On Thu, 15 Oct 1998, D'jinnie wrote:
: There seems to be a growing proliferation of cheap Win-only stuff. Do
: any of you think that this would negatively impact Linux new user base? I
: imagine most people start out dual-booting their existent machines, and I
: would guess that finding out a lot of your stuff won't work is quite a
: turnoff. I get the impression this trend won't stop - and I'm not even
: saying this is the work of evil M$ empire :)
: comments?
It's certainly disheartening to learn that your new system from Gateway
has a WinModem that won't work with any OS other than 95/98 (it won't
even work with NT!), and that the snazzy WinPrinter won't work either.
I blame media like PC Magazine who seem to believe that Winhardware is a
good thing, and needed! The thought process goes like this: Well, the
OS doesn't use 90% of the processor power so we might as well use it for
something. Rubbish, of course, but there you have it. If the average
user isn't educated, there's little hope that manufacturers will cease
building this crap into their systems.
I've helped some friends order Gateways (we're in serious Gateway
country here, and they do make nice home machines), and I usually
confuse the salesperson when I rant against the WinModem :)
--
Nathan Norman
MidcoNet 410 South Phillips Avenue Sioux Falls, SD
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.midco.net
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