OT: Microsoft's grinning robots or the Brotherhood of the Mac. Which is worse?

[Evan Leibovitch]

2009/10/7 Darryl Moore <darryl-90a536wCiRb3fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org>

> So what you're really say is:
>
>
> http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/microsofts_secret_weapon_isnt_fud_its_inertia
>


Yeah, I may have said that once or twice before....

http://technology.canoe.ca/2009/06/17/9832971-cp.html

;-)



> The real lesson of this sorry episode is that maybe, and I say maybe, the
> best efforts of Mark Shuttleworth will never be enough to lure Windows users
> away. It’s not a technology problem, *it’s an inertial mindset problem*.
>


The main point is that it's not good enough that FOSS software is better,
more reliable, etc. It often needs to provide a *compelling* reason to
switch, to overcome the inertia factor. And sometimes those compelling
reasons are not of the FOSS community's making

For instance: If Windows 7 starter edition (the one to be installed on
netbooks) turns out to cause too many obstacles to users and is too
expensive to upgrade, that may be one of the compelling reasons to consider
alternatives.

Of course, let's not forget about attempts to provide compelling reasons
*not* to switch, otherwise known as "vendor lock-in". Incompatible file
formats, lack of interoperability, etc.

- Evan
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