Comment Re:Indirectly claiming a flaw in Linux, tim? (Score 1) 512
Timothy: "I wonder if any Wal-Mart manager is brave enough to actually set up a few machines in-store."
FortKnox: "Why is the bravery required?"
Bravery (or at least proper planning) is required because any demo computer set up in Wal-Mart will ultimately be vandalized. Our Wal-Mart used to have demo computers set up in the electronics section back in the 486 days. They inevitably got vandalized to the point of being useless. People would delete the C:\DOS directory and change the Windows 3.1 screensaver passwords so that employees couldn't access the machine. A friend of mine, when he was 14, changed the shutdown message from "It is now safe to shut down your Packard Bell computer" to "It is not safe to shit on your Packard Bell computer." A shelf full of broken Linux computers doesn't make their product look good.
Of course, with Linux, a demo setup could be created that avoids these problems. You could have an unpriviledged user "demo" whose password and home directory are reset upon reboot. And you could make a special in-store demo installation CD-ROM, so that these customizations are installed automatically by default. I suppose this wouldn't solve every problem (Some kid could bring a r00t k1t in on a CD-ROM or diskette), but it would keep causal vandals at bay.
FortKnox: "Why is the bravery required?"
Bravery (or at least proper planning) is required because any demo computer set up in Wal-Mart will ultimately be vandalized. Our Wal-Mart used to have demo computers set up in the electronics section back in the 486 days. They inevitably got vandalized to the point of being useless. People would delete the C:\DOS directory and change the Windows 3.1 screensaver passwords so that employees couldn't access the machine. A friend of mine, when he was 14, changed the shutdown message from "It is now safe to shut down your Packard Bell computer" to "It is not safe to shit on your Packard Bell computer." A shelf full of broken Linux computers doesn't make their product look good.
Of course, with Linux, a demo setup could be created that avoids these problems. You could have an unpriviledged user "demo" whose password and home directory are reset upon reboot. And you could make a special in-store demo installation CD-ROM, so that these customizations are installed automatically by default. I suppose this wouldn't solve every problem (Some kid could bring a r00t k1t in on a CD-ROM or diskette), but it would keep causal vandals at bay.
