Acer tells Windows it's been seeing Linux, needs some space
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted June 5th 2008 7:58AM
posted June 5th 2008 7:58AM
posted June 5th 2008 7:58AM
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That's hilarious!
Of course, Microsoft has been with just about everyone and makes them pay for the experience. At least you know Linux is close to virus free.
and lunix has what? .8% market share or something like that?
Other then the software that comes with it...what HOME PC apps are really avalible for it (as in user friendly, easy to use, yadda yadda). Oh wait...none (unless you count the user generated stuff....)
Vista will be on this box in a week
Porche makes terrible race cars. Sure they have four wheels, and big engines, but they don't have steering wheels, seats, heating, air conditioning or gas and brake pedals. Clearly I know all this because I've never been inside a Porche.
Seriously dude, I did a 5-year civil engineering degree without booting windows on my PC. Not only are all the software tools you need out there, but they're waaaay easier to get than they would be for windows. They're also typically free, and professionally produced.
@jorvay
im glad you've been inside a Porche...
I wish i could drive a Porsche......
I am trying to make it a habit for me to stop reading things as soon as Linux is spelled "Lunix". It seems to be a 100% accurate sign for idiotic troll posts :/
PS: Linux is pretty big in small devices. Look at the Motorolla Razr 2, for example. The platform is infinitely customizable, which the more capable device manufacturers love.
Why would you have a problem buying an Acer monitor because their computers use MS as an operating system?
I don't guess I get the connection unless you have some sort of personal thing against Microsoft.
Linux is crap, which is why it's not on more computers. We all use it down at my Physics lab (research), but it's a frustrating experience, really. It's not even stable. Linux crashes more often than WinXP, while the software on each OS crashes equally often. Then of course, both the OS and software crash more often than the Macs, where only Office and Firefox crash.
If you want to know which version of Linux I think sucks, I'm using SuSE 10.x....
Then your SuSe 10.x install is broken ask your it bods to fix it. I use 10.2 on my laptop and desktop neither of them crash - ever. They're also both running compiz which is as stable as a 2 legged chair but the boxes still don't crash.
So either your install is balls, you have a hardware problem or you're talking bollocks.
Suse can be finicky, esp. in a lab. Never trust lab computer. That's my motto. I've seen labs with Windows @ 3ghz P4s being slower than G3 iMacs that sit across from them.
yeah right Linux is total crap. Explains why my employeer (a Major national ISP) runs it on all of our production gear. we're talking 500+ day uptimes, 3 year old systems services 2x as many requests as possible on MicroSoft systems on brandnew hardware, things running so smoothly nobody logs into the systems for months...
You're likely going to find this to be true about other things, so I'll sate it a bit more generally: Everything you experience in school may not be applicable to the Real World.
"Everything you experience in school may not be applicable to the Real World."
That's the biggest understatement of the year right there!
Balls rolling. Faster Faster
Microsoft => Deathwatch
nothing kills one of the biggest companies in the world faster than losing a segment of a small computer niche!!! AM I RIGHT?
"So... who are you seeing?"
"This really neat guy, his name's Linux."
"Linux? I thought it might have been Apple?"
"Don't be silly. He's gay."
I see what you did there.
Hi. Mr Reality woud like a word with you.
Joking aside this is Acer's way of saying they want a better deal from MS. They may go Linux for UMPCs but their bigger units will still want some MS lovin'.
Good for Acer for resisting MS Gavage (Vista).
The fact is modern Linux is more similar to XP than XP is to Vista. By design: it's what most people are used to and want. What most people are really looking for is a low cost web browsing, email reading, basic office document editing appliance. Vista is for "Windows enthusiasts." Ha ha ha.
@Ian, Linux has been stable on computers for longer than MS products. I have to wonder what part of your system has been crashing.
This plainly absurd. I have several computers that run Ubuntu, and to say that this is anything but a stupid move by Acer to have this thing run Linux only is foolishness. Their only hope is that people will only want to surf the web and type a document without the need to print it out. You go any deeper than that then there is going to be some angry people.
Linux is an OS that does not work without constant fiddling. And it is a guarantee that you will encounter the limitations of it within one day of usage. You will also spend hours if not days on message boards trying to get stuff that should work, to work.
