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Combating the free alternatives

Locked Combating the free alternatives

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  • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 15:01
     
     
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    How does Microsoft plan to combat the alternative of installing Linux and Samba ... for a whopping $0.00?
       

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    • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 15:33
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      Microsoft's target audience for WHS is households with multiple PCs and a permanent connection to the internet. However, the vast majority of such households have a non-technical person (maybe an Excel jockey, but not a computer professional) as their "admin". WHS is designed to be easy for those users to set up and administer on a day-to-day basis. In addition, the primary distribution channel is going to be preinstalled on OEM hardware like the HP MediaSmart Server, so users will be able to take a WHS home, plug it in, and everything will "just work" out of the box.

      Linux and Samba is cheap, yes. But it doesn't offer the ease of use of WHS. Admininstering a Linux/Samba server would require knowing how to configure every aspect of what WHS delivers today: file sharing, backups, web hosting of your files, etc. And it would never be as seamless as WHS is. I've spoken to several dozen people (some highly competent technically) who have told me that a solution that "just works" is worth a lot of money to them, because they either have an incomplete and complex solution today, or they have nothing.

      So the answer to your question is probably that Microsoft doesn't plan to "combat the alternative". Linux is not for the non-technical user; WHS (primarily; enthusiasts can "get under the hood") is. You're comparing apples to oranges.
         
      • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 15:50
         
         
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        I appreciate your comments.

        I cannot help myself in thinking a product labeled as "... Server" is going to immediately turn-off the very people you're describing (non-technical) that WHS is targeting.

        I pity those folks that get WHS and something goes wrong that requires minor technical skills.  I certainly do not see Grandma Gates getting one of these OEM computers (or, installing it on a spare computer).  I see a server product in a household with someone who has some technical skills.  If this household has such a person, chances are they're familiar with Linux, or have at least heard of it.  Using Google and some time, anyone (even the non-technical) can download and install any number of Linux distros and configure Samba to get a fileserver up and running.

        Digging a little deeper, you can find information on configuring your server for backups and web hosting (Apache ... free!).  Seriously, it isn't that hard ... even for non-technical people.

        I just can't see how you, or Microsoft for that matter, can totally dismiss the "free" aspect of Linux/Samba/Apache.  No matter how many people you can talk to that says WHS "just works", I can find you the same number of people that say Linux/Samba/Apache "just works" too.  There is nothing different about setting up either solution.

        Don't forget ... the alternative is free.  Microsoft's isn't.

        Having said all that, I wish Microsoft the very best in their attempts.  Competition is good for everyone.

        I think you're incorrect in saying that I'm comparing apples to oranges.  That's just typical Microsoft fanboy talk there.
           
        • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 17:13
           
           
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          I'm not anybodys fanboy, and I agree with what Ken had to say. I have a small. one man computer repair buisness, and the few people I have tried to steer toward Linux will never call me back, they just got frustrated, and these were some of my more computer savy customers. The reason Microsoft has been so succesful ( my opinion ) is thier software is what the average user wants. Linux is not. ( again, my opinion, I have a Linux box and I like it ).

           

             
          • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 17:20
             
             
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            When something goes wrong, Linux is much easier to get lost, but that's really just because its more open to manipulation than Windows is.  With great power comes great responsibility.  I would venture a guess in that your users did something they should not have done.  Windows users can do nasty things too (regedit), so it isn't just a problem with the operating system.  Guns don't kill people; people kill their computers with their ignorance.

            Windows is successful because Grandpa and Grandma can walk into Best Buy and buy a computer with Windows on it.  I suspect that WHS will be the same way, so it'll more-than-likely beat the Linux solution to the problem (home server).
               
            • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 17:48
               
               
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              I think there is a lot more to it than that. You don't need to use regedit to configure Windows to do average tasks. In linux you do need the command line to configure averge tasks,and most of the documentation assumes a knowledge of Linux and the command line. If you think the word server will scare people, how do you think they feel about the big bad command prompt? Windows got to Best Buy because of what it is, what the average user wants. A guy that works 40-50 hours a week, comes home and helps his wife, who also works, feed the kids etc. does not have time to learn how Linux works. He does have time to turn on his Windows PC and use the GUI to do anything he probably wants to do. And you are right, people do kill thier computer with lack of knowledge, and lack of motivation to learn. Thats how I make a living. I try to teach them, they just don't want to. Look at it this way; Windows- works great most of the time, and when a problem comes up they can call me to fix it, or Linux- they have to call me 3 times a week because the answer is not right in front of them. They will choose Windows every time.

                 
              • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 19:30
                 
                 
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                The point of regedit was that an untrained user could just as easily damage their computer if it ran Windows or Linux.  You have to work at it to mess it up.

                That same guy you're referring to doesn't have time to check is email ... so, what's your point?

                Look, my point is that anyone who thinks they need a home server is better off using a Linux-based solution versus a Microsoft solution.  It is inherent that this potential user is a geek/nerd/technical-person who can figure most things out on his/her own.  Why would anyone spend money on anything other than hardware?  It just doesn't make sense.

                And besides ... it's a server ... "Set it and forget it".  A Linux-based solution is just as effective as a Microsoft-based solution, all for the wonderful price of free.

                With regard to the users who don't want to learn ... that's fine.  Give them three icons on their desktop (Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice) and make sure they aren't an administrator on the machine.  Easy as snot ... why force them to buy anything.
                   
                • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 19:41
                   
                   
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                  To answer your question as simply as I can; Market share.
                     
                  • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 20:00
                     
                     
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                    I love the smell of rabid FOSS fanboys in the morning. 

                     

                    Free is all fine and well, but obviously the people who will purchase and use WHS are not concerned about the price tag.  Rather, as articulated above, they will make their decision based on a variety of other factors (ease of use, it's branded by a name they recognize, etc.).  It might be a bitter pill to swallow that "But it's free!" is not enough of a rallying cry to get people to set up a home network using OpenSolaris and ZFS, but if you want to sway people towards what you think is a better alternative, then you need to do a better job of convincing the people for whom cost is not a major influence that Linux/Samba can also compete on those merits.  Being dogmatic on price points isn't enough.

                       
                    • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 20:15
                       
                       
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                      My point is the guy does check his e-mail, he also has about 2000 digital photos, an mp3 player and a whole bunch of mp3's he would like to share with his son [ who has his own computer], a brand new all in one printer that his wife would like to use from her computer to print some of the photos that are on his, and a "home network" that he has no idea how to manage. He also has the money to buy what he wants. This is an average family these days. Its called market trend, and figuring out market trend is how you get market share. He also knows that he really hated losing all those pics he lost when he killed his old computer, and wants to know how to protect the new ones he has, but does not know how.

                       

                      Don't sell the average guy short, he is not stupid, he is just interested in things other than how a computer works, the computer is just an appliance to him. A good appliance does what it is supposed to do with a minimum effort required by its user.

                         
                      • mercoledì 22 agosto 2007 23:34
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                        slearl, this forum is for the discussion of Windows Home Server. You seem to want to discuss Linux, which is off-topic here.

                        Please bring yourself back to the topic (which is not "How Linux will p0wn WHS" no matter how much you may wish otherwise) or take your remarks to a more appropriate forum.

                        This thread is now locked.