Netbook returns blamed on Linux 'teething problems'

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It's about how you want to spend your time

I have a strong belief the reason people are returning the linux based laptops has nothing to do with ease of use. Most of the people buying a new laptop in these strained economic times are looking for the least expensive option out there. They look at the aging desktop that has served them for years and all the accessories that they have purchased during that time and they want to keep that investment. The want to play their Mahjong, use their Quickbooks, or use their bootleg copies of some other software they have picked up over the past few years.

If the linux laptop manufacturers would include an easy and familiar way for these new linux users to install and use their trusted Windows software until they get past the learning curve, while they "unlearn" what they have learned using Windows for years.
As far as the topic of difficulty and time spent configuring, downloading, and compiling software for linux being a huge burden, it's not. I don't know what year in the '90's you tried Linux and realized it was too much work to type some commands, but things are changed today. Most modern distro's have extensive repositories that contain 1000's of pieces of software that can be installed with a few simple clicks of the mouse, which seems to be what you thinks makes an OS worth using. Nevermind, the security and stability of what is underneath that GUI.

I'd suggest that you grab a copy of Ubuntu and run it. It's not hard and the general consensus is that installing Ubuntu is FAR more easier than installing Windows. Sure if you want to reuse your existing printers, HDtuner cards that you have purchased you may have to spend a little time on the front end configuring them, but in the long run its alot less time than you will spend running virus scans, removing malware, defragging your harddrive, and other maintenance that must be done to maintain a Windows system.

I would suggest that if you want a point and click OS that rarely crashes and will work with your existing hardware...call your cable company and get a DVR...but then again those are running linux too.

Posted by: nuplugtech@...   Posted on: 11/04/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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