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Re: To Kind comp.os.linux.advocacy Readers

  • Subject: Re: To Kind comp.os.linux.advocacy Readers
  • From: "Rex Ballard" <rex.ballard@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: 12 Jun 2006 05:47:52 -0700
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High Plains Thumper wrote:
> "Rex Ballard" wrote:
>
> > About 30% of the market is still "Windows-Only
> > Linux-Hostile", but price erosion on these machines would
> > indicate that this is still too many.  Most of these
> > machines are being sold below cost.
>
> (OT - real Linux content)  I thought that it was just a
> matter of time when a hostile chipset was encountered, to
> overcome it.  I remember the hostile Intel 810 chipset.
> Shortly after it came out, the Linux community developed
> drivers for it.  Ditto for many Winmodems.

The difference is that until about 2 years ago, Microsoft would try to
create "Linux Hostile" hardware.  If the IHVs wanted to be on the
"Standard Platform List", they had to agree to keep their hardware and
drivers under strict nondisclosure, and to take legal action against
anyone who attempted to port drivers.  Usually there was a period 6-12
months involved, after which it was understood that the community would
figure it out for themselves.

The point was that it prevented corporate users and OEMs from
installing Linux on those machines when they were first shipped.  The
OEMs who cooperated got kickbacks as high as 60 percent, which means
that those who didn't cooperate were paying almost 3 times more for
Windows OS licenses.

Ultimately the market drove the OEMs away from "Linux Hostile"
hardware.  Price erosion on "Linux Hostile" boxes was so rapid that
most OEMs were losing money on these boxes.

This may have been because corporate customers were evaluating the
boxes by testing them with Linux before buying mass quantities.  Just
in case Microsoft decided to jack up the prices for support again.
Most corporate PCs could be converted to Linux in less than an hour..

Individual users were able to test for Linux compatibility using
LiveCDs such as Knoppix, SUSE OpenLinux, or Ubuntu.  For a brief period
the retailers tried to block access to the CD drive, but very quickly
found that sales suffered as a result.

The OEMs have figured out a winning formula for selling Linux systems.
They sell it with Windows (since they have paid for the license
anyway).  They just make sure that all of the hardware is supported by
the top Linux distributions.

Microsoft is happy, because Windows is sold on virtually every machine.
Linux users are happy, because they can install Linux and still install
Windows as a client.
OEMs are happy because they don't have to try and support 3 to 300
Linux distributions directly.

At this point, Microsoft has to be very careful not to try and disrupt
that model, because doing so could cause them to be shut out of the
market completely.

Thus far, people have been willing to accept the fact that they
purchase a new Windows license every 2 years with each machine they
purchase.  It's possible, however, that if Microsoft gets ugly, that
they might opt to transfer the license and put Linux on the old
machine, as well as remove the Windows License sticker (which they are
legally permitted to do under the EULA), and then get rid of the
machine as a Linux machine.

> Aren't many of these so called cheap motherboards fixable by
> installing aftermarket card (video, sound, network, modem,
> etc.) to overcome, until Linux community develops the driver?

The point is that newer machines are "Linux Ready".  In most cases,
they will self-configure in less than an hour.  Machines that are
"Linux Hostile" are getting harder and harder to find.


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