AOL might purchase Red Hat Linux (1 Viewer)

[Glenise]

I found this very interesting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2002Jan18.html
This might give Micro$oft a run for their money.

 

[Camp]

Oh yea, Linux from the people who dumb-down the Internet.

 

[Peter McDonald]

I can just see getting a Linux CD in the mail every other week with "100 free hours of use".

Peter

 

[Brian E]

I can just see getting a Linux CD in the mail every other week with "100 free hours of use".

Yeah, but you'll have to use the 100 hours in 5 days.

 

[Hugh M]

actually the last free-cd I got in the mail was for something like 1000 hours in one month.

Not sure how you get the extra hours in the month, but I think that was what it was....

anyways, this is AOL Time Warner we're talking about which is a very large company of which AOL is only one piece.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I'm guessing AOL is planning in 10 years to really give MS a run for their money. Is there no end to the evil? At least Bill Gates stuck to computer evil, instead of branching out into movies, music and all other forms of entertainment

 

[Brian E]

actually the last free-cd I got in the mail was for something like 1000 hours in one month.

It's 1000 hours in 45 days. Which means to use all of your free time you'd have to be online for over 22 hours per day.

 

[Glenise]

What I'm hoping will happen that Microsoft will drop the activation feature and the .net thing.

Here's why I say this.

I'm using Windows 2000 and quite happy.

From what I hear I can't use the XP Home Edition if I have Win 2k.

Don't know if this is true or not.

Well, let's just pretend that I bought XP Home Edition and register with Microsoft via the phone.

What happens in three or four years when XP Home Edition is discontinued and I have to reinstall and/or upgrade my hardware and I need to reactivate?

Will I be left in the cold because it's no longer supported?

Let's say that this computer with XP Home Edition is my Grandmother's.

An elderly person might not upgrade as often.

What then?

Of course right now, you can still install Windows 3.1 (not supported), Win 95 (not supported), Win 98, Win 98SE and Win 2k.

That's how I feel about the activation.

About the .net thing.

I still use Office 97 and I'm happy with it.

Supposedly the next version of Office will be included in the .net fiasco.

Meaning, people will have to pay Microsoft a monthly or yearly fee to use Office on their PCs but Microsoft says they still will provide a way to purchase cdroms.

This will probably have the activation feature and once the software is not supported, does the cdrom become a coaster?

The .net fiasco going to happend in 2005 with windows supposedely.

I might be using Linux on my next PC or just might get a Macintosh.

I wish Steve Jobs would export OSX to the PC platform.

I would definetely but it.

I've seen a version of Darwin for the Intel platform but it's for older Intel motherboards.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

User Friendly

 

[Clinton McClure]

That's priceless! I do not use Linux, but I'm disappointed to see them selling to AOL. Next to Blockbuster, AOL is the most evil thing on the planet. That's the reason I no longer use Netscape ~ when AOL bought them, they went downhill fast.

 

[Hugh M]

the troubling part really is that AOL TW has such a media presence, that if they get control of computers, and over alot of the web we will probably never actually own a song or a dvd...they will always be streamed or rented. This will be to protect their sacred intellectual property.

I get the feeling that once broadband is more widespread, and most of the country is using it, we will see very extreme copy protection methods as well as totally different means of distribution for media content.

waiting for the linux cds in my mailbox.....

 

[Colin Dunn]

I'm not sure I 'get' why AOL/Time-Warner would want Red Hat. After all, if they're going to sell Internet service, that service needs to be usable from as many operating system platforms as possible, not just one with limited end-user acceptance.

I don't think Windows users will be lured away from Windows just to use America OffLine. What about their desktop productivity apps (word processor, spreadsheet, database, graphics, etc.)? What about their games?

Most people I know of who have made the switch to Linux did so either because they hate Microsoft, or found the Windows platform technically lacking for their needs. They didn't change OSs just to use an on-line service.

If they wanted to develop a Linux-based desktop OS or on-line service, they don't need Red Hat. All they need is the Linux source (free from the Internet) and some software developers to work on the project. And with all the hi-tech layoffs recently, it shouldn't be too difficult to hire a bunch of developers right now!

For a Linux variant to crush Windows, I think the following would need to be accomplished:

1) As easy to install as Windows (almost there)

2) As easy to customize the user desktop environment as Windows (not there yet)

3) 100% backward-compatibility to DOS/Windows apps, including multimedia games (not there yet)

4) Leading applications software companies targeting their development efforts to Linux, not Windows (not even close to happening yet)

As for .NET and media companies controlling content: We, as consumers, must JUST SAY NO to "extreme" copy-protection methods. DIVX was the first salvo fired in this war, and WE WON by refusing to buy it, and convincing others not to buy it. I have a bad feeling that DIVX was only the first of many battles to come on this front.

In the meantime, we (as consumers) must not tolerate any further erosion of our rights to own a durable, high-quality copy of recorded music or movies. So when the big media conglomerates refuse to sell unlimited-use media, opting instead just to stream or rent, walk away and find something else to entertain you.

No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to watch the newest movie, buy the latest version of MS Office, etc. When these "controlled" application programs and entertainments come into production, don't buy into them. You can keep using your old version of MS Office, or switch to Linux/open-source alternatives then. Find a movie already out on DVD that you haven't seen yet, or read a book, or socialize with your friends, or do anything else.