[Tfug] "Linux is a forking mess."

[Rich]

On Jul 19, 2007, at 6:52 pm, Earl wrote:

> I think this author and most authors of this type of "analysis"  
> miss the main point of the Linux situation/movement.  Linux users  
> really don't give a damn what the these authors think.  We get  
> ticked at their comments sometimes but do we really care?

Damn right we do. Lots of us are trying to get Linux taken seriously  
as an alternative to Windows, both desktop and server.

> We're off doing our own thing and don't care whether Linux replaces  
> Windoze or not.

And that's where we differ: I'm doing *someone else's* thing, and  
getting paid for it.

Anyway, back to TFA: it's wrong, not just for the reasons already  
stated, but because it's backwards. Most small businesses buy PCs  
with an OS preinstalled and update it by buying new hardware. They  
usually can't afford proper IT staff who could plan a long term  
strategy, much less install Linux with the appropriate apps. Don't  
even let them near a server!

So: how many preinstalled desktop Linuxes are available to most small  
businesses these days? How many different server installs? The latter  
is definitely greater, but taken literally, this nutter is saying  
that one desktop Linux -- i.e. Ubuntu -- is too many!

The other options are: XP English, XP Spanish (you mean it can't do  
both?), Vista Home Edition, Vista Work Edition, Vista Car Edition,  
Vista Questionable Edition, Vista YourMom Edition, Vista BobbyDazzler  
Edition, Vista Toy Edition, Vista PrettyGood Edition, Vista  
ReallyGood Edition and Vista YouWontRegretIt Edition. (The actual  
names Microsoft uses may be slightly less meaningful.)

R.