Editorial
Net-Free Net
I’m waking up today to headlines heralding the end of an era. This era, of course, will be over somewhere between 4 and 10 weeks by the time you read this, but something as important as an era deserves a little time for mourning and reflection. The reason why this era is ending, according to the newsphere, is because Microsoft just announced a new tablet computer, which they are calling the Microsoft Surface tablet. The reason this new tablet ends an era is because Microsoft has never before embraced this role of selling PC-like hardware.
Those who have lived through the entire PC epoch remember well that Microsoft built its whole empire on being the company that did not market PC hardware. They got their start as IBM’s special little friend, shipping millions of MSDOS instances with early, iconic IBM PCs. Then when IBM tried to swallow the whole sandwich, by pushing out Microsoft and bundling their own OS/ 2 system with consumer computers, Microsoft quickly made IBM irrelevant – and dealt a blow to the very concept of a PC brand – by making their own deals with OEM vendors, who thus had access to a gigantic market that soon exploded into the consumer PC industry we know today.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.
-
Juno Tab 3 Launches with Ubuntu 24.04
Anyone looking for a full-blown Linux tablet need look no further. Juno has released the Tab 3.