Monday, November 5, 2007

The time for revolution has come

We are at a cusp in computing history. This time is now a delicate balancing point where the future of computing can go one way or another. It is also obvious that one party stands to lose a great deal while another stands to win a great deal. Ironically the party that stands to lose the most is the one who has brought this turning point into reality.
As you have probably guessed by now I am talking about the release of Windows Vista and the role it will play in computing history. It will either be seen as the saviour of Microsoft or as the downfall. The release of Vista has come at a time when Linux is at a stage when inexperienced computer users can install and use it for normal daily tasks. Linux is getting media recognition and support by industry giants. This has raised its stature quite considerably in the public eye.
This means that with the release of Vista companies and individuals will be asking themselves about upgrading both the software and hardware of their computing systems. They will look at the cost of Vista, the hardware requirements, the benefits it will give and consider if the upgrade is worth it. Now for the first time in over a decade the companies and individuals realise that there is now an alternative that is able to provide as much functionality as Vista and has a lot less stringent hardware, software, license and financial requirements.
The current version of Windows has become so large and unwieldy that ninety percent of existing computing hardware is unable support it. There is not enough benefit provided for average daily use to justify those requirements. To need to have over 1Gb of ram and at least 15Gb hard disk space just to install and run the operating system is excessive. To achieve the same functionality with a Linux system only 256Mb ram and 2Gb hard disk space is needed. That is about a quarter of what is needed for Vista and this means Linux can run on more than ninety five percent of existing hardware.
This means that the time is ripe for a computer revolution and if the Linux community plays its cards right the death star can be destroyed with a single well placed photon torpedo and everyone will shout "Viva la Revolution!!!"

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