A lot has been said this week about Walmart pulling the Everex gPC and Cloudbook from their stores. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has a interesting article on desktoplinux.com regarding his views.
What it boils down to is the people who typically shop at WalMart are probably not even capable of determining what OS their computer is running. All they know is they bought the computer and then bought Quicken and couldn’t get it to run on the gPC.
Linux distros like gOS and Ubuntu aren’t doing enough to educate people by telling them that Linux is another OS, and that they can do all the same things they can do with Windows, Quicken and Microsoft Office, however they won’t be using those programs. They’ll be using Linux, GnuCash and OpenOffice.org and it’s all FREE.
As for gOS, it’s very easy to use and very easy to figure out for new users. So the software design and ease of setup is there, but joe sixpack just wants to run what his friends do and it’s likely not Linux.
What do you think? Have you tried Linux? Tell me what you think. Do you think new users can use Linux? I think they can, but the issue of compatibility will stop them. Linux companies and the rest of the industry needs to push Microsoft to make OOXML the standard file format for Word, Excel, Powerpoint…etc. Until file interchange can be made seamless, everyone will want the defacto standard, which is Microsoft Office. People don’t know that unless your doing something complex, you can write Word files and Excel files on Open Office and send them to each other with no problems. I just got through almost an entire quarter writing papers in Open Office and I didn’t have a single file that was unreadable by my instructor.
So, I implore the readers of Gear Diary to at least try the Ubuntu Live CD for 5 minutes before commenting. It just might surprise you!
Hey! I shop at WalMart, too. And I think it’s a little bit unfair to classify all of their shoppers as low income, when they are selling flat screen LCD and plasma TVs in the AV section, and I don’t even own one, yet. 😛
Anyway, I do agree with this statement: “People are used to buying 5 inch round plastic disks and shoving them in the slot and installing a program. With gOS and Ubuntu, your likely going to be using Synaptic or some other program to download the new program and install it and that function is alien to alot of people.”
I think there needed to be brochures next to the devices that explained what you could and couldn’t do – something well done, easy to read, and engaging. And a little bit of AV sales floor education, just to allow the clerks to in turn educate the customers.
Hey Judie. So do I! 😀 My wife likes it for groceries but I would rather go to Kroger….better selection there.
Sales clerks education….yeah that sounds good. 😉 Never happen.
Personally, what I would LOVE to do is start a business promoting Linux preinstalled computers. I would do a store front similar to what Apple does and even put free wifi in the store and hey let’s sucker them in…put a GOOD coffee shop in the store too.
Make Linux appear as cool as Apple and you got a winner. I think machines like the one whose review I am going to get done this weekend are going to do alot for Linux. This UltraLap SR is pretty nice looking. It’s shiny and cool looking for sure! 😀
In other words…..boutiquify Linux! 😀
Now hon, you are letting your bias show. 😉
I’ll have you know that when I went in there looking at Zunes, they knew exactly what they were and how they were different than iPods. They also had a nice assortment of Creative and Sandisk MP3 players, and the salesman had no trouble telling me pros and cons. Maybe San Angelo just has better AV guys, but I bet a lot of them, across the country, take pride in their job and in knowing about the products they sell…assuming people bother to ask questions, of course!!
If Joe Six-Pack goes into a WalMart and buys a $400ish laptop computer for his kid and never talks to anyone about why it’s so inexpensive, then it’s not necessarily WalMart’s fault that he didn’t ask. That would be like me buying Windows software and being mad that it wouldn’t work in my Mac (even though it will now, that is beside the point!).
I’m all for education, except that I truly believe it’s the consumer who must educate him/herself before entering the store, not the consumer expecting the store to do the educating. And when I do expect to gain info from a clerk, I try to find one that is more well-versed than I am about a product. Honestly, I thought most people looking to save some money did it that way.
I’m also all for expanding the availability of alternatives to the “same old thing”, i.e., Windows. I don’t personally use Linux, but I don’t currently have a need to change OSs, either. I have the opinion that most of the computer-using population feels that way, too. Unfortunately, that means that volume retailers aren’t going to feature products that appeal to a small segment. Really, I think that a bigger surprise than WalMart pulling the plug on a Linux unit would be a computer-only specialty store doing so. For WalMart, it’s all about the bottom line…support for a small-niche item is not even a consideration.
I certainly understand and respect the “once you try it you’re hooked” attitude that users of other OSs have; it’s the snobbery that some of them have (not pointing fingers here) that sets me off.
So… what is the market share for Linux, anyway?
Wow. That’s amazing! 😀
Seriously, there are some very good people that are working for Walmart. Same goes with Radio Shack or any other retail outlet. Occasionally I will run into someone who knows something. Unfortunately for Walmart and other retail places, they soon wise up and leave. I’ve seen it in almost every department. You finally get someone that can help you and knows what he’s talking about, and then they get a better job and leave. 🙁
As for Joe Sixpack messing up, yeah I agree. It’s not Walmarts fault.
It just ticks me off a bit that there were so many stories that said Walmart was giving up on Linux or Middle America hates Linux…..which isn’t exactly true. Sure, Walmart customers aren’t looking for Linux always, but some are. Also, Walmart is still selling them online.
n0doz – I totally understand about snobbery being off-putting. I think it was part of the reason that I avoided Mac for so long.
Totally agree.
“So… what is the market share for Linux, anyway?”
I’d say it’s immeasurable. How in the world can you tell how many times a Linux disc image is used? I mean without putting spyware on it? 😉
Never mind… Just found it here: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8
…where they claim it’s 0.65%, vs. Windows 91.58% and Apple at 7.46%.
Hmmm… WalMart’s decision becomes quite clear now, doesn’t it?
Mac snobbery is WAY worse than Linux, but sometimes I do see Linux guys that need to lighten up. Sometimes even I trend that way! 😀
The thing that is more annoying is the people who aren’t even willing to try. It’s all I ask! 😥