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Posts in 2008 January 26
Statistic Are Lies: Vista is Not the Most Secure OS
Once every couple of months someone claims that product x is better than product y based on absolutely no legitimate evidence and every time the argument is the same. This time around, Jeff Jones, a security expert who works for Microsoft, is claiming on his blog that Windows Vista is the most secure operating system of all the modern operating systems (which, by the way, does include Linux, specifically a version of both Red Hat and Ubuntu.) The headline is great, but the argument does not stand up to, well, anything.
In this comparison, the metric for security is the number of reported bugs. It does not matter if they have been fixed or not, it does not matter what the level of severity is, and there is no adjustment for the fact that Microsoft or Apple might not report all the bugs that exist, while in open-source software, almost any bug that anyone finds is reported. Do I even need to say any more?
Needed: Full-featured Budget Laptop Running Linux
One of the main reasons the Eee PC is as attractive as it is to so many people is the price. $400 for an ultra-portable is incredibly cheap compared to other ultra-mobile computers, which often cost over $2000. (See the Sony VAIOs.) As a post on Crave points out, though, the Eee is not really quite a full computer. (Both due to the hardware and the pre-installed software, which is what most people will use.) That post proposes an alternative computer for those looking at an Eee PC, a refurbished 15″ HP notebook that goes for $465 and includes 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive. Although this machine may have better specifications, it is not an Eee PC competitor for a number of reasons. (To be fair, the writer did mention that these differences existed, but still pitched the HP notebook as an Eee PC competitor.) First, there is a huge difference between a 15″ and a 7″ screen. The HP’s 15″ screen is starting to approach desktop replacement size, while the Eee PC’s 7″ screen is in the ultra-portable range. Second, the HP notebook that is referenced is a refurbished model. It is not at all uncommon to have huge discounts on refurbished models. If the Eee was refurbished it would cost even less.
Although the HP laptop mentioned above may not be directly competing with the Eee PC, it is still an attractive deal that could pull away customers from the Eee PC and Linux. Right now, there is not a compelling Linux-based alternative to regular budget laptops that has gotten any attention. Linux needs something to fill this gap and someone that will do it as well as Asus did. (I know someone will tell me there is one that exists, but if I have never heard of it, they are not doing a very good job marketing it.)