Article: “Windows is Free”

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free::zombie

Joined: December 6, 2005 Status: Offline Posts: 930 Rep:

Article: “Windows is Free”

Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:39:20 PM #40444 Perm Link

Dave Gutteridge writes:

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The fact is that there's a distortion in the idea that Linux can't be given away. There's something wrong in the idea the price difference between Windows and Linux is representative of the actual quality difference. There's an elephant in the room that no one is talking about.

Windows is free.

This article is a very interesting read

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Aron Schatz

2014: Year of change. Joined: August 3, 2001 Status: Offline Posts: 10753 Rep:

Re: Article: “Windows is Free”

Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:04:09 PM #40445 Perm Link

In response to free::zombie #40444

The car analogy doesn't work.

Also, Linux needs a better and STANDARD way of packaging stuff with dependencies. I know that since I'm using Kubuntu I have apt-get with plenty of repos... but why should I need to do that? Why can't they take a nod from the Mac people and drag and drop... AND EVERYTHING WORKS.

Seriously, Mac software is simple to install. You drag it over and that's all. Dependencies? All done within the app (I believe the app is a big folder actually).

2014 is going to be a good year. More content, more streamlining. Be a part of history!

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Tornado

Retro Grade Joined: August 16, 2003 Status: Offline Posts: 2958 Rep:

(No Title)

Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:28:38 PM #40446 Perm Link

As Aron said, there are serious flaws in the car analogy (and I probably picked up different ones than Aron did as well); but I will also point out that as a person who does have paid copies of Windows, there are things Windows does do that appeal to me that neither Linux nor Macintosh has (though Macintosh has more than Linux does). Granted, I am not the type as mentioned in the article (I don't mostly just use computer for internet and what not), but I am still part of a sizeable portion of PC consumers. And even though Windows isn't legally free, I can't think of what I would do with a Linux computer.

Michael: Jodie, how's my schedule look for today?
Jodie: You've got a conference and dinner party at the Japanese Embassy regarding wildlife protection.
Michael: Oh, yeah...sorry, but I'll have to cancel that. I'm heading out to save America!

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free::zombie

Joined: December 6, 2005 Status: Offline Posts: 930 Rep:

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Sat Aug 18, 2007 5:27:13 AM #40447 Perm Link

@Aron: er, isn't the whole article about the fact that the car analogy doesn't work ?

@TechiFreak5: you're supposedly the kind of person to whom the difference is actually worth ${price_difference}

Also, this isn't about technical superiority or even equality. Being able to use a nice "install packages" (synaptic, adept, ubuntu's add/remove programs) program most of the time and if that doesn't work resort to the command line or get someone to help you install it... that may not be as good as Mac OS X, or perfect, but it essentially work, and it close enough — surely not a difference worth $200.

(also, unified packaging can work on OSX but not on Linux because OSX is one single universally unified system, Linuxes are just similar... but that's beside the point)

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