Microsoft Offers BestBuy Employees Anti-Linux Training

OSNews ^ | September 8th | Jordan Spencer Cunningham

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

According to a leak from a BestBuy employee, Microsoft is initiating a sort of "Anti-Linux Training" course for the employees, and those who take part in the said training are rewarded with a copy of Windows 7 for only ten dollars. The leaked screenshots of the campaign show Microsoft's comparison of its own system with an obscure "Linux" and how Windows is better in every way including security, "free downloads", and software and hardware compatibility.

When Microsoft said a few weeks ago that its biggest threat was Linux, I suppose a campaign such as this was to be expected. We've seen the Laptop Hunter ads against Apple as well as that "Apple Tax" report. Now Linux is the target, apparently.

[Lazamataz]

Red Hat is chinese? How about Suse?

Here's a picture of Ms. Suse wearing a red hat.

So you tell me.

[TChris]

Or, check out the powerful, open source Firebird db and the excellent IB Expert (free for non-commercial use) tool for administration and development.

ODBC, JDBC, PHP, etc. drivers are available for Firebird, so nearly any programming tool (including Access) can be used for the user interface.

[Dr. Sivana]

The sad part about your comment is that you apparently believe Access is a real database program. Real databases don't HAVE a user-level front end. They leave the front end for an application developer to create.

Of course it is a "real" database program. It is a real database with am integrated user front end. Any program that can re-sort and organize data is a database program. dBase II is a database. WHen the front end was added to dBase III+ it was still a database. The piece of crap in Microsoft Works is a database. Even Lotus 1-2-3 is a type of database. A lot of the stuff that I work with is flatfile and doesn't require high-end relational capabilities.

Saying that real databases don't have integrated front-ends is as ridiculous as saying that real text editors and word processors don't have integrated print spoolers and preview modes. I don't want to go back to TECO, XSET and SuperWYLBER.

I have never represented my self as being a big shot database developer. People I work with use Access. I prefer FileMaker Pro (another unreal program). And, as it turns out, the reporting capabilities (using Excel data) is what my associate mainly uses Access for.

[Buckeye McFrog]

wow, Microsoft seems so evil....I had no idea they were in the health insurance business....

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

halfmanhalfamazing’s been microsoft free for about 6 years.

:-)

[KoRn]

"Thats assuming that I would ask a Best Buy employee any question other than “Wheres the restroom?”

This is true. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked a BB employ a technical question. Though I do some people that have. I know a guy that asked a BB employee what he would need to buy to setup a networked printer. He ended up walking out of the store with around $550 worth of hardware, most of which he obviously didn't need. I spoke with him afterward, and set him straight. He ended up taking most of the stuff back.

[papasmurf]

Taking technical advice from a BB employee, is like asking a McDonald’s employee for their wine recommendation.

[TChris]

People I work with use Access. I prefer FileMaker Pro (another unreal program). And, as it turns out, the reporting capabilities (using Excel data) is what my associate mainly uses Access for.

If that meets everyone's needs, then great. :-)

The reason you don't find that sort of software on Linux much is because of its "big iron" heritage from Unix. In that world, a database is large and multi-user.

If a spreadsheet qualifies, then OpenOffice.org has a very capable application. Its database might be fine for you too, once you get up on the learning curve for differences vs. Access.

I take it you've tried OOo's database. What did you not like about it?

Access is the most expensive part of MS Office. I suspect the db is the most complex part of OpenOffice.org too, hence the last to the party as far as features.

[The Great RJ]

From my experience with employees of Best Buy asking them for advice on anything other than the location of the men’s room is pretty risky.

[papasmurf]

If you’re using a MS sql, then here are two for you...

http://www.knoda.org/ Knoda will connect with MS sql and vanilla sql’s using ODBC

Aqua Data Studio works with them all. http://www.aquafold.com/downloads.html

[papasmurf]

Another long time fan of Filemaker here. LOL

[steve-b]

Windows is better in every way including security

BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[N. Theknow]

Microsoft?

Oh, yeah. That company that keeps sending me "updates" that cause my Vista-64 bit OS computer to reboot, but it can't reboot because there's a problem that it needs to fix by searching on-line, but it can't go on-line because it tried to reboot and it broke the network connection to the internet and cannot reconnect because it cannot reboot so it just sits there "searching" until I can do a BP and force it to boot up...maybe....and failing that do a "restore" to a previous un-FUBAR state.

That Microsoft?

Good folks. Salt of the Earth.

Damn fine operation. /sarcasm

[papasmurf]

Have you tried yet?

Free and Open Source for Windows, and I'm told it installs on Linux thru

[papasmurf]

Looks like MS has been taking cues from 0bama's cadre of "myth-Busters"

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Ironically, i bought my copy of SuSE Linux Professional 9.2 from a Best Buy about five years ago.

Now i’m running OpenSuSE 11.1, and Best Buy doesn’t have a single Linux product in any of it’s stores, and won’t stock it. Had to order it from Novell (i prefer having the box set with the 90 days installation support).

Fortunately, Best Buy DID have Apple computers for the Mac users here.

[Nateman]

I've mentioned Linux at Best Buy , but the "Geeks" knew nothing about it. I ended up buying a Linux only computer by mail though Dell.

Just the other day I came across this bogus pop-up telling me I had Malware with all sorts of POP-up windows warning me to take immediate action. I knew it was all nonsense if only because all the problems were listed in Windows specific terms.

I've grown to LOVE Linux and I'm never going back!

[sionnsar]

Used Gimp, it’s not as user-friendly as Photoshop (ok, user-hostile is a better term).

GIMP has the second-most user-hostile UI I've encountered. In order to use it beyond basic operations, which I had done for years, I had to buy a book on it (by A. Peck - very good book, only once have I had an issue where I really had to hunt). But I use UFRAW for processing RAW (>8-bit) images, and GIMP for all the rest. Windows and Linux both.

[Syntyr]

Actually its comical. I usually know exactly what I want when I go in to Best Buy and its usually because I can’t wait to order it from the Internet.

I can’t count the number of times I have gone in to Best Buy and asked for product X and I can even describe what it looks like and I get either a blank stare or the “We dont carry that” responses...

[Durus]

I've been in IT for longer then I would like to say. In that time I've seen Microsoft come to dominate the PC market. There are valid reasons that they did so and all the hate is little mind boggling. Sure I've gone through “frustrated with Microsoft” phases like when millennium came out...or windows 2k...or vista. But then I've dealt with problems with every major OS and most major hardware platforms. One thing you learn is that all OS’s have there upsides and downsides. Linux isn't immune.