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Strictly speaking that's not part of the Linux OS but an application that runs on top of it like X Windows.

See, our company must be entirely enlightened. After interview, when a succesful candidate is contacted (and sometimes during interview) they are asked what Computer/OS they would want to use.

We used to be a PC only office, delivered with windows, but those technical enough to know got choose which OS was installed as part of their setup.

Now people get to choose before they start so the right equipment is ready for them starting. A lot of the PCs have since been replaced with Macs, and of the remaining PCs, only 4 run Windows. Most are run by hardline Linux users who are happy and knowledgeable to tweak their installs.

I use windows simply because I don't need a unix workstation like the developers do, I don't need the flexibility of textmate, and I do need to run the windows only Timeware attendance software. As I run the place, a simple SSH terminal and a copy of windows RDC client allow me access to all the servers along with KVM software. The other Windows PCs are used by accounts and marketting.

For other bits and pieces, I use Context editor, Open Office, The Gimp Win32 and Inkscape and other bits of cross platform opensource software to make sure I can work with all the other platforms. Windows just happens to be a platform for me. I could happy use a Mac or a well setup Linux install if needed.

As they form >90% market share, that's what we were talking about.

Bullshit. Netbooks had 100% Linux market share 18 months ago. Linux now has 5% of that market share which is dropping. Why did they lose 95% market share in 18 months? People wanted Windows on netbooks and a shitload of the returns of Linux ones were purely down to the OS that was installed.

Find me a desktop distribution that doesn't run X. Even DSL does.

To a certain extent that's true , but lots of them just want "a = computer" and they aren't aware that there are alternatives to Windows. = In a lot of shops or onlince dealers there *isn't* an alternative and if = they do get offered a choice they will pick MS.

Indeed. I'd bet on lots of them being bought by computer illiterate people who = just saw the price tag and were then utterly confused when they couldn't = install programs or find things where they expected them. "not working = for them" =3D "broken" and back to the shop they went.

Now there's a choice with a relatively low price difference people who = buy the Linux version are more often not making a conscious decision to = pick that OS over windows.

--=20 Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

No, they buy the Mac that happens to run operating system... is the glass half full or half empty?

So to put it closer to topic, what you're saying is that Mac owners are like Alfa Romeo owners of years ago. When Alfa Romeo produced and sold something good enough to be considered mainstream by lots of company car drivers - the

Don't see many 159s any more. Or 156s come to think of it.

Because Microsoft has restrictive deals with the makers.

No, it's the OS that sells the computer. If the OS is removed you simply have a slightly better designed and built PC. Good but not startling. People buy Macs because of the OS. People buy PC despite the OS.

Good god no. Macs work and are reliable. They're not even "quirky".

Mind you I suspect you've got some defragging, virus searching and security updates that you need to so, so I'll let you get on with it.

So what you're saying is that the operating system on a PC is superior to the Mac, as more - far more - people buy them?

Have you persuaded yourself that I spend all my time maintaining this XP Home notebook?

Wrong. I suggest that either you're blustering or you're completely oblivious to the last 12 months of IT news.

I think you'll find its the Apple Cappucino image that does. You portray it quite well which is why it doesn't surprise me that you'd have one.

So what you're saying is that Windows is a pile of stinking cow crap?

Since it's my business to work on PCs and Macs, I know which takes far more effort to maintain.

No I'm not, I've experience MS at work.

I suspect that you've never had to work with Microsoft, other than as a technician/user.

That certainly applies to some (but not all) buyers of Apple equipment- for some people it's more a style statement that anything else. Some will buy anything Apple *because* it's Apple.

I'd like to use a BBC B please. But I'd probably wait until I'd got a firm job offer before mentioning it.

The appeal of Windows over Linux is demonstrated by the amount of pirated copies in use. Consider Linux is free and people still prefer a pirated version of a retail OS. Perhaps they want to do stuff rather than spend all their time recompiling their colonels.

;-)

You could, however, run most of the RISC OS versions on a PC using Virtual RPC. Not that I'm bothering to - at least while the real thing still works. Some 15 years now with never a repair. Apart from new HDs.

Irrelevent. Acer etc had a custom built distribution of Linux for their netbooks. They were solely Linux. They started releasing Windows drivers due to calls for them from their customers but at that point were still only selling them with Linux on. They only started releasing them with Windows on due to customer demand. It had f*ck all to do with Microsoft pressure.