Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates discusses “Longhorn,” seamless computing, Linux and why he’s so optimistic about the future.
Bill Gates: Blazing the Longhorn Trail
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Think he ran out of things to say, “Read any good books lately?”
I only run linux in order to reverse engineer stupid windows only binary drivers.
Eventually, people just want something new. If linux isn’t overtaking windows on the desktop soon due to its technical superiority, it will overtake it purely just because people want something new.
“it will overtake it purely just because people want something new”
Not it won’t, because most people don’t like/want change.
“Eventually, people just want something new. If linux isn’t overtaking windows on the desktop soon due to its technical superiority, it will overtake it purely just because people want something new.”
I think people will want a new version of Windows versus switching to Linux.
True, most people would rather give Windoze another chance to see if all the lil’foibles are worked out. A switch is not amicable to the general schmo-user. The wonderful MacOS X/Unix/Linux camp is such a viable alternative, but most people don’t even consider a change. I guess Apple is helping facilitate that with the iPod… and also the Powerbooks (in a weird kinda way).
All’s I know is when the mountain-of-a-cow (longhorn) is released I’ll be one of the people sayin’ ‘been there, done that’ in regards utilizing it’s fancy-schmancy features.
Be proud, use a Mac in public, heck… use linux too! People just love it when I show ’em Panther on my ol’G3/333 powerbook… it’s slow, but it works!!
Jb
One guy made a very clear point and you modded him because he didn’t like the article? I’m sorry but that’s his opinion, comment boards are for opinions and statements. “Freedom of speech is words that they will pen” yeah I’m starting to see it here.
i doubt people will always switch to the new windows. most people dont even have winXP unless they have bought a new pc, not to mention that the majority of schools and universitys still run windows 98 and are just now slowly getting up to windows 2000. it costs way too much for licensing from microsoft. by the time longhorn comes out, it is going to be pretty late for microsoft. i bet by that time apple will be grabbing the desktop market with OS X, and linux will have matured extremely. then whats the next release from microsoft after that? end of the decade they are out!, they are too slow!
People switch when they want something differant, which usualy means a new version of windows or get mac. Most people never go and buy an OS though. If they are tired of what they have, they are probably tired of their computer, and just feel like getting a new one. so they go to dell and spend 800 bucks and have a new computer with XP on and and are content for 3 more years.
The common problem linux supporters have is not understanding that most people are more then content with windows. it works, their happy. If you ask about security they will say they care, in practice they don’t. The don’t care about opensource or any of that. It takes a lot for someone to switch, hense why apple struggles to get people. To get someone away from windows is even harder once they have XP, since for most people it’s very nice and leaves very little to complain about. People don’t tend to care about their computer much, it just needs to work. And if it gets dull they change the wall paper. Or buy a new one and feel like something is better. Untill their is some super dream OS out there or Something goes horrible wrong in the windows world nothing will change. What many fear, like OS lock in, DRM, trustworthy computing….. are things most don’t know about, don’t care about, or like the idea of. Their just is nothing on the horizon pushing a change at all.
Burntash,
I don’t know about school upgrades, most schools/univeristies get huge price breaks. Many universities get hardware for free from companies since it’s a form of advertising and such. My university probably has one of the biggest fleets of computers out there and all are 1-2 year old machine running XP and OSX. And no matter what the case is, going all Macs is not going to be cheap at all or benifit students, and linux isn’t going to happen unless you want to piss of nearly all the students. Since most could care less about 100 dollar technology charge if what the need is there and works. Tell them your going to switch to linux so you save them 50 bucks a year and your going to have a lot of pissed students leaving your school.
“One guy made a very clear point and you modded him because he didn’t like the article? I’m sorry but that’s his opinion, comment boards are for opinions and statements. “Freedom of speech is words that they will pen” yeah I’m starting to see it here.”
