Microsoft trains Best Buy Linux assassins

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• despair?

  Are MS in despair?..

  

  antalves

  9 September, 2009 05:46

  Reply Vote

  • They definitely

    are trying to stem the tide no matter how low it is right now.
    You don't defend yourself against someone you perceive presents no risk of becoming a threat.

    

    Viva la crank dodo

    9 September, 2009 06:09

    Reply Vote

  • OMG

    Comparisons between their competition? imagine that. I heard about this thing going on when someone sells something similar to another, but never thought it actually happened.
    
    This article
    
    FAIL.

    

    paulcampagna.com

    9 September, 2009 08:33

    Reply Vote

    • "Competition" That was the most interesting part

      The most interesting part of the article was showing that MS now considers linux on the desktop a serious competitor. Unfortunately their facts are not always straight.

      

      rarsa

      9 September, 2009 12:42

      Reply Vote

      • Re: "Competition" That was the most interesting part

        MS believes anybody with > .01% marketshare as competitor and will fight till it has that last .01%. that's how all companies should work.

        

        st1ng

        11 September, 2009 07:58

        Reply Vote

    • RE: (Microsoft trains Best Buy Linux assassins)

      @paulcampagna.com
      i would agree except that literally everything in that slideshow (maybe like 2 exceptions) was either completely wrong, or very subjective.

      

      DevonS

      14 June, 2010 08:34

      Reply Vote

• Linux has better hardware support than windows.

  They forgot wine too. This disgusts me. The day Gates comes near me and holds out his hand expecting me to shake it is the day I rip it off.

  

  Subsentient

  9 September, 2009 05:50

  Reply Vote

  • Keep in mind

    That the users that these best buy employees will be selling to will be people that may not be able to use Wine without someone walking them through it. A person that is competent with configuring their linux box is not the target of such a marketing program.

    

    Viva la crank dodo

    9 September, 2009 06:08

    Reply Vote

    • MS always tries to keep customers in fear of their compitition.

      Any time the opposition becomes a threat, they try to strike fear of that threat in their customers. How else do they explain why they are showing such fear of Linux, when they have only a few % of the population. If MS is so secure in their O/S, why do they feel they have to address Linux. I can understand countering Apples adds, as they are personally playing against MS. Linux doesn't advertise, at least I haven't seen any. If they do use adds, they haven't been MS negative like the Apple adds.
      
      The old saying in business is, you don't acknowledge your opponents unless they are in danger of overtaking you. It shows your weakness to you opponents, as well as you potential customers.

      

      mjolnar@...

      9 September, 2009 09:12

      Reply Vote

      • Big League

        Linux will be in the big league when Chrome OS is
        released. I will be no parentless orphan foster child
        then. That's why the boys at Redmond are sitting up
        and taking notice. "Google" will get you over 2B hits,
        "Linux" gets 300M hits. "MS OS" gets over 200M
        hits (actually more than MS Windows) and "Chrome
        OS" gets 29M hits and it is not even released yet.
        So is it the product or is it the name?

        

        bigpicture

        9 September, 2009 16:05

        Reply Vote

        • Re: Big League

          that will include chrome browser and firefox chrome and chrome wheel covers. useless parameter.

          

          st1ng

          11 September, 2009 08:01

          Reply Vote

  • Somebody needs to make Wine easer. We need a Wine app store, where software

    vendors can certify their Win32 programs, and
    compile them to run with WineLib. Google of course
    is the obvious company that could make it happen.
    Actually, a tie up with Apple and Google, so
    that certified applications would run on OSX,
    Chrome OS, and any Linux distribution with the
    proper Wine installed. And, let us not forget
    NeatX that Google is working on, so that Win32
    apps could run in the cloud.
    
    http://google-
    opensource.blogspot.com/2009/07/releasing-neatx-
    open-source-nx-servier.html
    
    It has to get a LOT easier, for both end users
    AND software venders.

    

    DonnieBoy

    9 September, 2009 07:32

    Reply Vote

    • Why?

      Wine is at most a crutch. The argument of "running applications" rings as hollow as a black hole.
      
      Windows is not compatible with ANY linux application. Fortunately Free software can be recompiled or ported to also be a windows app :D
      
      The real need is to let users know that there are alternatives: NOt able to run MS Office? big deal, use another application that does the same thing.

