On Sun, 2006-02-12 at 00:03 -0600, Christofer C. Bell wrote: > On 2/11/06, taharka <res00vl8@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > By Jan Stafford > > 09 Feb 2006 | SearchOpenSource.com > > > > Microsoft may not make flawless software, but its proprietary strategy > > is hard to fault. In particular, Microsoft has mastered desktop lock-in, > > undermining users' confidence in any alternatives and creating a slew of > > minor difficulties that irritate those who do switch. > > > > Full story at; > > http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid39_gci1165420,00.html > > I expected to see "two ways Microsoft sabotages Linux desktop > adoption" but didn't see anything Microsoft is doing to sabotage > adoption. They had some users that decided they didn't like > OpenOffice and thumbed their noses at management by installing Windows > and Microsoft Office again. That's not Microsoft's doing, that's > management's inability to control their employees. > > As for the laptop, yes, not every piece of hardware is going to be > supported. There's a wealth of information online that indicates what > works and what doesn't, all maintained by people with personal > experience. If folks aren't willing to take advantage of that > information, then I can't work up a lot of sympathy when their > hardware doesn't work. > > Hardware support isn't Microsoft's issue, either. It's a vendor > issue. Vendors need to be willing to write drivers for their hardware > or release specifications so someone else can write the drivers. This > is how Microsoft handles it. Vendors write drivers for Windows when > they release a piece of hardware and either release that driver on an > installation disk, or send it to Microsoft for inclusion in the > Windows OS release. If the laptop vendor didn't care to do the same > for Linux, it's not Microsoft's problem. > It is a Microsoft problem as we see stated in the article, "Linux evangelist John H. Terpstra told me: "Microsoft has used its market dominance to coerce OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and resellers not to sell competing products and services." While all hardware vendors have the right to chose what/what not to release in the areas of drivers and hardware, it is very difficult to get an even playing field when the big boy uses coercion to tell the vendor that if he does not play by the big boy's rules he will lose out. This stinks of the old mob tactics of the protection racket. > -- > Chris > > "I trust the Democrats to take away my money, which I can afford. I > trust the Republicans to take away my freedom, which I cannot." >
