Journal tomhudson's Journal: When I tried to switch people to Ubuntu ... 2
It seems like an eternity ago, but back when Canonical was sending out batches of promo CDs, I figured that maybe something as silly as a properly printed cardboard CD package and a professionally silk-screened CD might make a difference to the masses, because, people being people, they do tend to judge a book by its cover.
So I handed out my share.
While many people popped the CD into the tray and gave it a spin, ultimately only three people made the switch from Windows. One switched to a mac, the other two to opensuse (and those other two are now also looking for a new distro because opensuse has become too flaky for them lately).
Simply put, most people would rather pay an extra $50 or so every few years for a computer with something they're familiar with that is mostly backward-compatible. Or they need a specific program that only runs under Windows. Or they are willing to pay the Apple premium to have a computer that runs twice as long as the average consumer box.
Nothing is going to change that. Canonical will never reach its goal of fixing Bug#1 - Microsoft has a majority market share.
Similarly, Shuttleworths other goal of Ubuntu having 200 million users by 2015 is dead. XP will have a larger market share for years after it's EOLed in 2 years.
Given the continued lack of profitability, dwindling market share, and new products that are obsolete before they make a single sale (UbuntuTV, Ubuntu Webbook), the only question I have is how long before Ubuntu is "Kubuntu'd"?
Oh well, Ubuntu's loss is Mint's gain.
what contrast to your prior JE (Score:1)
Why the "switch" angle? Why does it have to be about the destruction or removal of something else? Why can't it just be about more choices? Maybe Linux *could* have x millions of user by whenever, if it wasn't trying to p0wn them and take over their souls. Most everyone already has a theology these days, about something or another, so trying to package computer software with yet another one can only be a losing proposition.
Re: (Score:2)
In the case of the other two who switched, one was because they were fed up with their anti-virus slowing their machine to a crawl, and the other was work-related (Windows doesn't provide the same ease o software management that a good package manager does).
Everyone else, while t