Submitted by “People confused and frustrated by computers can now turn to a laptop called Alex built just for them. Based on Linux, the laptop comes with simplified e-mail, web browsing, image editing and office software. Those who sign up for Alex pay GBP 39.95 a month for telephone support, software updates and broadband access. Its creators hope the laptop and its simple suite of software proves to be a popular alternative to the Windows and Mac operating systems.”
I sent feedback to the Alex site via their contact form, but I can summarise it as follows:
* The laptop runs a custom UI on top of Ubuntu Linux, but the Website never admits that, which I see could upset a lot of people who might think it runs Windows (yes, I know there’s WINE, but that’s not mentioned either and it doesn’t run all Windows software anyway).
* You have to *pay* for software updates monthly, which is a doomed business model from day one. Windows has free updates and nearly all Linux distros provide free upodates too.
* It comes with a USB “latchkey” which seems to just authenticate your user (you still need to type in a password). What if you lose this – does this stop you logging in (presumably the Alex folks can ship you a replacement at a hefty cost)? This would be very bad news – much easier to lose a USB stick then it is to forget a username.
* The Alex software T&C’s here look very onerous – see http://www.welcometoalex.com/page/alextermandconditions.cfm –
with Alex software being based on Ubuntu Linux, does this contravene the open source licenses (GPL etc)?
* The BBC article linked to not only spills the beans about it running Ubuntu Linux (which the official Alex site deliberately fails to mention as I said), but claims that phone+updates+broadband costs 39.95 pounds a month, but that package seems to be 24.99 pounds a month on the Alex site or have I missed something?
Alex – nice idea, but failure to mention it runs Linux and a compulsory monthly fee make it an epic fail in my books.
Allow me to comment on two of your statements:
I think that this will be the future of how software will be purchased, at least in MICROS~1 land. I’m not happy with such a concept, but I don’t have to be. 🙂
I think it’s the other way round. If I remember the title, representing the main goal – “Laptop Launched to Aid Computer Novices” – then I would say that even mentioning the word “Linux” can lead to an “epic fail”; this is because (1st) computer novices don’t know Linux (or don’t want to know it), and (2nd) if they already know that Linux exists, they are scared by it. I know I can’t speak for the majority of computer novices, but as least from my individual experiences with german computer novices, I can tell that just the word “Linux” can increase the resistance to do something using a computer into infinity, which mainly is because mentioning “Linux” seems to imply that the novice user has to learn something, while he doesn’t have to learn anything when it’s about “Windows”. This is, of course, the result of aggressive and quite intelligent (because working) marketing, but nothing you could understand from an educated point of view. Please remember that in the past, computer novices found their way through various programs using DOS, with interfaces in text mode, and interaction using the letter and function keys of a keyboard, and a language that wasn’t their native one.