Bonum Certa Men Certa

This Black Friday GNU/Linux is Preinstalled

Giving thanks to GNU and Linux this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving



Summary: People who wish to buy devices and computers with GNU and/or Linux preinstalled this Thanksgiving may find it very easy

The good folks from Phoronix [1] and OpenSource.com [2] remind us that we can buy Linux- and Open Source-based (respectively) gifts this Friday. SJVN over at ZDNet/CBS (with more impact on IDG) highlights Linux Black Friday deals [3,4] (observed in the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to Wikipedia).



The matter of fact is, many gadgets and computers now run Linux. The GNU and/or Linux is not even being advertised on the products, it's just to be taken for granted.

Back in October a good point was made by a writer who argued that "[t]he main barrier to GNU/Linux adoption is lack of OEM support" [5]. Now that XP era officially ends [6,7] (no support) there are huge opportunities for GNU/Linux on desktops/laptops and GNU/Linux preinstalls are becoming common [8-12] (except the brands "GNU" and "Linux"). There were no "Missed Opportunities" as some pundits put it [13], there were just Microsoft bribes that got used to slow down this trend (notably below-zero-cost XP for sub-notebooks). "Microsoft [is] in a real panic over Chromebooks," said iophk in IRC this morning, noting that based on this article, "Redmond has hired the stars of a reality television show called Pawn Stars to help with its anti-Google Scroogled campaign."

Microsoft currently spreads anti-Google lies in British radio, showing its hypocrisy over privacy (Microsoft should be reported to the ASA over this), hiding from the public its own special relationship with the NSA. This whole anti-Chromebook FUD helps confirm that Microsoft is truly desperate and worried about the growth of GNU/Linux as a preinstalled platform.

Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. 2013 Holiday Shopping Guide For Linux PC Hardware


  2. Top 20 open source gifts for the holidays
    We've searched the Internet and consulted with the open source geeks in our lives to identify some of 2013's coolest open source-related gifts for the holidays. We've found something for everyone's budget from big (a LulzBot TAZ 2 3D printer!) to small (who doesn't need a free download of Cards Against Humanity?), and everything in between.


  3. Linux Black Friday deals


  4. The Linux Black Friday Gallery
    Let's look at some of the best Linux-based gadgets available this Black Friday.


  5. The main barrier to GNU/Linux adoption is lack of OEM support
    Ken Starks of Reglue recently published a thought-provoking entry on his blog, The Blog of Helios, suggesting that the barrier to Free Software adoption is bad documentation. He asserts that the lack of quality documentation is due to a philosophical approach to documentation writing, within the community, that he calls "good enough." By this, he appears to mean that document authors are writing to an audience similar to themselves, ie. people who are very experienced and grok most of what is being written.

    While the problem he describes is common practice and it is a problem for the adoption of free software by newbies, it is not the main barrier to the propagation of GNU/Linux. Although good documentation is important, the main reason GNU isn't more popular is lack of OEM support.


  6. XPocalypse Now
    Last month, I wrote about the massive 72,000-PC migration from Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux being undertaken by the Gendarmerie Nationale, the French police force.


  7. OPINION: Life after Windows XP – FOSS and BYOD
    In the final installment of the series, Dave Lane writes on coping with diversity in a FOSS environment.


  8. Ubuntu and ASUS start selling affordable notebooks in the US


  9. Acer introduces $299 touch-screen Chromebook
    C720P is powered by Intel Celeron 2955U (Haswell), has 2GB DDR3 RAM and comes with 32GB SSD. The most notable feature of the device is its 11.6-inch ComfyView HD ‘touch-screen’ display that has a 1366×768 resolution.


  10. Linux You can Touch: Sleek Linux Ultrabook with Touch!
    LinuxCertified Inc introduced the L1 Touch 14.1" High Resolution, Full HD Touch Display - Exclusive High Performance Linux Ultrabook pre-installed with Ubuntu or Fedora Linux. The L1 Touch is one of the ultralight, ultrathin, yet powerful Linux Ultrabook designed for legendary performance on the go, whether to another meeting or another country, you sacrifice nothing in return.


  11. Looking For A Linux Laptop? Here's Help
    There are many benefits of installing Linux on your PC or laptop. When selecting a new laptop that can support Linux, there are not many that can perform efficiently with a Linux OS. This poses a bit of a problem for people who like to use open-source software as Windows 8 prevents dual-booting, which means you cannot have two OSes running at the same time.


  12. New Acer Chromebook as HP Recalls Faulty Model
    Will the low, low, low watershed price of Acer’s new Chromebook spark a price war or will the unit remain an outlier? And, will the HP Chromebook 11's charger problems hurt the budding market for Web-centric, Chrome-OS based laptops? With the holiday buying season nearly here, it will be interesting to see how other Chromebook suppliers ASUS, Lenovo and Toshiba respond to Acer’s move and HP's troubles.


  13. Linux Desktop's Missed Opportunities
    I've always said that the two biggest benefits of running a Linux distribution over a proprietary operating system are: freedom of choice and the Linux community. Despite these advantages, Linux on the desktop needs work in one key area: seizing great opportunities.

    Two huge opportunities for the Linux desktop right now are the end of Windows XP support and the less than amazing reception of Windows 8 by casual users. In this article, I'll explore why I believe Windows XP and Windows 8 are fantastic opportunities for an increase in Linux adoption.


