Australasians desert Microsoft for Linux

The Inquirer ^ | 8-20-2002 | The Inquirer Staff

[JameRetief]

Australasians desert Microsoft for Linux

Licence move irks firms

By INQUIRER staff: Tuesday 20 August 2002, 11:44
 

A REPORT IN The Australian suggests large organisations are deserting Microsoft and moving to Linux as a result of the new licensing policies it introduced at the end of July.

The paper quotes a market research firm, S2 Intelligence, as saying that resentment at the licensing policies accounted for the move.

Organisations which have already said they will switch include Air New Zealand, the Aussie federal government, and other firms moving away to the Linux operating system.

But Microsoft insists that Linux, rather than pushing its own OSes out of accounts, is at the expense of other Unix flavours including Solaris.

It quotes a product manager Danny Beck as saying that "it's a risk" for companies to take the Linux route.

Here's the article. µ * THE BBC has a story here about a body which will lobby governments over the use of open source software.

[JameRetief]

FYI Ping.

[Dimensio]

Not to worry. Microsoft will just have US Ambassadors appeal to the governments of the respective countries to ditch Linux and embrace Microsoft. Think of the jobs that it will create (of course, those will either be US jobs, or jobs for Windows admins to solve all of the problems that using Windows will cause).

If that fails, Microsoft can see if they have enough lobbying power to have war declared.

[eno_]

Microsoft makes a damn fine desktop OS, but you can't argue with Linux server pricing. Too bad MS is drinking the MPOA/RIAA Kool-Aid and will kill themselves implementing copy protection.

[Bush2000]

How to Remove Linux and Install Windows XP

[Dimensio]

Why would anyone want to do that?

I looked at the instructions. Oddly, it's actually much easier to 'remove' Windows XP (or any other Windows incarnation) and install Linux in its place. Significantly less work and easier methods.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Australasians?

[JameRetief]

Australasians?

The southern asia area around and including Australia.

[Campion]

How to remove your brain and install the brain of a flatworm

[caddie]

Question: How does one install Linux if XP is in place?

Would there be any advantage to running it on my desktop?

I currently run XP with Dragon 6, Word, and Office Professional, that sort of software, and I believe they are all incompatable with Linux.

So how much, practically speaking, would it cost to change over so that I could do routine stuff with Linux as my OS?

Would it involve replacing all the applications I have now?

Regards, caddie.

[Bush2000]

How to remove your brain and install the brain of a flatworm

You succeeded. Congratulations.

[rdb3]

The Penguin Ping.

Want on or off? Just holla!

Got root?

[eno_]

I use Office at work, but at home my XP systems run Open Office. Unless you are a power user of specific Office features, you will not miss Office. I never have problems editing documents from work.

If I have a choice of submitting to the RIAA/MPOA's idea of what my fair use rights should be versus switching to Linux, XP is gone (I hope by then I can still resell my XP licenses on EBay).

[Dimensio]

I don't know what Dragon 6 is, but Word can be made to run under Linux, though it requires some third-party software (unless wine supports it by now). I use a free open-source office package called OpenOffice.

[Bush2000]

Why would anyone want to do that?

I know quite a few people who got swept up in the Linux hype over the past several years and installed it. But since most of them use their computers to run Office and games for their kids, they ended up reinstalling XP.

[isthisnickcool]

I know quite a few people who got swept up in the Linux hype over the past several years and installed it.

Hype? It's not hype. It's an excellent OS. And really does not encroach on Microsoft except in the server area. Where Linux continues to grow and grow.

So what are you so hyper about? Over and you show up on threads like this. Or create one. To bang on Linux. As if you are some paid Microsoft lackey. What are you so concerned about? MS knows Linux is no big deal. They make that point constantly. Lighten up.

[Mr_Magoo]

BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the laugh. I see no logical to replace a good OS with a crappy one.

[Campion]

You succeeded. Congratulations.

I never tried. I'm not into system downgrades.

[Campion]

But since most of them use their computers to run Office and games for their kids, they ended up reinstalling XP.

I have four words for your friends: big, disk, dual, boot.

[caddie]

Thanks for the reply. Dragon is a speech-recognition program, and I believe it runs on Mac and MS platforms only.