Why isn't Linux succeeding? Because "Windows Is Free" (A TLUG Article)

Windows Is Free (A TLUG Article)

Fascinating article, and absolutely true. I've been down that road before, and out of the vast number of people I've helped out on the classic casual basis (I tend to keep my knowledge quiet nowadays), I think there was one person who actually wanted to pay for Windows rather than grab a copy. We're probably talking about a sample of hundreds here.

I've taken a somewhat different view these days - that if I want something to succeed, I'll buy it. It's a bit like voting - if everyone says "I'm just one person, I'll never make a difference" then er, nothing would ever change.

Similarly, if nobody 'voted' for Windows then it wouldn't exist. Back in the 95 and Millennium days I would've taken that as a blessing; but these days it's really not that bad. Despite its teething troubles, I love Vista. Mac OS X is better still. Linux is... as the article says, free. (there are sacrifices).

But I'm a minority. Most people would just rather grab a copy of the best thing on the market. This comes as no surprise to me, but it's kind of amusing to think that reducing the crackdown on piracy would actually help Windows to remain popular.

One last thought - Apple don't protect their software. Yet I bought Tiger (OSX 10.4), and at about 1.5x the price it's possible to buy a home license for 5 computers. What a bargain! If I get a second Mac, I'd happily pay this for the next upgrade. Why? Because fairness needs to be equated into it too... if the company is fair to me, and doesn't assume that I'm a criminal (this is actually quite important), then I'm happier to be fair to them in return.

Maybe this is why kids are such yobs these days, because we're all so busy accusing them of being yobs that they figure they might as well actually *be* yobs - same hassle, but more fun. An interesting metaphor perhaps, but I digress...