"What is Linux"

[roderikk]

I just saw this add again from IBM (for the 'severalth' time):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZmJ63sHoKU

And I don't usually read the youtube comments (because of this (http://xkcd.com/c202.html)), but now I read 2 whole pages! And the last post on the second page stated this:


DevilsUpload (1 month ago)
Is it a good idea to buy a linux? or what about Macintosh.... like i walk into Bestbuy and i see these program's linspere and Linux, and there only like 25 dollars.... and im thinking is it a good idea to install that software on my windows 95 pc that i barely use.... well becus its a windows ****in 95. can someone help me decide?

Last February (wow! almost 1 year ago!) I made the well informed decision to switch to linux and never install windows on my own pc again. But this attitude is kind of shocking to me. It is not very difficult to find a bit of info about linux (even searching on youtube for the word linux will 'help' something...). So is this quote just a general 'ignore-it-because-it-is-a-youtube' quote or is this a sizeable part of the populous that thinks so?

[Ireclan]

If you're asking whether a sizable percentage of the population knows about Linux, then the answer is no...

[LMP900]

I'm sure many people know of Linux (i.e. heard of it), but I highly doubt a sizeable percentage knows all about it.

[roderikk]

But how can such a person walk into a shop, look at 'linspire' and not think "let's google this a bit".... or is that just me not able to comprehend such an attitude...?

[manmower]

Never underestimate the stupidity of the average PC user...
http://xkcd.com/c202.html
If that person can't be arsed to look into Linux or even think about/mention hardware requirements (how old would you guess that Windows 95 computer is) I don't think he's seriously interested. The poster can't even be arsed to make the decision himself. People are lazy like that. If this person tried Linux he would probably end up disliking it for not being Windows, or something like that.

[Pobega]

Open Source is the fall and failure of the IT industry.

One day... there will be a perfect world... a perfect world without Open Source.

I found that one hilarious, because Microsoft is doing so much for the community by buying out Novell.

Edit: I know they didn't literally buy them out, but by that I mean Novell is selling out; But don't turn this into a Novell thread, I just wanted to throw something bad in Microsoft's direction

[roderikk]

Never underestimate the stupidity of the average PC user...
http://xkcd.com/c202.html
If that person can't be arsed to look into Linux or even think about/mention hardware requirements (how old would you guess that Windows 95 computer is) I don't think he's seriously interested. The poster can't even be arsed to make the decision himself. People are lazy like that. If this person tried Linux he would probably end up disliking it for not being Windows, or something like that.
Did you realize that I quoted the exact same link to that XKCD comic...? :-)

Anyway, I have already managed to let me switch my mothers pc to ubuntu and my mother just likes it! She even thinks it is pretty (just regular ubuntu edgy theme) :-). Now I will start on the rest of the world ;-).

[Brunellus]

Did you realize that I quoted the exact same link to that XKCD comic...? :-)

Anyway, I have already managed to let me switch my mothers pc to ubuntu and my mother just likes it! She even thinks it is pretty (just regular ubuntu edgy theme) :-). Now I will start on the rest of the world ;-).
Offtopic, but what the heck: xkcd ftw. he's an ubuntu user as well--well, at least he dual-boots (same as me).

ONtopic: most people don't know what the heck Linux is, any more that they know what, say, phenol is. Both things are extremely useful to them: phenol is an important industrial chemical, and Linux, of course, is totally dominant in the server market--but they have little contact with the things themselves.

In this respect, IBM's ad (which I remember from back in the day) is very much in the vein of a similar ad campaign that chemical manufacturer BASF ran at about the same time: "We don't make the products you buy. We make the products you buy better," or the old DuPont campaign "Better living through chemistry."