Apple feels the squeeze from Linux 6650

Ian Hilliard

You create three distinct categories of OS users, but they are not exclusive to any OS, and, in fact, Linux can fill all three slots (in fact, the whole point of the OP was that Linux is now filling Apple's shoes, as Apple is admitting in its guidance for 2006).

For example, the three categories you propose are:

1) Power Users 2) Simple Users 3) Pre-installed Users

(1) Power

You say that Linux fulfills the needs of (1), Power Users. Well if you include the scientific and engineering community (including IT) then that's 20 percent of the workforce. Throw in managers and financial oriented professions and that's another 10 percent. Thank you very much, Linux will take that!

(2) Simplicity

You trolls constantly refer to some arcane installation of a very high end all inclusive distro as the reason why someone might have trouble configuring Linux. I would say "yes"; however, that doesn't have to be the case. In fact, OSX is "simple" only because the number of hardware choices is so limited that they can "configure" OSX out of the box. There is nothing stopping someone from building a "MAC" with a restricted set of hardware and a very limited number of applications using FLOSS.

In fact, businesses that are signing up with Novell Desktop are doing just that.

(3) Pre-installed

Ok, so all you are saying here is that a very large number of people, perhaps most, just use Windows "because it is there". Well, that argument could apply to any and all OSes. I mean, you could say that Apple users use OSX "because it is there". Right? And in the new markets of India, China and so on, that is exactly what they are doing: buying Linux machines and using it because it is there.