I have been spending my 3 years in the past to developing on the various embedded Linux platforms. From what I can tell the development of the device driver is always nightmare to the coders when you have suffered any Kernel & library dependency issues, well maybe the issues here may not imply directly to the desktop linux platforms but in the embedded world in most of time the coders just spending too much time to resolve these issues. Low-level to hardware may be the platform dependent but it’s much easier to resolve, porting the kernel and different libraries to make things works is too much headaches.
I really want to see more standardized linux development environment and better tool-chain across different platforms. Google have done something but we have to wait and see then.

Now if they could also sell empty machines with no OS at all. The competition would not be skewed. You could install whatever you wanted. And not support Vista and pay extra for something you intend to erase!

Its the same people coming up with the same excuses as to why Linux doesn't work. 

And its often the very same people who think they know something about computers, but have never tried Linux. And if they have, they'll treat it like Windows...Then complain why it doesn't work for them.

Heck, its the same people who don't understand the community, but are all too willing to criticise it. 

That's the theme of the 21st century: Its easier to judge, than it is to understand something. (When I criticise MS or Vista and its SP1, I've actually tried it. I took the time to understand why they did what they did for a whole 30 days to get a feel of their product).


You want to know why Linux didn't work for Lenovo?

(1) Lenovo (just like most corporations), don't understand the open source ecosystem.

In fact, open source (the concept) is a contradiction to the traditional business model. Many folks in management (if they've heard of it), will immediately fear it. Its not a money maker to them, as it will require a dramatic change in business thinking.

If you can understand and work with the ecosystem, you and the community can benefit.

But why would you? Understanding and getting to really know something takes time. (Something you have very little of in this dynamic global market).

It is so much EASIER to criticise, than it is to explore the potential profit that can be made if you can think out of the box. 

(2) Linux never stood a chance with Lenovo. 

The idea was set up to fail...Right from the start. So then they can conclude Linux doesn't work.

Lenovo intentionally made it difficult or even non-existent for people to even have a choice to select Linux. 

Since they announced that they were bundling Linux, have you ever been able to see Linux as an option on their website? Was it easily accessible? 

I can tell you right now, not once, did I see Linux as an optional OS on any ThinkPad listed in their Australian branch of Lenovo's website.

I had to resort to a third-party company who specialises in ThinkPads to sell me a "Windows-less" system.

(3) OEM deals with MS. 

They are not to advertise any alternatives. At most, they must keep it at a minimum. (ie: a very brief mention).

Why? Because they'll get punished with higher license fees! Other conditions include the use of "Lenovo recommends Windows Vista" logos on their website and stickers on their products, etc. 

Its a packaged deal: When you buy licenses from Microsoft (for your hardware); they set the conditions that you must agree to. Alternative OSs (whether it be Linux or not) have little or no chance. 

And that's the point! MS doesn't want alternatives to be known by the world. Keep people ignorant of alternatives, and keep bundling your solutions into hardware. Thus, massive profit! (So it isn't hard to see why a large portion of their income arrives from Windows licenses).

This way, the selling of licenses transfers responsibility to OEMs. Its why if you ever want a refund for a Windows license, MS will tell you to go to the company you bought it from. (Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc)

In the end, this won't matter in the long term scheme of things. It doesn't stop open source programmers from coding. Nothing will. (short of the Earth exploding).

Eventually, it'll reach to the point where people will start to realise something isn't right with the computer world. I'm thinking tougher DRM implementations will be the key to this realisation. 

I guess open source fans, fanatics, enthusiasts, etc, will have to bare it for now.

The support nightmare was not worth it to them.

As long as I can get my refund for Vista from them, that is fine by me! 

@ A,
Linux is DIFFERENT from windoze. You cannot have a BETTER product than something else unless your product is DIFFERENT from it. Logic 101 /lol/.

