Quality Linux site DesktopLinux.com has published an opinion piece entitled "How Microsoft bought China", which complains about Microsoft lowering prices of Office and Windows to as low as $3. Because of this Linux does not stand a chance, why not, you may ask, well, according to the author, Mr. Nichols:
[SuSE 9] was, in my opinion, the first desktop Linux that had the right combination of ease of use, business-level support and features to be just as good a choice as any version of Windows for a company's desktop use.
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What this argument ignores is that for 90 percent of all office workers, Linux does provide 100 percent of the application functionality they need.
So, according to this guy Linux is just as good as Windows. So my question is, why do the Chinese still choose to pay $3 (which I think is about a day's wage for them) if they can get Linux for free? To me that just doesn't make sense. The only explanation I have is that Mr. Nichols is in fact full of crap. Linux is not as easy to use and not even close to a superior product like Windows. Maybe the Chinese are in fact not stupid enough to buy into the GPL lock-in.
Fake Steve Jobs makes good points too:
Freetard the Bootlicker says Microsoft is "dumping products on the market at far below cost." Um, is that not exactly what Linux vendors have been doing? Enabled by rich subsidies from IBM and other hardware players? And has it not occurred to you that the reason IBM pumped one billion dollars (visualize pinkie in corner of Palmisano's mouth) into Linux was precisely so that it could force Microsoft to cut prices on Windows and thereby choke off Microsoft's oxygen supply? Think, jackass. Why is it okay for IBM and its Linux puppets to give software away free but not Microsoft? And why do you care anyway? What difference does it make to you what OS some people in China use? Why does this bother you? Why do you filthy hacks come so unhinged when it comes to Linux? Why are you so emotionally wrapped up in the fortunes of some weird bit of software?
