agger
July 26th, 2006, 02:59 PM
Seen on the NewsForge (http://trends.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/07/25/2018237&from=rss):
"Laptops pre-loaded with Linux operating system are gaining in popularity among Indian customers as well." It bolsters that claim with a quote from Rajiv Grover, HP's country manager for consumer portables, who says "between 20 and 22% of our laptop business came from notebooks loaded with Linux."
So why do consumers have more freedom of choice in India and elsewhere than they do in the United States? My hunch is that we don't really need to look any further than the mark of the beast. It's because in North America, OEMs get paid by Microsoft not to pre-load Linux, so they can make more money by not pre-loading it than they can by doing so.
That allows Microsoft to keep getting richer by keeping a tight lid on its desktop monopoly, and protect itself from Linux on the desktop at the same time. The question "When will Linux be ready for the desktop?" is bogus. It's a red herring. Sales in India are proof of that. A better question is, "When will OEMs be allowed to pre-load Linux here, so consumers can benefit from better software at a lower price?"
So, basically - if OEMs were not bribed by Microsoft to keep Linux out, it might start developing af competitive edge right now ...
"Laptops pre-loaded with Linux operating system are gaining in popularity among Indian customers as well." It bolsters that claim with a quote from Rajiv Grover, HP's country manager for consumer portables, who says "between 20 and 22% of our laptop business came from notebooks loaded with Linux."
So why do consumers have more freedom of choice in India and elsewhere than they do in the United States? My hunch is that we don't really need to look any further than the mark of the beast. It's because in North America, OEMs get paid by Microsoft not to pre-load Linux, so they can make more money by not pre-loading it than they can by doing so.
That allows Microsoft to keep getting richer by keeping a tight lid on its desktop monopoly, and protect itself from Linux on the desktop at the same time. The question "When will Linux be ready for the desktop?" is bogus. It's a red herring. Sales in India are proof of that. A better question is, "When will OEMs be allowed to pre-load Linux here, so consumers can benefit from better software at a lower price?"
So, basically - if OEMs were not bribed by Microsoft to keep Linux out, it might start developing af competitive edge right now ...