I can hear your grief about netbooks. Believe me, they will feel snappier yet under windows 2000. 
No really, the linux versions come with a slow-speed 2/4/8 Gb flash drives, with around USB 2.0 speed, VS windows version 80/120/160 Gb 5400 RPM HDDs, utilising SATA interface. Oh, and don't forget the extra RAM on those windows netbooks. (512 mb for most linux netbooks VS 1024 Mb for XP loaded ones)... Sum them up, perhaps you need to install a good linux distro on a windows netbook and see what's snappy and what's not so. 

otherwise there are youtube videos about linux-geared netbooks (those with a 8 Gb flash drive and 512 mb RAM) booting XP... Takes about 2-3 minutes from what I saw, when that Linpus Lite Linux (which so many, myself inclusive, like to bash) takes well under 20 seconds.

@0wnage

This thinking creates a loop ad infinitum

"The number of linux users doesn't justify the development of drivers, however the number of linux users is so small precisely because of poorly developed drivers."

in other words

long int i = 1;
for i > 0 
{
i++;
}

The truth is that we here in good ol NA should go ahead with the new european way - out with preinstalled windows! That is the only reason why companies that produce such horrendously designed computers (DELL and HP being worst of all) are still afloat. If a customer were to look at the thing and think "Hmm, there are $550 worth of components in this $700 computer. Getting Vista separately will run me ~$800 for the computer, though I will get a better computer because the motherboard will not be dell's POS, nor will it be HP's garbage, nor will I be stuck with their proprietary cases into which I cannot even fit a mid-range graphics card, but it will still cost more, which is my bottom line. Unless I pirate windows that is."
Also there are those who are scared of words like install. Although they don't even realize that it takes less time and effort to install Ubuntu from scratch (that is download, burn, and label CD, plop it into the drive, reboot the machine with it, and format the hdds) than it is to finish off installation of pre-installed Vista Home Premium (if there is such a thing as premium with windows... Microsoft Works being the best oxymoron I saw in my life) 
/*end rant*/

...agreed. Linux users are their worse enemies.

Ask 100 flipper heads which version is best for your small office and get 101 distro answers.

Yes and the naming scheme is to be desired, as I"m not one to touching snakes and little demons.

Ironically Linux folk are their own worst enemies; firstly there are clever distro names like Linpus, which sounds very much like an infection. Xandros; which most people will pronounce zaan-dross. We have another great choice right there.

Have you ever noticed how the Cupertino mob seem to do well, even when they release a deeply sucky product? That's down to marketing; and marketing 101 says: "Don't give a product a repellant name!"

Then we have the standard Linux UI sloth. I've tried a number of netbooks running Linux variants lately, and they all felt slow. That's due to the slow hardware you say? Interesting that they feel a lot snappier under XP then isn't it? Menus are one of the first things a user interacts with, and if they're slower than expected it sets a negative first impression. Marketing 101 also says: "First impressions are paramount!"

Then there's the zealotry. If you claim your system is "better" than Windows, you'd better be able to back that up when the users start using it. The average joe took one look at Vista and failed to work out how to use it; despite using XP for many years. They're going to deal with a change like moving from XP to KDE brilliantly; oh wait, no, the other thing. Normal users don't deal with change well.

I think the action was pretty obvious since when you talking about driver maintenance issue it always be the nightmare for the system builder. Linux itself is *free* but to maintaining the device driver branches actually cost more for system builder compare with the device driver on vole's platform. The second thing is the demands of Linux preloaded machines. Think about that the business consideration behind the decision.

...there's vastly fewer people in the world who *want* to buy a PC with Linux preinstalled on it than the bluster tends to imply?

Linux fans tend to be DIYs anyway. They're not likely to buy a pre-installed machine. People who aren't already Linux fans are scared $h17less by anything different...so even if it's $100 cheaper, they aren't going to buy the Linux thing instead of Windows.

Self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm not a Microsoftie, but there's no need for shenanigans from them for this...

Ever since Lenovo took over the IBM laptop/desktop division, they have been heading downhill. I have always used IBM laptops, and have NEVER had hardware problems .... That is, unitl recently, when my company got me a lenovo x61 tablet. This piece of garbage has more hardware quirks than any other laptop I have ever owned/used, and acts nothing like the stable business machine it is supposed to be!!

Ever try finding one of their linux-based machines on their site? Buried so deeply that using google site search was the only really practical way to get there. They never had much stomach for upsetting MS.