And what will happen when that novice buyer gets home and finds that 99.9999999% of the software they see does not work on Linux? Apt-get and package managers are horrible for the person that just wants to use an app downloaded from the internet.
Linux has not built the infrastructure necessary to make a PC like this viable running that OS. Software, drivers, and better support is whats needed, not another pie in the sky attempt and shoehorning this into the market. It will crash and burn like all the other attempts, guaranteed.
@Fred, you make some good points, and to a degree, I agree with you. But you really think that repository-based software management is that big an issue? Sure it's different and takes a google search to figure out the first time (Though I imagine that there'd be some documentation provided since the hardware is natively specced with the linux OS). But it's so much cleaner, simpler, and more efficient. When I explain to friends how I add software on my Fedora system, they have trouble understanding it because it's so shockingly simple, but once they get it, they think it makes much more sense.
@fred: if you have several computers, you are not in the target group. Wine can run a lot of software, with slick and getting slicker setup.
But you might say if you want to install programs you are not in the target group. In fact, with no insult intended, if the target group install a program it's just as likely to be a virus or malware. These days just about everything is browser based. What's not? Games, but most people will be happier with a console for games anyway.
Printing is a bit of an issue, but there are a good selection of printers that will work out of the box (more easily than the shovelware Windows drivers), similar to the Mac, in fact printer setup is getting to be easy thanks to protocols like Bonjour. Microsoft would be just as happy if it required some humungous driver "suite" (with attendant desktop trays and startup items) available only with the product on a disc.
Granted, we're not quite there yet. You can't easily set Linux up on arbitrary hardware (though when you have the right combination, which is an amazingly large collection, it works right out of the box, no futzing with drivers and reboots).
With your attitude we'll continue to be stuck with Windows forever. And maybe this effort will fail, but it is hopefully (if you believe in real, open markets) a blip on the path where manufacturers and software makers have to respond. Things change, and the modern desktop computer has become a commodity. Microsoft's best hope is simply Windows enthusiasts, and those who believe things never change.
If you have to touch the command line even once during the entire lifetime of the system, then Linux is not yet ready for mainstream.
chefgon_ign, I agree with you. Let me ask you one question, do you really think Windows is ready for the mainstream, is it the perfect mainstream system? I dunno about you, but I spend a lot of time trying to support people running Windows, until they learn their way around the workarounds and kludges or until they settle down with a browser and maybe an email client. A mainstream operating environment that really only does a few things should work more like an appliance.
I expect the next generation of game consoles will also be mainstream operating environments. Why not? Open source certainly enables this, lead by Firefox, Sony and Nintendo would be happy selling hardware, they'd be fighting Microsoft, who made themselves their enemy with the XBox, on their own turf.. This is why Microsoft wants to develop the "Windows Enthusiast," the idea that you had to get some next-generation Windows that has exclusive "features," (in Small, Medium, and Super-Elite), unlike the commodity features in XP. They know the mainstream is lost.
@chefgon_ign
I can honestly say that with Fedora (the linux distro I have the most experience with) I can install, run, add/remove software, and enjoy my computer without ever using a terminal...as long as all the hardware is supported. Luckily with these netbooks/cheaptops, hardware support and installation shouldn't be issues since the hardware manufacturer SHOULD be taking care of that before the machine ever reaches your hands (gOS + cloudbook is why I put "should" in capitals).
cause most Windows users never used command line aswell?
@ mark
that was hilarious..... i like apple, but steve jobs does look kinda gay!
I am a little concerned here, because I'm not sure if I trust Acer to implement this all that well. I think that this could be successful, but it's going to take much more than a "let's do it because it's cheap!" attitude. If not done well, it's going to hurt Linux in the eyes of the public.
Also, yes, there seem to be two major (and legitimate) concerns with running Linux - hardware support and software. The hardware support could largely be taken care of by the company, and as Linux picks up steam perhaps hardware manufactures will start to wake up and either open up or create drivers (the same problem that Vista is having to some extent). Having the software companies buy into Linus as a platform might take a while. As soon as Linux starts to hit a larger share of full featured computers we might see some companies developing cross platform. Unfortunately, we've got a chicken-egg problem here. Thankfully, there's decent open source software. I doubt that WINE is really the solution, although I do appreciate the work that's gone into that project, and how smoothly my computer is able to run the Microsoft Office package (though I hardly ever use it).
