Windows is actually free

Since the launch of Vista and Windows 7, I haven’t really warmed to them, I just kept asking myself “But XP is grand, why change the product so radically, why not try and improve XP”. They didn’t. So I am gradually porting my self over to Ubuntu Linux instead.

I have always dabbled in the world of Linux since my early days in the computer industry, and for such a robust system there was always a big learning curve to get over before you could really “use” the system, which in my opinion kept a lot of novice users away from it.

So why Microsoft was was more popular on the desktop than Linux. They had it so wrong I felt it was important to write about it,it really was eating at me. Microsoft rules the desktop because Linux is “just not ready”. Sadly, this kind of opinion is out there – I’ve heard it before. But it is not why Microsoft rules the desktop. Microsoft rules the desktop because:

1) They had the benefit from timing

When PCs first arrived. There were limited choices available. Microsoft DOS, and in time Microsoft Windows was good enough, at the right price, and well marketed with plenty of money. It was debatable whether it was best – possibly not. However, Microsoft did a phenomenal job making people aware of their product in fact going so far as that many people thought computers = DOS/Windows.
If today’s Linux distributions were available back then, there’s no doubt the story would be different.

2) Microsoft did deals with manufactures

How many people actually go out and consciously buy Windows? I suspect it is probably less than 1%. Instead, it comes with the computer without the customer getting a practical choice. So for most of the people running Microsoft – it is “free”.

3)  Inertia

People are stubborn. We prefer to keep doing what we’re doing until we have a compelling reason to change. For most people, switching to Linux or Mac just isn’t a compelling argument and thus they run what they’re given. In this case, Microsoft’s distribution channels and marketing rule the roost and people get Windows by default today. This is a difficult thing to overcome.

There are many more reasons of course. If it were possible to summarize in a short blog post precisely how Microsoft came to become a multi-billion dollar company, then anyone could do it. Clearly this is not the case. My point is that Linux is ready and has been for a while for the mass market. Linux already dominates the web, serving out billions of web pages. The Youtube.com website runs on Linux was serving well over a billion views a day worldwide.

I run Ubuntu Linux on one of my desktops and a laptop. Aside from some minor pain pulling data from Microsoft’s proprietary formats, I am quite pleased. In some cases, especially around development, software management, interoperability, security, and robustness – I personally find it no contest that Linux provides a better experience. Getting people the freedom to choose what operating system they want, is another story.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Confirmed: Vista 7 Fails to Sell PCs, Mostly Replaces Vista (boycottnovell.com)
• Seven things to know about Windows 7 (cnn.com)
• Windows 8 wish list (lockergnome.com)
• Should you get 64 bit Windows 7? (helpdeskgeek.com)