      

      rarsa

      9 September, 2009 12:46

      Reply Vote

      • reason

        If you look at the average Joe, unfortunatly many computer users shop for software they are "already comfortable with". Its like the Walmart model before they ever got big and selling their OWN brand, they had to bring in brands people were already familiar with, such as Betty Cocker, Prego, Ragu, Dr Pepper, Totinos, ok you probably get the picture.
        In order for Linux community to be fully adapted by the average Joe, it has to make what is already common to the average computer user, Easy. Office 2007, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Money.. this is Wine project needs MORE devs to make things easier.
        Wine has potential to get to the point where it can have a store to make things easier. Soon why probably can see "one click install Office 2007" and the such. When Wine can offer software that people can recognize, Linux enthusiasts should then advertise the popular distros on tv and on radio.
        
        Brand name recognition is Key in business. No matter how much you can preach about alternatives, it takes a while for people to learn.

        

        m0rph3us88

        10 September, 2009 20:20

        Reply Vote

        • sw is key

          Add to that dozen companies like Adobe. A designer is more concerned about the image or movie they have to submit by day end, which they make in Photoshop or Maya then worrying about Windows or Linux.

          

          st1ng

          11 September, 2009 08:05

          Reply Vote

    • RE: (Microsoft trains Best Buy Linux assassins)

      @DonnieBoy
      wine = fail. it is slow, unstable, and will remain that way. linux isn't about accommodating windows users. it is its own system. many linux apps are better than windows apps. wine is a neat idea, but leads to people still being "windows users" even while they use linux.
      and app stores? most distros have huge app stores. called repositories. thousands of completely free (in both ways) apps. there you go. another app store is called Google. just open your browser, and jfgi some free apps.

      

      DevonS

      14 June, 2010 08:42

      Reply Vote

  • Yeah, the thing that never actually works

    Wine is about as useless as a solar-powered flashlight. The only thing I've gotten to work with it is solitair and notepad.

    

    rcol4jc@...

    9 September, 2009 11:29

    Reply Vote

    • Except when it does

      Yeah and I've got Portal and Half-Life 2 running
      with no noticeable slowdown, I've run visual
      novels, variants of Paint Shop Pro, emulators,
      etc.
      
      I mean, if you're trying to use Photoshop, sure,
      I have not been able to get that to work.
      What else would you be using that does not have
      a native alternative.
      I don't know how you could possibly claim you'd
      rather have something like Media Player, WinAMP,
      or Office operate on WINE when there are
      alternatives (which are in some cases better
      than the Windows version).
      
      You cited Solitaire, which is (I'm sorry) really
      dumb, so I assume you didn't try anything at
      all.
      Installation isn't even necessary with, say,
      Linux Mint, which enables WINE by default.
      
      The "Configuring WINE" argument some people
      bring up is strange. "Configuring" is done when
      WINE or the OS is installed... in Ubuntu Jaunty
      or Linux Mint, at least, the sound server works
      right, the Window manager works right (with some
      issues, I agree, but everything still works).
      And there are indeed options in case something
      doesn't work right. (Which, by the way, I've had
      apps force me into Vista Basic since it didn't
      like Aero, I've had Windows software hang, and
      I've had windows show up underneath the start
      bar when it's at the top of the screen, or other
      window management or video/audio issues... in
      Windows. All software has problems... WINE works
      great considering it's an attempt to figure out
      the closed locked-in architecture of Windows to
      give users more freedom. Windows makes no such
      effort for any other systems' applications.)

      

      ZDnet Reader 43

      9 September, 2009 14:43

      Reply Vote

      • WINE is ok...

        but I found for most games and apps like Photoshop, Cedega and Crossover work beautifully. Yes, you pay for them (as an exclusive Linux user I'm not against paying for software), however, it's well worth the money. It would be even better if some of these narrowminded software companies would write their games and apps to run native.

        

        Dave32265

        9 September, 2009 15:19

        Reply Vote

        • Wine is great

          2 bottles is better, especially after a hard day trying to get a linux box working after searching for drivers for hardware that just works under windows.

          

          I Hate Malware

          9 September, 2009 18:04

          Reply Vote