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Ratbags take Windows 7 (actually KDE 4) to the street [video]

Summary: Our colleagues at ZDNet Australia just conducted a very interesting experiment. They took KDE 4 to the streets and told people it was Windows 7 and guess what?

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Our colleagues at ZDNet Australia just conducted a very interesting experiment. They took KDE 4 to the streets and told people it was Windows 7 and guess what? No one could tell the difference. 

Here's the comical experiment from ZDNet Australia's Chris Duckett and Alex Serpo. Perhaps this could be another installment of Microsoft's new Mojave experiment. 

 

The video is based off of this Windows 7-KDE 4 comparison.

Topics: Software, Microsoft, Open Source, Operating Systems, Windows

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45 comments
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  • Mojave gone SOOOO wrong LMAO

    Seems like the average user I keep seeing tossed about on these blogs doesn't care that much for Vista. Nor do they even know if they are using Linux. Well it looks like Linux looks easier to them. LMAO!
    storm14k
    Reply Vote

    • With five or ten minutes face time

      You could fool many people with it.

      Yet let them discover the issues with Linux when the user actually takes it home to use and no one would be fooled after that.

      I am sure that if you gave many users Vista and said it was OS XI, many would believe it.

      But then you hit it right on the head:

      [i]Well it [b]looks[/b] like Linux looks easier to them.[/i]

      And it really does [b]look[/b] like a person is being sawed in half at the magic show.

      You only realize is was fake when you try to saw your neigbor in half!
      GuidingLight
      Reply Vote

      • So you agree

        that Mojave was meaningless, correct?
        Michael Kelly
        Reply Vote

        • Yes,

          I think you summed it well for them.
          Kid Icarus-21097050858087920245213802267493
          Reply Vote

        • Nice spike lol (nt)

          nt
          storm14k
          Reply Vote

        • I doubt many would argue that...

          10-15 mins of guided face time by someone familiar with the OS is quite a bit different than long term use. The real difference is someone who used Vista long term would be much happier than if they used Linux. At least, your average consumer.
          LiquidLearner
          Reply Vote

          • The average consumer

            What does the average consumer use their computer for?

            a) E-mail

            b) Media

            c) to browse the web

            d) some light documents

            The average consumer doesn't install programs, doesn't really need their computer to do much beyond just average, everyday use.

            In fact, most average consumers purchase a computer already set up because they just don't want to hassle with any of those reasons that you might possibly bring up as being "easier" with Windows.

            However, just in case you still want to argue. How long does it take you to get a fully functional computer from a fresh installation of Windows without knowing the exact driver and having a current copy already burned onto a CD? What about playing DVDs from a freshly installed copy of Windows? (commercial DVDs, not standard) What about working with Office documents? Photo editing? Working with your digital camera? What about your webcam?

            For a full installation from the bottom up of Ubuntu, it took me a total of 45 minutes and I'm new to Linux. A full installation means every one of those issues I asked about, but it also means getting the entire computer set up the way I like it.

            When asking your "average" consumer which OS he likes, show him the OS, let him use it, let him figure things out and let him have all the information including price. The "average" consumer will choose Linux.
            tmsbrdrs
            Reply Vote

          • its no use

            Guidinglight apparently likes to spend his time on zdnet preaching through his keyboard. There's also that guy who always posts his lame ass opinion on anything apple. They're losers. I can't believe they think anyone gives a s**t about their opinions. They remind me of the jealous stalker types in highschool.
            midenginedrift
            Reply Vote

          • Average user...

            Right. I hate to say this but your average user would get lost with Linux. First time I used it it was good. It was quick. I was interested in it and was willing to learn this new system. This was using Unbuntu

            Then I wanted to change the screen resolution but found it only had one option. Right. Okay. After trawling through a few forums I worked out what I needed to do and it would've been beyond an average user.

            The next time I tried to install Linux on a different PC the install would not work. Why? Because the display was just corrupted showing a mass of garbage on the screen. It seemed that my graphics card was too new for Linux and would not work at all. It needed new drivers which didn't come on the install package.

            After a couple of days of messing around and trying to learn Linux and get on with the system (I tried to view it as a learning curve) I gave up and put Vista on my PC and it just WORKED. I could use all the apps I wanted to use. I could install it no problems without messing around for drivers as it had the network card drivers. Anymore it needed it just went to internet, downloaded and installed.

            THIS is what your average person wants. Not what I had to go through. It's pretty much put me off it completely while, strange as it seems, Vista got me back into Microsoft OSs a lot more and I really can't see what problems people have had with it.
            Average-IT-Guy
            Reply Vote

          • You are mistaken.

            Everything I hear you and others say about the difficulties with Linux are really just one thing: Linux is not Windows. When you can't find something or it's done differently in Linux you are in the process of UNlearning the way you do it in Windows. It's very convenient if you are looking to find things wrong with Linux. People who have never used a computer before have no more difficulties with Linux than they do with Windows.
            kozmcrae
            Reply Vote

          • I would have disagreed with this post...