I still think Microsoft should keep XP and charge only $35 for it, none of this 1GB ram limit, oh no you HDD is to big, darn your processor is dual core and is running too fast.
I love Ubuntu {still a n00b, still amazed}, but I still use XP for games.
Soon you won't be using XP for games either. Microsoft handcuffed the game developers when they gave them "Free" DirectX. (I remember with windows95/98 I had to reboot into DOS to play most games, pre-DirectX of course.) You will eventually see games that boot off of the DVD/Blu-Ray and do not care about the OS installed on the HDD. You will then use your PC just like a game console while gaming, and a simple reboot puts you back into what ever OS you prefer.
But, before this can happen, Linux (actually all FLOSS) developers have to be given access to all the features of the GPU just like those who develop for MSFT or AAPL systems. Today, any Linux system that does video decoding (like MythTV) must have a ridiculous amount of CPU power to compensate for the fact that they can't (with few SD exceptions) decode video on the GPU where is should be done. But, Intel is changing that. If nVidia and ATI aren't careful they will loose all of the non-high end gaming business to Intel video. Then they will never be more than an expensive niche product.
it's not about windows vs linux as the headline suggests. what the vp (OF MARKETING) is just spinning. no windows = no need to have a bunch of unused licenses lying around. installing linux = unlimited OSs for Acer for free, forever.
i think this is a good move for acer. the problem with the MSI wind is that the XP model costs well over a hundred bucks more than the linux model. the point of the netbook is to keep costs DOWN. Many people who want something like this already have a copy of Windows XP lying around anyway.
i know i do.
Sadly except for cheap render farms, Linux falls squarely into the "Dumb Smart People" category, or the "People Who Have More Time Than Money" category.
How I long to nurture my Social Anxiety Disorder by staying indoors and avoid the outside world to endure the:
sudo install fixthisf***ingmachine
you do not have sufficient permissions, login as root.
researches login as root.
d00d, do NOT login as root, Linux users have unlimited time and no money!!! They will try to 1337 hack ur install and take da monies. No Root, srsly!!!
10 forums later
if u srsly Haaave to login as root: xyz.
surrounds hacktop w/ tinfoil; logs in as root, starts chrono on watch, Jack Bauer on speed-dial
goes back to README
ok, so gedit ~/root/home/users/desktop/linux/ubuntu/feistyfartbom/super exp decompress makefile root gedit 5W40 garrett T3/T4 hybrid -m
-waits-
-no result
[cursing]
logs out of root
oh look; -Fark me, Tommy! --time rich/money poor linux hacker wants to check out my noob install. -kewl!
sudo apt-get install build-essential bin86 kernel-package libqt3-headers libqt3-mt-dev wget libncurses5 libncurses5-dev
sudo apt-get install hdparm
# dd if=/dev/hda2 of=/mnt/share/ubuntu.bin bs=512 count=1
sudo gedit /etc/inittab
sudo apt-get install bcm43xx-fwcutter_20060108-6build1_i386.deb
sudo ndiswrapper -i /location_of_your_wireless_driver/bcmwl5.inf
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
blacklist bcm43xx
sudo rmmod bcm43xx
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty1
wl_apsta.o
...
-blood comes out ears; slowly-
[end linux finaglings]
--
Apparently, all linux devs are so insanely smart, they've come out the other side and turned so freaking stupid, they can't write a functional installer that does Everything it's supposed to via a [drumroll please:]
>> Simple Double-Click
I am so sick of this attitude. If you hate a specific Linux distro, say so. But to judge ALL Linux distros off of one crappy one makes you look like the idiot to intelligent people. Unfortunately, all of the ignorant people don't realize that Linux is not one single OS and is instead comprised of hundreds of different distros, and they take your comments as if they are fact.