Recent Techrights' Posts

Golden Dawn(ald) and What GAFAM Means to Liberal Techies
In one single screenshot
It's Morbid to Talk About Living People as If They're Dead
What happens to LLM slop when Brian Fagioli dies?
Silicon Valley and GAFAM Were Never Liberal
spineless CEOs and founders aren't against Trump
ChromeOS and GNU/Linux Growing in Spain (Almost 10% Now)
Whether this persists next month and next year will certainly matter
[Meme] It Takes Only Words to Destroy Malicious People and Pathological Liars
Trying to silence us is foolish. Boasting about this in public is worse than foolish; it's a legal liability.
WordPress is Unfit for Purpose in 2024
The Web itself changed a lot and the majority of Web traffic is pure junk
 
Cybershow Has a New 81-Minute Episode on Digital Sovereignty and International Cyber-Relations
it is a high-quality show
Activism in the Digital Realm Can Never (and Must Never) Rely on GAFAM
This simply means that tech activists must completely abandon any hopes of finding allies in Google or IBM or whatever...
IBM CEO Says Donald Trump as President-Elect is Good for IBM in New Interview With CNBC
most unprincipled CEO ever?
GNU/Linux Up to 6.1% in Finland (Almost 9% If One Counts ChromeOS Too)
Home of Linux (the kernel)
BetaNews Has Become a SPAM/Slop Factory, Brian Fagioli Publishes Fake 'Articles'
everything is now suspect in BetaNews
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, November 11, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, November 11, 2024
Free Software and Love of Nature
It's not a coincidence that many Free software activists are also lovers of nature
Windows and 'The Desktop' Floundering
Microsoft should be extremely worried
WordPress is Bad for the Planet (Even If Many Still Use It)
the costs nobody wishes to talk about
WordPress is for the 'Old Web'; the New Web Necessitates Static Pages
There are purely practical reasons to move away from WordPress and the likes of it
Gemini Links 11/11/2024: Closed Systems and Verify You Are Human To Continue
Links for the day
Running Twitter at a Loss and Then Profiting From Trumpism
How very liberal of Jack Dorsey, the greedy "Liberal" who only prioritised money
Microsoft, Which Benefits From Donald Trump, is Normalising Donald Trump
Some people still wrongly believe that Microsoft is left-leaning
When You Upload Talks of Richard Stallman to Proprietary YouTube
Also: notice they work to abolish the word "whitelisted"
Free Software is Probably a Lot Healthier for You
Does Free software help people live longer and/or live better for longer?
Sweden: ChromeOS + GNU/Linux at 17%, an All-Time High
According to statCounter
Windows Collapsed to Only 12% of the Operating Systems Market in India, Says statCounter
Windows falls to 64% on desktops/laptops in India, dips to 12% overall
Links 11/11/2024: Mastodon Year 2 in Review, Freshworks Laying Off 13% of Staff
Links for the day
[Video] Daniel Pocock Warning About Someone Like Elon Musk Buying and Misusing Twitter Almost 7 Years Ago
Daniel Pocock spoke about Facebook and Twitter while attending the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland
Dead Blog ('Hoisted By His Own Petard')
The saying "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is also applicable here
Debian Voters Clearly Supportive of Richard Stallman (Founder of GNU/Linux), But Debian Leaders Keep Giving Voting Rights to Microsoft Staff
It can be seen that the pro-Stallman positions are dominant
[Meme] Remember That Microsoft and Trump Already Have a "Targets List"
Microsoft loves Trump bailouts
Service Notice: IRC Downtimes RESOLVED
We believe we've solved this entirely (or hope so), but it may take another week to know for sure
Linux 'Not Inclusive' 6.12 (Trumpism Inside Linux Foundation Affirmed)
They can make a codename for this release: Linux 'Not Inclusive' 6.12
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is Dead. Cause of Death: Microsoft Bribes.
At the core, Linux Foundation and OSI adopted lies as a business model
Joan Meyer correctly linked Gideon Cody raid on Marion County Record to Kristallnacht
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Trans People Misused to Attack a Project or Developer Who Has Nothing to Do With Them
And why that truly hurts all trans people
Our 18+ Years of Freedom-Fighting
We always fight back
Gemini Links 11/11/2024: Men Losing Grip and "You're Relaxing Wrong"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, November 10, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, November 10, 2024
Nobody Knows What's in Our Fridge! Wow, Spooky!
Freedom means you can also purchase things anonymously
Freedom Must Always Be Fought For (All the Time)
Ridicule of "freedom fighters" in the digital realm is typically orchestrated by dictators or wannabes.
Gemini Links 10/11/2024: Taking Jokes and Writing Dense Assembly
Links for the day
Links 10/11/2024: Meaning of Life and iPhone ‘Inactivity Reboot’
Links for the day
Links 10/11/2024: Microsoft Adds Surveillance to Notepad and Paint, TikTok Shutdown Order
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/11/2024: Scrawlspace and California
Links for the day
Links 10/11/2024: Politics, Economics, and Ticketmaster Issues
Links for the day
Linux Foundation: We've Shut Down the Mailing Lists and Fired Everyone at Linux.com So We Can Spend Money Buying Puff Pieces and Paying Clickfraud/Spammers
deeply rogue
The 'Other' Bruce... on Openwashing at OSI (and Not Bruce Perens, the OSI's Co-founder)
Openwashing people (connected to Microsoft) already do "open weights"
Gemini Links 10/11/2024: A Writer's Block, VIM Tips and Tricks
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, November 09, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, November 09, 2024
[Meme] Linux Foundation Cuts
money is spent by the million on highly dubious things
Politics Becoming Way Too 'Toxic'
'Toxic' political discourse ought to be covered, but reducing the toxicity of coverage itself (e.g. inaccurately covering things to incite "the left" and "the right") is still challenging
"Paperless Office" (Incompatible With the Law) as a Threat to Workers' Health at the EPO, Europe's Second-Largest Institution and Largest Patent Office
"Software Ergonomics need to be brought back to the agenda at a high level!"