Alternative OS
I have changed the subject, as the old one is no longer strictly
relevant (NetBSD/FreeBSD).
In article <[🔎] E10DjHf-00043d-00@teleute.rpglink.com> you write:
>>Most users prefer end-user simplicity. You think they run windoze for
>>its stability or its performance? No, they run it because they don't
>>have to mess with the guts of the system. =>
>
> No, they run it because they are unaware of the alternative. Ask the
>typical Mac user what they run, and they'll say a mac. No what OS. I bet
>many aren't aware that there is a version of Linux for the Mac. For a vast
>majority of the people machine and OS are the same. PC = Windows, Mac = Mac.
>Not PC = Windows, Linux, *BSD, Solaris, WinNT, MS/PC/DR-DOS, etc.
I agree that this is an important issue.
There is also another issue:
If you want to purchase additional hardware for your computer, eg
scanner, printer, network card, sound card, etc, any computer shop
can guarantee it will be compatable, with Microsoft OS and/or Macintosh.
However, when I was looking for a color printer, nobody had heard
of other operating systems (eg Linux), and I had to purchase
something at my own risk and hope that it would be compatable. Even though
compatability lists are often made available, these are very often
out-of-date and/or inaccurate.
Sales people often make the assumption "if it doesn't contain drivers
for your OS" then it is not compatable! I don't want new drivers that I
probably would have to manually integrate and compile (and hope it works
OK), I want to use the existing drivers in the Linux kernel, ghostcript,
whatever.
I do not know any way around this problem though :-(.
I think that this is especially a problem for Linux (for example) novices
as they are less likely to know the correct questions to ask, and even
then I got nowhere.
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