adrian Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 11:21 AM
Subject: Re: [newbie] Mandrakesoft CEO defends Linux
quote from the artical:
The week before Christmas, CNET News.com editor Todd Volz blasted most of
the major commercial distributions, including Mandrakesoft, for shipping
bloated product. While most of the bloat comes in the area of
developer-oriented features, i.e. mulitple compilers, screen setting
controls etc., Voltz viewed the business community's reluctance to slim
things down for the regular user a distressing sign.
quote from adrian:
where is my shotgun?
mandrake comes on 2 CDs with:
1 OS
10 window managers
100+ programs
winsux comes on 1 CD with
1 OS
bloat? where's the bloat.... i think someone missed the bloat.....
Adrian Smith
'de telepone dude
Telecom Dept.
x 7042
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> Tom Brinkman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 10:54:26 AM 1/10/01 >>>
http://www.upside.com/Open_Season/3a5b574d60.html
--
Tom Brinkman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Galveston Bay