            ...but a few days ago I downloaded a copy of a tiny linux distro and installed it on an aging laptop. CPU is 650MHz P-III, 128mb RAM, and a Linksys PC Card wireless adapter. I was expecting all sorts of problems with the drivers, but lo and behold, there were no problems whatsoever. The only difficulty I am having with it is getting it properly installed to the hard drive from the "Live" cd. But, since it is running entirely from memory I don't have a problem with anything in those regards.
            zach.winchester
            Reply Vote

          • WINDOWS VS. LINUX (video)

            WINDOWS VISTA AERO VS LINUX UBUNTU BERYL
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5uEe5OzNQ

            Windows 7 and KDE 4.2
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWlGyCa8gxQ

            Plasma 4.2 overview quickly
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzzk6P4rbfE&feature=related
            Just True
            Reply Vote

          • Linux for kids?

            it seems Linux is adding more and more toys/eye candy. I don't need an OS that I can play with, I just want to run programs I need. What I don't understand is why drivers are still such a problem for Linux after all this time (in my case graphics driver limitations with an nVidia 8800 GT card). And who cares if the latest Kubuntu can run on a 9 year old computer (as per one of the links mentioned) I want an OS that lets me use the full power of my computer, which Linux won't let me do.
            Drakaran
            Reply Vote

          • According to your criteria, Vista was/is pure junk...

            When Vista came to the market, only about 800 apps were available for Vista and when I checked them - I did not find apps without Vista-specific issues, except one.

            So, this one - Samplitude caught my attention (it's for audio and MIDI recording, editing and mastering). The company claimed that Samplitude was fully compatible with Vista.

            In my opinion, this is not possible - when the Cyber Police State (Vista) constantly spies on your audio, video, etc., takes over apps akin the Patriot Act over the US Constitution and can shut down anything it doesn't like, it very hard to write fully Vista-compatible software for such programs like audio, video, ... editing.

            Guess what - when I checked the Samplitude web site [b]later[/b] - they removed the claim - Vista-compatible (now it works flawlessly only with 2000/XP).

            http://www.samplitude.com/eng/sam/systemumgebung.html

            Thus, you complains looks more like - Linux is superior to Vista but not completely and it's very bad. Bad for who?

            Granted that Linux is not a gaming platform... yet, but Windows. So, nVidia 8800 GT card might be too much for the Internet... However, is it Linux fault that not all drivers are available for Linux? ([b]Note:[/b] in the first video was shown that Vista is also has problems with drivers)

            But this is Microsoft fault that it could make Vista fully compatible with XP soft/drivers, but chose not to...

            Therefore, in my opinion - OSS needs to be the first priority for developers and the industry. Going OSS will cause much less headaches and much more advantages vs. Windows or any other proprietary OS.
            Just True
            Reply Vote

      • RE: With five or ten minutes Mojave face time

        <font color=#969696><em>"You could fool many people with <s>it</s> <font color=black>Mojave</font>".</em></font><br>
        <font color=#969696><em>"Yet let them discover the issues with <s>Linux</s> <font color=black><strong>Vista</strong></font> when the user actually takes it home to use and no one would be fooled after that."</em></font><br>
        <font color=#969696><em>"And it really does look like a person is being sawed in half at the <font color=black>magic</font> show.
        ...
        ... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uZLbL0jBwA" target="_blank">try to saw your neigbor in half!</a>"</em></font>

        Hence the word <em>magic</em>. Duh!<br>

        ^o^<br>
        <br>
        n0neXn0ne
        Reply Vote

        • But magic is not real

          and neither is the concept of KDE4 as a worthy replacement for Windows.

          Hence the word [i]Analogy[/i]. DUH!

          :)
          GuidingLight
          Reply Vote

          • Of course it isn't, but KDE **is very real** and those people

            seemed to like the feel of it.
            InAction Man
            Reply Vote

          • RE: But ... its ... real

            <font color=grey><em>"...the concept of KDE4 as a worthy replacement <s>for</s> <font color=black>on</font> Windows."</em></font><br>
            <a href="http://windows.kde.org/news.php#itemKDE420forWindowsavailable" target="_blank">"KDE 4.2.0 for Windows available"</a><br>

            ^o^<br>
            <br>
            n0neXn0ne
            Reply Vote

          • *clutches Harry Potter book and whimpers* [nt]

            [nt]
            olePigeon
            Reply Vote

      • So what you're saying...

        is that the Mojave Experiments were just as insubstantial as this. We saw just as much facetime for every person who tried Linux with KDE 4 as we did for every person who tried Vista.

        Frankly, if you gave a person a system running Linux, fully set up, they'd never know it was Linux, they'd just think Windows suddenly stopped needing a defrag and started booting up faster.
        tmsbrdrs
        Reply Vote
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