Mark Kent wrote:
>>
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/29/dells-mini-inspiron-eee-pc-killer-revealed
>>
>
> It'll need to run Linux. Even XP at US$18 is all very well until you
> start adding in the cost of sofware to actually do anything, then the
> load of running anti-virus on it.
The anti-virus, anti-spyware, Registry cleaner, Registration, WGA, etc, and
little in the way of pre-loaded and automatically updated apps. is all a bit
of a downer, isn't it?
Not too sure about your $18 price. Are you sure that's not £18? The best I
can work out from similar recent offerings is that the "Restricted hardware
special low-cost XP Home" version is adding $30.
As for S/W (applications) cost, there is the counter argument that one can run
OO.o, Firefox, T/bird. GIMP etc. on Windows? That said, there is also the
counter-counter argument of course that if one is running all those great
apps, one would be better off just binning XP and using an Operating System
(which is precisely how I came to use Linux)....
> Besides, why would you pay anything
> for code which is a few patches to NT5, released 8 years ago?
You don't make that argument very strongly. Are you mellowing towards the
wintrolls in your old age?:-)
Isn't the point that XP has just come to the end of the line? Just how much
security etc. support can be expected for it now? I really can't see Redmond
offering much - apart from anything else, if they give it full support over
the years ahead, umpteen million current Windows users will will expect to be
able to continue to use it, and Redmond's Vista sales will be cream-crackered
again.
By contrast, if they take it with Linux, they get today's OS, getting even
better month by month and absolutely no obsolescence...
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