From: OFeem1987@teleworm.us   
      
   DFS wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:   
      
   > Douglas Jewell   
   > Former Computer Technician (1994–2011) Sun   
   >   
   > Question   
   > Why do computer manufacturers not deliver consumer computers installed   
   > with open source Linux operating systems instead of the Microsoft   
   > Windows operating system? Does Microsoft pay them to do so?   
   >   
   > Jewell's Answer   
   >   
   >    
      
   Makes sense.   
      
   > Now, these days there are notebooks sold with a customised Linux - we   
   > call them Chromebooks. They benefit from the fact that there are better   
   > online applications, than back in 2007, but they are still quite limited   
   > compared to a Windows or Mac notebook.   
      
   Not so sure about that. My two grandsons, and all their   
   classmates, use Chromebooks heavily every day at school.   
      
   > Sure Linux does work ok for *some* desktop uses. And in the server space   
   > it is fantastic. But even now, almost 20 years after the failed eeePC   
   > experiment, Linux on the desktop suffers most of the same shortcomings   
   > it had then. The most critical of which is lack of application support.   
      
   Heh heh. He means Microsoft application support.   
      
   >    
   >   
   > When you sell application software for Windows, you know what the OS   
   > will provide, and what libraries etc you are responsible for installing.   
      
   :-D   
      
   >    
   >   
   > There is one final factor that makes it unlikely for vendors to bundle   
   > Linux, and it is related to the issue of so many distributions. Which   
   > version should they put on? If they install Ubuntu the customer would   
   > want Fedora. Install Fedora and the customer would want Mint, etc etc   
   > etc. Linux users generally like to have things customised their way, so   
   > they are probably going to reinstall anyway. Even if the PC shipped with   
   > Windows, a Linux user can still install whatever form of Linux they want.   
   >   
   > So these factors combined is why it is rare to find computers pre   
   > installed with Linux. Ultimately it comes down to one key thing - it is   
   > not a selling point. Having Linux preinstalled isn’t a selling point for   
   > Linux users, because they will want to install their own Linux, which is   
   > the same amount of work to install over Windows. Windows or Mac users   
   > won’t buy it because it doesn’t do what they want. It would be no   
   > cheaper than a pre-installed machine, because the slight cost saving by   
   > avoiding a Windows licence will be more than offset by increased costs   
   > in assembly (by having a different software clone process), maintaining   
   > additional inventory, and in after-sales product support.   
      
   This all is no-shit-sherlock material. People are fed Windows,   
   some jump to Macs, some schools and businesses find Chromebooks   
   (Chrome OS) is a Linux derivative, and some people are savvy   
   enough to deal with new type of software.   
      
   > MS is doomed   
      
   You sound like a broken record.   
   You sound like a broken record.   
      
       MS is doomed   
           MS is doomed   
               MS is doomed   
                   MS is doomed   
                       MS is doomed   
                           MS is doomed   
                               MS is doomed   
                                   MS is doomed   
      
   AI Overview   
      
       Linux has a small but growing share in the desktop OS   
       market (around 4-6%), dominating in servers (over 40%),   
       supercomputers (100%), and embedded systems, with significant   
       developer adoption (around 28% for Ubuntu), showing strong   
       momentum in recent years, particularly in the U.S. (crossing   
       5% in 2025) and India (over 16%).   
      
   --   
   In Hollywood, all marriages are happy.  It's trying to live together   
   afterwards that causes the problems.   
   		-- Shelley Winters   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)