In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Maverick
<Sun@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote
on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:04:51 -0600
<QuOdnezmANkpGIDbnZ2dnUVZ_r7inZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
Nasht0n wrote:
Roy Schestowitz wrote:
__/ [ none ] on Wednesday 11 April 2007 13:52 \__
Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Over at the #awkwardtv IRC channel, poster "Beyond" just announced
that
he's gotten Gentoo installed and running on his Apple TV. He used the
mach_linux_kernel maker from mactel_linux (aka Gimli's loader). The OS
(2.6.20.6 with the AppleTV patch) seems to be up and working after
a few
initial problems (now solved) with repeating characters.
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/04/10/linux-on-apple-tv/
It's pretty pointless, apart from being a nice proof-of-concept
showoff.
One can get a fanless PC to do all the same things. It would cost under
$200 and require no tinkering.
sure, but it would be much bigger, no wireless, no remote, no hdmi, no
optical audio, etc.
Have you seen Linux MCE? Here's a video:
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/3683/completely_mind-blowing_linuxmce
A lot of the Mac zealots don't know anything more about the competition
than what type of processors Wintel and Linux runs on. BTW, if Linux was
actually usable by the masses, instead of being a geek's pass-time, many
people would consider using it and everything it has to offer.
The trouble is, is that Vista is too hard to install on a PC.
Linux is far easier to install. Too bad that the rest of the developers
don't know this.
Vista's dead easy to install on a PC. Buy PC, it's preinstalled. :-)
That's part of the problem, methinks. Of course, were
this market a little saner one might contemplate various
scenarios on how one gets from point A (bare metal PC)
to point B (comfortable, usable computer system). But
not everyone will be comfortable with all scenarios.
Scenario 1.
User buys PC, bare hardware only, but with a bit of BIOS
smarts. Some setup instructions are included; user can
plug in and do very basic stuff like download from the
manufacturer's server a variety of software offerings,
including operating systems such as Windows, Linux,
FreeBSD, FreeDOS, HURD, etc. etc.
Scenario 2.
User buys PC, and can download software from any site,
using its built-in BIOS smarts.
Scenario 3.
User buys PC, with no brains (apart from maybe the BIOS
that most PCs have now). Instruction sheet (if any)
mentions that the user could burn a CD or DVD with an OS
that one can download for free from various locations;
it might mention www.distrowatch.org, or it might not.
It also mentions various vendors such as Microsoft from
which one can purchase required software.
Scenario 4.
User buys PC, and has vendor install software according to
his specifications. (Many smaller vendors would presumably
be more than happy to do so. I for one don't know offhand.)
Scenario 5.
User buys PC with Windows preinstalled (the current mess),
and installs what he wants on it -- which may be Linux.
Of course Microsoft gets its money no matter what the user
does here. Not much incentive for improvement, is there? ;-)
