Submitted by “Every time I’ve ever spoken with Mark about DLS to ask him if Ubuntu would come to the show and participate, he says the same thing – Ubuntu is hesitant to come to ‘The Linspire show’. Now, Mark has never actually been to the Desktop Linux Summit personally, and try as I have to explain to him the history of the show, I can tell he’s just not buying it – it seems that there is nothing I can say to change his view that the Summit is and has always been a ‘Linspire show’. If Mark Shuttleworth is misinformed, I’m sure others are misinformed as well. So, rather than dodge the controversy that arose four years ago during the birth of the first DLS, I would like to address it head on.”
…with the exception of Debian’s Ian Murdock, and Nat Friedman, and Ted Haegar of Novell (who is strangely enough listed twice on their guest speakers page) There really aren’t many people who have actual Linux Distrobutions with which to boost. I was unable to find anyone mentioned as vendors except a few people from TrollTech and Mozilla. The rest of the atendees will be journalist as far as I can tell. So how is the not the Linspire show?
While I appreciate Linspire’s efforts, I and quite a few others are honestly surprised that they’ve lasted even this long. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the situation and speculate what the impact of going to a show like this and being an announced vendor taking place in various advertisements would have on their own business if Linspire were to fold after a few years. Mark Shuttleworth doesn’t see a benefit worth the ammount of risk. Niether do quite frankly many of the other corporate Linux Distributions else there’d be more mentioned.
–bornagainpenguin
While I appreciate Linspire’s efforts, I and quite a few others are honestly surprised that they’ve lasted even this long.
You’d be surprised actually. They have more income coming in than most big Linux vendors have with their so-called desktop products i.e. greater than zero. The big vendor thing is a myth people just keep on swallowing.
There taxes report contradict your claims 😉
Its not because they make millions on one side and one project that they dont loose even more in other projects.
Feel free to offer your source of informations.
It seems half of the booths there were from Linspire. Each selling different services from the company. Will be suprise if some of the smaller vendors will be on hand for this year show. Because the company that I got the free tickets from isn’t showing there this year.
(T)his year, critics like Rob Enderle, one of the tech world’s most insightful analysts, will be speaking.
That could be all kinds of awesome. Will he use some of the same rhetoric he used at SCOForum?
This is one of the sort of things desktop Linux can really use: A businessman’s showing of where desktop linux is. A place where you can go pay to get in and have all sorts of cheap pens and hand bags thrown at you!
Anyway, kudos to the folks at Linspire for two things:
1.) Showing a professional system created using, mostly, free software.
2.) Not going out of business doing it
.
Why isn’t Mandriva at this? They’re only like the single most successful desktop linux company….
Also, why would they invite Rob Enderle? If they have a good crowd he’ll be boo’ed of the stage before he can open his mouth to apologize.
“Why isn’t Mandriva at this?”
MAndriva Management and the Linspire reputation 😉
I just didn’t think it likely that too many people would go for the click-n-run system. I’ve been proven wrong since, but it still amazes me that Linspire’s big claim to fame in Linux is simply being able to 100% ensure their packages work. Its not a bad distro and I’ve though more than once about getting a copy for my parent’s box but I’m just not enthused enough yet. The fact my parents are still on dialup has a bit to do with it as well.
–bornagainpenguin
“I just didn’t think it likely that too many people would go for the click-n-run system. I’ve been proven wrong since, but it still amazes me that Linspire’s big claim to fame in Linux is simply being able to 100% ensure their packages work.”
LinSpire and Click-n-Run is not aimed at geeks and nerds. It is marketed to average Jane and John Doe that EXPECT their computer systems and applications to “just work.”
They don’t want a piece of junk (cough, couch Windows) that gets all screwed up with viruses and self distructs with a horribly designed and easily corrupted database (Windows Registry).
They don’t want bad cars. WHY, WHY WHHHHYYYY would they not want their computers to work correctly every time without problems?
