Now We Are Eight

Obviously, you’re better off with Now We Are Six, but at least this beats the endless cycle of fives and tens. Internet Belle de Jour Katherine Noyes (PC World), step forwards! Bust those myths!

• It’s Hard to Install. Never heard that one before, but I’m a big fan of self-contradiction: “Of course, most people don’t install Windows themselves.” Which would make Linux harder to install, no?
• It’s Just for Experts. Never heard that one before, either (outside of straw men on LY blogs), but it quickly morphs into “Today, however, the inclusion of attractive graphical user interfaces and other usability improvements in many distributions means that even elementary school children can use Linux easily.” To achieve what purpose, precisely?
• It’s Free, So It Must Be Pirated. Never … Oh, come on now. You’re actually serious?
• There’s No Support. OK, that one’s only true if you omit the words “useful and polite.”
• It’s Not Compatible. To quote again, “There are very few instances of hardware and software remaining that can’t be used with Linux.” Hem hem.
• It’s Less Secure. Never heard … actually, I’m getting tired of repeating myself. What is this woman smoking?
• It’s Not Reliable. Rubbish! It’s almost as reliable as a brick! (Although bricks don’t automatically degrade after six months.) Anyway, “That’s a big reason why Linux is used so heavily on servers—it almost never goes down. Imagine a day in the life of your business with no downtime!” Ahem. Weren’t we talking about installation on desktops?
• Its TCO Is Higher. Unfortunately, unless you’re using a straightforward LAMP stack, your Total Cost of Ownership probably is. (We’ve covered this one before.)

Fact or fiction? You be the judge.