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Re: If you could design a $300 homecomputer today, what would you choose?



On 23 Jul 2001 22:13:08 +0100, "Chris Young"
<unsatisfactory@bigfoot.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 12 Jul 2001 23:23:59 -0400, Bob Retelle (of comp.sys.sinclair "fame")
>wibbled on for an age:
>
>> It would probably look very much like the e--Machines system I just
>> bought my daughter to take to college with her.
>[...]
>> The price is in the $300 ball park and it's a system she'll be
>> familiar with and can make instant use of.  The software it runs will
>> be compatible with most people she runs into in college.  It has a
>> software base that no new computer could challenge for decades.
>
>"decades"?  Slightly optimistic perhaps.  Look back a decade.  Find a
>good software base.  Is this still a good software base?  No?  I rest
>my case.
>

>Chris

Umm... you're using the wrong end of the telescope.

A decade ago there were several choices of competing Operating
Systems.

Now for all intents and purposes there is only one.

(MacOS is a far distant second.)

With the kind of momentum behind the current OS, it's unlikely that
any other OS will be able to overtake the existing software base for a
long, long time, if ever.

Go to the local CompUSA and check out how much shelf space is devoted
to native Linux apps.

I rest my case.

BobR