Comments on: Microsoft: Beware of IBM Dressed In Ubuntu Linux

By: The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:01:45 +0000

Dan: Well said.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:53:11 +0000

I dont understand why people hate MS, I use Linux, but I think we should recognize MS contribution to software industry. And MS creates jobs, so if MS is gone, a lot of people will remain without a job. Competition is good but Im tired to see this hate against Microsoft. If you dont like it, then just dont use it.

By: Segedunum

Segedunum — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:20:04 +0000

What’s on offer there is woefully inadequate and will hardly get any oil burning in Redmond beyond 5pm. IBM have tried this before and they have failed.

By: aikiwolfie

aikiwolfie — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:47:37 +0000

Put someone on a pedestal and sooner or later they will fall from grace. The same is true with any company or corporate entity. All the big names have had their turn at the top. Microsoft has had it’s day. People and companies can no longer afford Windows and Office. They are looking around and finding alternatives.

Personally I predict Windows 7 will be just as big if not an even bigger flop than Windows Vista and Microsofts desktop share will be cut to less than 80% in three years if not lower unless they do something really drastic to halt the decline. Like sack the board for example and adopt a UNIX architecture.

I also predict their share of the netbook and note book markets to be even lower and things aren’t looking too good in the smart-phone arena either. The Open Handset Alliance has just scooped up a whole new batch of supports including some pretty big names like Sony Ericsson and Vodafone. And of course Microsoft already faces intense competition in the games console market.

Microsoft are being attacked on all fronts and their response thus far, aside from a few meaningless price cuts, has largely been to try and weather the storm with a coat of paint splashed over Windows Vista. The on-line “Cloud” versions of Word and Excel won’t even allow home users to edit documents. What’s the point in that?

By: Oscar Humberto Torres

Oscar Humberto Torres — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:59:30 +0000

Maybe we must to left behind the so radical thoug about a 100% Linux World or 100% AIX World.

Linux has demostrated to be a VERY useful, robust, reliable and afordable Operative System and to be another option on x386 platforms.

I am a Very Big Fan of the Penguin. I believe its time to arrive more agresively to the desktop.

By: The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:06:08 +0000

tctc: The VAR Guy fixed the link, and thanks you for the correction.

By: tctc

tctc — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:53:41 +0000

VAR Guy, I like you site and commentary but you might want to remove the comma in the link in comment 6 to your Ubuntu site http://www.workswithu.com/

By: Robert Pogson

Robert Pogson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:22:37 +0000

What else can people do with quad-core CPUs and 4 gB or more of RAM? It makes very little sense to have that kind of stuff idling all over the building. It is far better to use the new technology to make very low-powered client systems (less heat/noise/dust/maintenance) and to put the power in a server room where it will not bother anyone or be bothered by them. The system administration workload goes way down, too. I have been using thin clients for years and find it ideal for any user not doing full-screen video, which is most of us, I think.

The same technology that permits quad-core CPUs and gigabyte memory sticks permits very low-powered CPUs that can be fanless and fit in a tiny box. No need for ATX any longer except perhaps for multimedia machines. Browsing/word-processing is what a lot of us do. This is a major market shift. It is happening along with the netbook, the emergence of BRIC in IT, and the VISTA disaster (or miracle, depending on your point of view). M$ has fallen into the tar pit it made and cannot adapt to the changing conditions in the market. Perhaps they do not want to be a monopoly any longer because they cannot get away with the dirty tricks any longer.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:17:20 +0000

TechPro57: I’ve been running XP in VirtualBox on Ubuntu since version 1.5 (before Sun bought it). There are a few quirks with certain programs and hardware, but overall it works nice, at least for what little I need.

By: TechPro57

TechPro57 — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:48:13 +0000

Roberto, what are you using to successfully virtuale Windows XP??

I’ve used Win4Lin but found it a bit shaky.

TIA.

By: The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:11:54 +0000

Roberto S: Two quick observations for you.

1. The VAR Guy tries not to hype ubuntu, but he is writing this comment from a System76 notebook running Ubuntu. Very sweet.

2. If you’re really into Ubuntu, check out The VAR Guy’s sister site: http://www.WorksWithU.com — the independent guide to Ubuntu.

Happy Holidays.

By: Roberto S

Roberto S — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:38:36 +0000

Ubuntu is a great OS, I learned about it a couple years ago by watching a few demos in youtube. I installed in on my laptop and virtualized windows xp for applications that were not compatible with linux. Fortunately, I found out there were TONS of great applications working in Linux that could very easily substitute windows applications. Now, I’m a true Ubuntu Linux Fanboy. Turns out companies can save money for what is, in many ways, a superior OS.