[luau] WalMart (Lindows) Linux

W. Wayne Liauh LiauhW001 at Hawaii.rr.com
Sun Jun 16 20:28:00 PDT 2002


Some comments that I posted elsewhere:



Hi Boss, some quick comments.

I don't think WalMart, which recently overtook my Alma Mater Exxon as 
the largest company in the world, will do anything that they have not 
seriously thought about.

On the command-line/GUI issue, I suggest everyone takes a quick look at 
some of the screehshots that I posted here, e.g.:

http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showth...=&threadid=5902 
<http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5902>

Xandros actually has a better looking GUI than any version of Microsoft 
Windows. While Xandros is still in the beta stage, most of the 
"beta-ness" issues are related to its use as a server OS, which has much 
more stringent security requirements. There aren't too many serious 
issues in Xandros for use as a desktop OS.

Most home users use PC to browser the web, do e-mails, play/burn CD/MP3, 
compose/print simple documents, archive/show digital photos, and perhaps 
a little bit accounting/tax. For these chores, Linux will do as an 
adequate job as Windows, if not better.

However, there are two major problems deterring the home use of Linux. 
The first is the permission/security issue, and the second involves the 
so-called WinModem.

On the permission/security issue, Lindows has been ridiculed by the 
Linux community as forcing its user to log in as "root". But this is 
exactly why Microsoft Windows has been so popular-sacrificing security 
for convenience.

On the security issue, Lindows is as bad as Windows. But so what?

On the WinModem issue, the "WalMart" example shows what "had been" 
critically missing in the adoption of Linux--i.e., lack of participation 
from a major OEM player.

The WinModem issue has been plaguing Linux for years but no one 
cared--until the recent involvement by WalMart. I have been trying to 
convince one of my clients to make LinModems only to find myself playing 
to deaf ears.

Because WalMart is such a significant player (let me put it this way, no 
one is more significant than WalMart), Microtel does not dare to ignore 
this WinModem issue. All the PCs to be sold by WalMart are now equipped 
with a LinModem (which also works in Windows).

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.freesoftwarehawaii.org/pipermail/luau-freesoftwarehawaii.org/attachments/20020616/34504717/attachment-0001.htm>


More information about the LUAU mailing list