[nzlug] Dell are sooo pwn3d

[Simon]

On Sun, 2007-07-01 at 20:50 +1200, yuri wrote:
> On 29/06/07, Denise Bates wrote:
> > Each to their own. Too much Ubuntu evangelising is a "bad" thing!
> 
> I didn't start this sub-thread (tangent) to evangelise Ubuntu.
> Personally I use Gentoo.
> I mentioned Ubuntu as a good starting point for hardware vendors and
> ISPs to support because it seems to be the distro that linux newbies
> currently start out on, and vendors say they don't want to support all
> the different linux configurations so I say why not pick one of the
> more common flavours and at least support that.

ISP's need to support users not OS's. They seem to confuse this with OS
support... mind you: they have ample evidence that users are stupid.

i.e. connection instructions will start by asking if you use pc or mac.
Under pc, it starts out "open IE" ... but what if I use Opera? There are
myriad browsers for windows so the ISP has chosen the "popular" one.
Which choice becomes a reinforcement.

Instead, the instructions could be more generic... consult your browser
documentation to find... then taps into user resources to make the
instructions simpler. This approach also requires fewer resoulces and
less maintenance. Empower the user!

However... many ISP's also sell HW with connections... it would be nice
if they would choose HW that supports an open standard or is at least
cross-platform... a general insistence of this would be a real push to
the HW manufacturers.


Vendors are a different kettle of piranhas. In this case, the number of
OS's available as pre-installed is important and they will, typically,
have to choose what they install. Hence the choice question.

On the whole, choice is not an issue to the vendor... look at the HW
choices they already have to make. The bottom line is usually on price,
with whatever the market is prepared to put up with.

Offering a range of distros, though, is not really harder than the
current set of windows offerings ... if you count up the possible
software combinations on a standard offering from DELL (say), you will
quickly top a dozen. So... why not supply the top 5 from distrowatch?

The bottom line here though is that tho hardware must be compatible.

Consumers... are not really phased by choice. When you want to buy a
fridge, you get loads of choice. Most a pretty nigh identical too. What
we are lacking, of course, is a linux equivalent of the whiteware
salesman... at least with a high profile. This is an *advertising*
problem... good-old market ignorance.

This (IMO) is the central disappointment with the DELL offer (dragging
the thread back on topic)... they still dare not annoy MS by actually
*marketing* their alternate OS in any way. Same with Lenovo and hp.


Choice... is a good thing provided users (and the market) are empowered
to take advantage of it.

(Ducks)