LinSpire “just works.” The cost is extremely reasonable considering that you get all updates to the OS and apps included with the price. People don’t want to have to go all over the internet to find apps and then hope they walk. Click-n-Run fixes this.
“It is marketed to average Jane and John Doe that EXPECT their computer systems and applications to “just work.” ”
Thats why so many ex-Linspire user are so pissed at it because it did not “just work”. 😉
“They don’t want a piece of junk”
I know thats why Linspire sales are not what they could be because even do the OS as some merit ( read GNU/Linux Debian heritage ) , they ship it on 200$ piece of junk.
“would they not want their computers to work correctly every time without problems? ”
Linspire dont achieve that.
“LinSpire “just works.” ”
No 😉
“The cost … apps included with the price.”
Thats why people use Ubuntu more 😉
“People don’t want to have to go all over the internet to find apps and then hope they walk. ”
People dont have to on other system.
“Click-n-Run fixes this.”
It doesnt have 1/8 of the software included with what its based on ( Debian ).
LinSpire “just works.” The cost is extremely reasonable considering that you get all updates to the OS and apps included with the price. —Sabon
Yes, unless you’re on dialup. If you’d re-read my earlier comment you’d see that I have nothing against Linspire personally; I was just offering up a reason why it is some of the other distros and organizations are so resistant to ally themselves with Linspire.
I think that DukeinLondon has it right–the real problem is that all the companies with Desktop Linux ventures are being greedy and playing a Zero Sum game. There’s nothing that says only one company can succeed in putting desktop Linux on the map. Its just that everyone wants to be the one and until they wake up enough to help each other and cooperate I don’t think we’ll see anyone taking a stronger foothold.
–bornagainpenguin
Why is it that the Linux crowd fights with there own kind. I hope its just sibling rivalry. I started with Mandrake 8.2ish then 9.0 then SuSe linux 8.0 and went back to windows due to the difficulty in broken apps and high learning curve even for the adventurist. Bought and paid for Lindows 4.5 and WOW! Everything worked. Flash, java, pdfs you name it. Twas a little slow but for the stabilty and no malware I enjoyed it. I only switched back b/c my CNR subscription ran out before FIVEO was released. I have a SuSe linux server (9.2) running my business and it is flawless but just try and install software not on the cd and its that same old frustration. I will gladly pay and use Linspire for the ease of use and the awesome repository of software. Heck, it even introduced me to MoneyDance which I still use 3 years later on WinXP. I dual boot Ubantu now but will be going back to SuSe or LinSpire(especially if they will give me a deal since I couldnt upgrade to 5.0 in time…hint , hint) or Novell Desktop Linux when 10.0 is available. I really dont see what all the fuss is about Kubuntu is other than free. I really wish the Linux community would support each other more than bash its own kind like it does. You guys and gals are like fighting sisters that really exasperates me as I get older. Encouragement, support and yes show up at Desktop Linux will be better in the long run than bickering over trivality.
I used a Lada 1971 in 1982 and it whas a piece of crap , so I whent back to B.M.W. ( Bus metro walk ) , then in 2004 I bought myself a 2004 CRV , WOW ! really WOW , I am never going back ever …
I also think that car makers should all suport each others , because you know they are car makers and if someone buy a LADA it looks bad on them.
Apply comment to all industry.
The fact of the matter is that desktop Linux is where the potential big prize is. Mandriva, SUSE, Xandros, Ubuntu, Linspire all want it. And they want it so bad that they have consistently avoided all these years to cooperate on anything. They want to win the prize alone.
Linspire is slightly different insofar that Linspire being a traditional commercial company, they knows the value of making deals and looking big, even if it takes inviting the competition. They’ve realised that they have more chance to help create a Linux desktop Market by joining forces with the competition and that having a share of that market will always be bigger than having 100% of what they’ll be able to generate on their own.
The other distributors simply think they can achieve it on their own. So they don’t cooperate on Technology, marketing, lobbying etc….
I think they are wrong.