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C'mon', Linux advocates need to think OUTSIDE of the box on this issue. At risk of repeating the age-old adage....Linux is not ready for ordinaray Joe.
It is if you apply the same standards as for Windows, i.e. being preinstalled by OEMs.
I have a Compaq Presario laptop. A very popular model (I see lots of them). *All* of the hardware is supported, though some requires some bit of work (all them having to do with proprietary drivers). It's not very much, comparable to what I would have to do if I wiped the laptop's hard drive clean and installed Windows on it. Now, if Compaq preinstalled Linux on those laptop, there would be no difference with the Windows laptop as far as hardware compatibility is concerned.
So, yeah, Linux is ready for a *lot* of desktops, especially if you judge it using the same yardstick - something which pro-MS posters seem loathe to do.






Member since:
2006-04-17
Desktop Computing is the domain of ordinary Joe. Which ordinary Joe do you know that even considers whats INSIDE the box when buying a new PC? Asks whether or not said hardware is Linux compatible?
Rightly so, open hardware standards should be prevalent. They are not!
C'mon', Linux advocates need to think OUTSIDE of the box on this issue. At risk of repeating the age-old adage....Linux is not ready for ordinaray Joe.
Sort out the wheat from the chaff, concentrate your energies on the most worthy distro's, minimize the CHOICES in desktop environments....heck! even ship a UNIFIED newbie distro which is suitable for first time use!
For Pete's sake don't EXPECT OJ to be able to pick hardware suitable for running Linux...Sheeesh!