[kwlug-disc] Win VS. Lin install-wise

[Raul Suarez]

----- Original Message ----
From: Chris Irwin <chris at chrisirwin.ca>
>One of the problems when comparing out-of-the-box support is that we
>compare say, Ubuntu 9.04 to Windows XP

Which I don't think it's unfair (Actually it's better for Windows than comparing to Vista which was a half cooked release) Windows 7 hasn't shipped just yet.

Here is why I think it's fair:

One of the characteristics of Windows is that people have to wait for years between releases so it does not matter if at launch they are ahead of the curve. In a few years they are already dated. Even with Windows 7: I can assure you that what MS engineers are working on right now is years ahead but they won't be able to release it until the next major upgrade.

Having said that, I think that it is even fairer to compare Windows XP to "stable" Slackware or Debian which release when they are ready and have long release cycles to guarantee stability.

Of course there are good reasons for MS to have the long release schedules as it is very expensive for the main clients to upgrade the OS: It takes between 3 to 4 years to upgrade all the desktops in a large environment and they start upgrading a couple of years after the original release to ensure its stable and ensure the the support people have enough knowledge to actually support it. In those cases the cost of the license is negligible.

Raul Suarez

Technology consultant
Software, Hardware and Practices
_________________
http://rarsa.blogspot.com/ 
An eclectic collection of random thoughts


      __________________________________________________________________
The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier.  Optimized for Yahoo!  Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/