Re: Corel is lighting its own pants on fire (Score 1)

By taking the price of their retail box down to around $5, they're helping to kill the very market that they need to exist to help push Linux (i.e.: retail Linux box sales). It costs easily twice that much per box. A company that is suffering as much as Corel is should know better than to do that.

Wrong. They still got to build their market in order to make any profit. You can make a lot of profit with end users. And if it's only the Dummys guide to Corel Linux. Corel's distribution still has the best chances to be the first widespread Linux distribution for inexperienced computer enthusiasts (fresh meat, heh). - They got friendly reviews and they are considered as 'easy to install' (and that is still the main point where many ppl fear a Linux distrubution (I ain't talking about Redmond citizens here). They are afraid of their computers. They are afraid of text screens and file deletion. They don't understand a thing. And yes, man, they need help.) The still to be formed company formerly known as the Corel Linux Division can help them. Who else 'in the scene' got that much expirience with end users? It's a giant chance. If they really bring this OS to the end user market something can change. Linux is still not etabiliated enough - i bet chances are low that it'll make it without companies like Corel (I don't like to use Corel software, too, but most 'professional' software is crap anyway). And btw, don't tell me Star Division will fix that, they always were underdogs and are now a reputation project of Sun, so don't expect any more from them than they currently do.

Now is the time were Linux got to prove itself and got to deal with the final frontier: the silly and dumb end user market. Be happy that there are a few guys who have the guts to deal with a real herausforderung.

As far as I've seen Microsoft has a lot of crappy plans with Windows XP, if there'd be a ready, stable and easy alternative this could be the time. (We're heading for the next software generation change, so this is the time.) Nobody lost anything yet, MS is still #1 and if we don't use the chances we're given now we'll stay the same underdogs we always were. But who cares as we just don't take any action we don't take any responsibility. Oh man. We were so superior, but those evil forces cheated and so we couldn't win... What a cheap lie!

Here are some options: (1) Teach *everyone* programming (basics. maybe even basic. we got to speak one language in order to communicate.) - (2) Alternatively give them something that doesn't need to be understood in order to be operated - (3) Deal 14 hours a day w/ Microsoft software, effectively supporting the dark side of the force by keeping the system running. Relax in your spare time, get drunk and write endless contributions for Slashdot.

Theese MS-guys don't invest as much in 'a vision' if there's not a massive change of the market. Don't believe that 'incoherence' hype; in my eyes I don't see any massive progress in ideas and invention throughout the last years. And yes: I've met some interesting people years ago with a vision. It was 1995 and they were talking about a 'free operating system' and 'technology to the people'. Where are all you elite code warriors? Still playing the same old silly games?

If anything, they should be doing what they can to push the prices higher so they can at least break even.

Word. =)

Yours,
Jan