So, if I follow your logic, this guy can express freely his opinion, but people who doesn’t agree with him are not entitled to the same freedom ?
weird.
there should be a wall separating state and corporation just as there is a wall separating church and state.
as a result, it should be linux, not windows that the US govermennt and state and local government should standardize on.
i live in chicago and i have friends at other universities and they all use macs and machines with windows 98 or win2k, my university is using 98 but upgrading itself to win2k. i think that people are slow to adapt new versions of windows which is why the only get it when they buy a pc. it is going to be the sameway with longhorn.
the question with windows isnt whether it just works or not, the question with it is how long will it work (for the end user who doesnt know anything about pcs) those who dont know anything about pcs wont be upgrading their bug fixes and patches that windows update tries to give them, why else would so many people get hit with virii.
also why would switching to linux on all the pcs at the schools piss off the students? They can surf the web(safer and better with Mozilla/Firebird), they can work on word processing via OpenOffice, they can chat online, they can do their email, no problem. These things in Linux do *just work* so i dont know what people are talking about. People are afraid and dont want change thats fine, they will have to stick with the path they chose, just dont bitch at everyone else when your stuff breaks.
You have to get a clue…..granted I use Linux for some things, but OSX for most things. Linux just doesn’t do things…..there is more to the world of computing then Internet and IM. Also OpenOffice is good, but MSOffice still blows it away.
Cheers!!
So, if I follow your logic, this guy can express freely his opinion, but people who doesn’t agree with him are not entitled to the same freedom ?
weird.
And if we follow your logic, the only way you can have freedom of expression is to is to supress that freedom in others. Even more weird.
On the other hand, nobody’s freedom of speech was being denied here. The “offending” post was moved to another page, but was still readable in full. It would be a different story if it had been removed altogether or otherwise edited, but then, how would you have known if that happened?
there should be a wall separating state and corporation just as there is a wall separating church and state.
as a result, it should be linux, not windows that the US govermennt and state and local government should standardize on.
Last time I checked Red Hat, SuSe, Mandrake et al were corporations. Presumably you really meant to say “really evil monopolistic corporations run by Bill Gates that I don’t like” should be separated from the state.
No one will need to upgrade or change if they don’t want to… Most home users that are slow to upgrade the OS are the ones that don’t know how or don’t care to pay for it. The large organizations are worried about cost of the software and cost of retraining. After a few years when Longhorn is pushed into the mainstream my Microsoft and 90% of all new software & hardware is made for Longhorn then you may feel the force to move if you want something new.
Not forced? How about EOL cutoffs, security holes that go unpatched, unsupported software? And when you buy a new pc 90% time you’re forced to upgrade (Bundled OS)
“there should be a wall separating state and corporation just as there is a wall separating church and state”
That’s highly intelligent. The police could just walk around, since all cars are made by corporations.
@anonymous
im just responding as to what the students will be so pissed off about. and theres more to the world than the internet and im? ya no shit. but the point is linux does it, and theres programs for other things to get done too. and open office works fine for me, and it does for everybody ive installed it in my dorm for and all my friends, just like Firebird for a browser. the feedback ive gotten from them all is they love both and they love doing their work without paying for the expensive software. you have to get a clue that people like the way Linux does things once they try it, people dont even have to use Linux. people should just know the alternatives, if you got a problem with that, keep using MsOffice and your Mac
Just have a look at the confusion from an interview yesterday at C|NET: http://news.com.com/2008-7345_3-5109369.html?tag=nefd_gutspro
He can’t make up his mind wether Linux is only a kernel or not. So he uses the definition that, in the context, best fits his ambitions to make Linux look bad.
Quote:
Remember, there are hundreds of incompatible versions of Linux. The fact that we call it Linux hides the fact that this driver works on this version, and this app works on that version…
…Linux–which is only a kernel…
One should also keep in mind people never even installed their OS. Some even never install new programs. Other people have done or do it for them. If you ask me, people are held stupid, which is unfortunate. I don’t 100% blame MS for this btw. It is partly human nature’s fault.
“You have to get a clue…..granted I use Linux for some things, but OSX for most things. Linux just doesn’t do things…..there is more to the world of computing then Internet and IM.”
(Linux is only a kernel).
