change the computer from what we have used in the past to a "digital appliance". The ads for WinXP promote video editing, digital photography, etc. Apple promotes music applications, etc. Assuming Apple and MS are giving the general public what they want (otherwise why would they buy it?), the general public are not interested in how a computer works, as long as "it does what I want it to do!". Thus as long as the next version of Windows "works" for the general public, they won't care if it can't be programmed, whether they are paying by subscription, whether it is modular, etc. They will just accept it, because they don't know what they are missing out on.
With free software to do all of that business can buy a large number of
PCs and
equip them with software without paying a penny to microsoft! This way of working is becoming increasinly realistic now.
In theory. In practise, I still think moving away from Microsoft is difficult and takes a brave person/group. In selling a product to someone (in this case Linux), you need to reduce the number of times you say no to your potential customer (in this case business users), e.g:
Customer: Wow, free, what's the catch? Customer: Where can I get new applications? Customer: How do I get support? Customer: Who is my business relationship with? Customer: Who do I sue when the product can't deliver the expected functionality? Customer: How do I train my people to use this new software?
The linux community appears to be answering some of the above questions, particularly for the "server" market. But still lacks in the desktop space, e.g:
* How many training companies are offering courses now in using office suites for linux? * How many training companies show users how to use Mozilla for web browsing?
For us technical people, the above two questions are mute issues. But remember, the average computer user (not nerd) is a technical idiot (this is not meant to be a putdown: they have other things which concern them more). Without getting some of this desktop support in place, the average users of the Linux desktop PC won't be able to use it correctly.
Hence, this still makes it a difficult job for an IT manager to change the desktop over to free software. Firstly they have to justify the change with clear and concise answers (remember, some people view free items as having no value). Secondly, if an IT manager does change the business over to free desktop software, he/she does not want to carry the burden to retraining all the users who only have limited experiece of Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
My 2 cents worth.
Ashley