If you don't like a certain distro, move on to another one. There are some distros that are stable as a rock and don't require all of this fiddling. I'm a nerd, so I use Slackware, but it is literally the most stable computer software I have ever used. After setting it up (which doesn't take long at all IF you know what you're doing. If you're a newbie, yes, it may take time. Slackware isn't for everyone) I don't need to struggle with all of this crap. I built my PC from scratch without even THINKING about Linux compatibility and everything just worked perfectly. I *have* had difficulty with some hardware on another PC (I'm looking at you, Realtek), but I had as much trouble in Windows as I did with Linux with that ethernet card.
Get some experience before knocking an entire range of products. You cannot say "I hate Linux because it crashes". It doesn't make sense. You CAN say "I hate Windows because it crashes" -- because Windows is Windows (though again you may need to qualify whether it's XP, Vista, or something else). The only thing you can say about Linux is that a certain distro is crap because it crashes or doesn't recognize hardware well (though hardware recognition is a kernel thing, some distros patch the crap out of the kernel, for better or for worse, and some distros try to detect things a little more automatically than others).
After using OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, KUbuntu, and Slackware, I can say that they truly feel like completely different OSs. For the newbie who doesn't want to learn, I would probably recommend OpenSUSE. For anyone that wants a stable, simple, transparent system, and is willing to learn, I would recommend Slackware.
"Apparently, all linux devs are so insanely smart, they've come out the other side and turned so freaking stupid, they can't write a functional installer that does Everything it's supposed to via a simple double-click"
You know, I could say that you're too stupid to figure out how to install something without a simple double-click interface. The whole installation thing is stupid. You install an OS very rarely if you do things right, so I think the actual experience once everything is set up is more important. I guess I'm an idiot. And I don't WANT a simple double-click -- I want to customize stuff the way I want it, not the way other people want it. It's a double-edged sword. When's the last time Microsoft implemented dual-boot detection in their installer?
I've been a linux user for years without any of the problems you mention. Of course, as you suggest, I've been a total hermet, spending every waking moment with my linux machine...well, except for the time i've spent with friends, dating, playing volleyball, competing in all kinds of cycling events (trainting too), running, getting a civil engineering degree, getting a great job, keeping that great job, keeping up my musical skills, taking care of my dog, volunteering as a bicycle repair teacher in my community, volunteering with various social support groups in my local community, getting heavily involved in student politics, and getting a balanced 8 hours of sleep every night.
I don't mean to brag, I'm simply saying that I'm a busy person, with a rich life, who uses linux because I want to actually be able to count on my computer all the time, not because I'm a computer nerd (which I'm really not).
Your experience is based on trying to install Linux on arbitrary hardware. I know it can be infuriating. I've been there. I use laptop workstations and have never had a very pleasant Linux-laptop experience in a decade of doing this. (On my servers I'm all Linux and it is perfect.) Luckily Macs are now very comfortable for the POSIX expert, so I just stick with them. But, if you are lucky and your hardware is well supported, your Linux experience will be MUCH better than the XP experience. The issues that come from unsupported hardware will not exist with devices that are designed for Linux.
My dad was one of the lucky ones. I suggested Linux to him because windows has changed so much that although I used to be an expert with 3.11/95/98/NT I couldn't answer any of his questions anymore. I figured that if he was running Linux I could SSH into his box and do stuff for him. In 5 years of using Suse and Ubuntu, he has never asked me to do that. The only real help he ever asked for was, "tell me what exactly these symbolic links are." To which I said, "Oh god! Why are you dealing with those? What have you done?" I didn't realize that in 5 years of casual usage, he had actually become quite savvy and learned a lot of command line skills. (He just wasn't clear on sym-links.) He and I have a lot of technical conversations about things that I thought he would never understand.
I like Acer to back them words by dropping window and completely going all linux. Let see how they survive.
I think that people have difficulty understanding the Linux is not a monoculture like ms windows, thus there are finely tuned distos and really janky distros. My experience with linux has been nearly 100% positive, and I have not experienced driver/software problems since the early days of Redhat 5. Installing nearly all software can be accomplished through a single click using synaptic. My experience has also been that once you configure linux, you are good until the hardware fails. Linux does not require constant fiddling. It just doesn't. But speaking of computers than need constant care, can anybody tell me why I have to reboot my xp machine to use my ipod? Or my mouse? Anybody? They are plug and play under linux!