Exactly which things isn’t your GNU/Linux distribution capable of? We have had these discussions so many times here already btw…
“Also OpenOffice is good, but MSOffice still blows it away.”
Wow, great arguments!1!!1!
All this passionate debate about something as unimportant as an operating system.
Run what you want, and I really don’t care what you decided to run. I run a Mac, big blooming whip, Bascule likes Solaris on the server, CPUGuy likes Windows.
Lets put all this in perspective. There are around 20million hardcore computer usings, and 5.98billion who just don’t give a flying contental. Out of those 20million hardcore computer users, there are only around a few thousand zealots hell bent on converting people to their “flavour” or their “religion” if one were to use that word.
In the grand schemes of things, Bill, Steve and co can scream and go on their annual crusades to covert the masses to their religion but god forbid them actually working out that the vast majority don’t give a toss.
The average person uses a computer then turns it off. They don’t get into passionate discussions over which editor is best (knowing that there is only one true editor, vi 🙂 ), or which operating system is more secure.
I think it is good that Microsoft is finally getting positive about their future. Also, thank you Eugenia for finally having a “Microsoft” article and not just wall-to-wall Linux and Panther.
I think it is good that Microsoft is finally getting positive about their future. Also, thank you Eugenia for finally having a “Microsoft” article and not just wall-to-wall Linux and Panther.
And I assume that you just think that the whole world revolves around Microsoft?
This is a technology focused website with the vast majority if the audience sitting in front of a non-Microsoft operating system. The vast majority who use a non-Microsoft operating system is due to the lack of features.
I want Windows to be 100% UNIX, from the file system to the way the kernel works. It will never happen, hence, I don’t really care if there is a positive Microsoft story but I sure as hell don’t write a snide comment moaning because there is “wall to wall Linux and Panther”.
Microsoft has a right to exist just as Linux, Apple, and any other competitor who thinks they can make a dollar and/or grab marketshare.
Gee James there is at least one or two MS stories on OSnews almost all the time.
Usually, they are about Longhorn or Bill Gates.
There is more to the OS world that Windows, however you are right in the sense that Windows should not be forgotten.
Personally, I would like to see more commercial Unix articles. While linux is making gains Commercial *Nixes still run on a lot of boxes on the backend servers of many corporations. BTW, this is not a major criticism but the only Commercial Unix covered here in any depth appears to be Solaris and a bit of Sun happenings occasionally.
We all have preferences.
“there should be a wall separating state and corporation just as there is a wall separating church and state. as a result, it should be linux, not windows that the US govermennt and state and local government should standardize on. ”
And where do you stop ?
Governement building should not be powered by private power companies, and should be equiped with solar panels ?
Governement should not contract private companies to build their infrastructure, but rely on benevolent workforce ?
etc. The thing is, governements cannot live outside the corporation worlds, at least not in our capitalist society.
Church is an other matter : they do not provide anything useful for the everyday work of the governement.
“And if we follow your logic, the only way you can have freedom of expression is to is to supress that freedom in others. Even more weird. ”
Sorry, I was confuse : I thought the point was that we cannot express an opinion on other people’s opinions. But actually it was about a message being moded down and removed.
My apologizes.
“All this passionate debate about something as unimportant as an operating system. ”
Well, I witnessed such titanesques flame war for things like Star Trek vs Babylon 5. So a debate on OS once in a while doesn’t surprise me much 🙂
Ah ! I love being part of the geekhood …
(BTW, Babylon 5 is so much better than Star Trek .. oups ! sorry 🙂
My original post was deleted. I”m curious as to why?
This is an article about a monopolist speculating on pre-Alpha software. This is vapornews.
Your posting did not contribute anything to the discussion. We run news all day long about people speculating on upcoming software. That’s OSNews’ mission. Some of it turns out to be vaporware, some does not. I think it’s highly unlikely that Microsoft will ultimately fail to release Longhorn. You violated this rule:
“Mindless bashing at Microsoft or *any other* OS vendor IS NOT ALLOWED”
And this rule:
“No stupid zealot OS wars.”
And the fact that Microsoft is a monopolist, though true, is off-topic.