GNU Hands Out Trisquel At a Microsoft Store 274
alexanderb writes "Remember GNU's Windows 8 launch trick or treat in October, where Free Software Foundation activists handed out gratis copies of the free (as in freedom) system Trisquel GNU/Linux? Well, GNU returned for a Microsoft store's 'Tech for Tots' session on December 20th in Boston, MA. Like in October, the activists (accompanied by a gnu) handed out gratis copies of Trisquel GNU/Linux — a free alternative to Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 8."
Good luck with that (Score:5, Insightful)
Ubuntu is a tough enough sale and that's with some proprietary stuff added on. Don't even want to know if Trisquel can play DVDs out of the box or not.
Re:Ignoring the problem. (Score:4, Insightful)
True, but every new Linux user will start demanding either that the OEMs stop bundling Windows, find one more amenable to their requests, or they'll start building their own boxes.
It also means that each new Linux user isn't buying MS Office, using IE, or all the other bits and bobs that Microsoft also sells.
You gotta eat that elephant one bite at a time, yanno?
Linux, Linux, Linux, Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
To the average "dude or dudette on the street", it is just plain "Linux", and this "GNU/Linux" label just oozes righteous political correctness.
bet most people threw the disks away (Score:0, Insightful)
who would trust some random person handing out free software anyway? Even if they were interested, they would promptly ditch it once they realize an all free software distro runs like shit without the proprietary drivers needed to run their computer well
Re:Ignoring the problem. (Score:5, Insightful)
Every new computer at the store includes Windows, so you have to pay for it even if you don't want it.
That must suck for people buying Macs.
Face it, the demand isn't there. That's the problem that's being ignored. Big names like Dell have tried to market systems with alternative operating systems, but the sales don't justify it. I can't see how sending two guys and a furry to intercept shoppers is going to help either. If anything, having people see them getting hauled off by security is going to put a negative image in people's minds.
Re:Ignoring the problem. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Ignoring the problem. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Linux, Linux, Linux, Linux (Score:0, Insightful)
-- Linus Torvalds
Re:What? (Score:2, Insightful)
Because the FSF doesn't support projects that integrate (or allow the integration of) proprietary bits and pieces.
So basically they're doing their level best to make sure the average person considers Linux a non-functioning piece of crap.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Linux, Linux, Linux, Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Creating a kernel is easy.
Well in that case...
it really sucks that he didn't use the "at your option any future version" text in the license, -- I mean, he made it impossible to change the license why
Fortunately this can be resolved by simply writing a new kernel.
Which is easy.
And best of all you can make it compatible with the linux kernel, and then just substitute it in with GPLv2 or later in the license.
You said it could be ready in 2 weeks? Can't wait.
Re:Ignoring the problem. (Score:3, Insightful)
Ah, and the spewing of hate begins. These diverse distros don't really matter because all the "communication" happens in the projects that these distros are comprised of. But the only ones that really matter these days are Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, and Fedora. In the enterprise space, it's RHEL and SuSE. Your commentary here is toothless.
It's not there yet. So what. Say something insightful or original for once man, this certainly isn't. Of course, Canonical is trying hard to get there.
Which is why distros are so important.
Most vocal criticism from someone who apparently fails to understand development. Each of the independent projects does its own thing and stable versions are codified into a distro release. That release is then QA'd.
Actually they are, which is why Wayland is coming along. The DE guys aren't using much of the functionality that exists from the days of X11 yore, so Wayland omits it.
You think in a very set and staid "the world works only when it is done like Microsoft or Apple" mindset. And they succeed mostly either because of marketing or monopoly force.
Bullshit. But this is coming from the guy who thought that some developer in a core library would be able to undetectably target Steam and cause it and only it to crash out of some misguided hate.
I'd be curious as to what graphics drivers he was using. If they were closed source, then it's the vendor's fault most likely.
And I suspect once one gets close you'll move the goalposts. I suspect you never actually want to see Linux pass.