> nothing relating to the ability to run Windows programs,
[...]Maybe this can help explain the **spire "cachet":
There are lots of folks out there (my wife included)
who do not want to have to learn anything [they do not
already know], but would like to surf the web, and do
a little bit of word processing, etc.
My wife even uses
yahoo.com for e-mail, so using the browser gets rid of
the need for any [further] e-mail software. Meanwhile, the use of FLOSS is preferable, whether
[i] for philosophical reasons [as RMS would say]
(and I agree, mainly)
or just simply
[ii] because it is nice to know that the source code is
available, so that if I really wanted to, I could read it,
or hire someone to do so.
Nowadays we need this option [ii] not only to be able to
make changes (e.g. to fix bugs). Today, being able to read
(and, if necessary, change) the source code, is the
only way to make sure that it is the person who owns
the hardware (i.e. paid for it) who gets to decide
(determine) what gets done (executed) on their machine.
With Windows, [e.g.] the authors of the software
(including worms, viri, spyware, what have you) may
well be able to override the wishes of the person who
owns the machine. Typically of course, their motive is
somehow to cause that machine owner to pay some
money - whether to
[1] a software publisher, of either OS or application
code - - such as, an AV ["anti virus"] vendor,
or
[2] for content (DRM -type checks, etc.),
or anything else.
(an "is your OS legal?" checkup was
mentioned in the news recently...)
Nowadays, there is no other way to be in charge -
other than running some FLOSS - typically copylefted,
such as, released under the GPL. (in our house we
have found that just using Firefox instead of MS-IE
helps a lot, even if running it under [over?] Windows).
So I think that, even if the software doesn't really
"replace" Windows applications, (e.g., by being able to
read and/or write some of the proprietary data formats),
it is a big help, ((at least for certain of these users who
consider themselves "non techie" oriented and would
not know how to boot from a CD/DVD to save their PC))
if it just
[a] gets the same general kind of work done
(like perhaps web browsing, text processing, and
some simple tasks with photo / sound / video files),
AND
[b] does not require any complex "learning curve",
for the person who is coming from a corporate (or school)
environment that has accustomed folks to think that
stuff is easy to learn (or already know) if and only if the
user interface is Windows "-like".
...sorry this was so long/rambling.
hope this helps...
PS I am back now from Iowa and
attended the 25 July 2006 West Side meeting.
another PS:
another factor: plenty of folks just want to buy some
hardware, not have *any* of the money forwarded to
MS / Gates, and then promptly format the hard drive
and install a distro that is less whiny than Linspire
(FreeSpire might even fit that) this is just my .02 ...