@Adam Williamson

Hi Adam

You're right to point out the inaccuracies in the article, and I've been grateful for your help on the forums when I was a regular Mandrake/Mandriva user. However, I'm hearing a touch of sour grapes here. Ubuntu's success isn't entirely down to hype - I switched to Ubuntu after many years as a Mandriva user because (for me at least) it met my needs better. I'm not going to go into all the reasons here and now - I'm not trying to put down Mandriva, which I still respect, and different distros will suit different people better - but for me, Ubuntu/Kubuntu currently meets my needs better than Mandriva (or any other OS I've tried to date) does.

Still, I agree that Ubuntu is hyped too much - it's not perfect, and the other distros also have their strengths.

Andy B

@wow

> I realise Linux can connect to WPA, but there's no easy GUI way yet :o(

Funny - I've been connecting to WPA networks with my laptop using the Network Manager GUI since Dapper - and a darn sight easier and more reliably than with most Windows PCs. When I'm diagnosing problems with a customer's wireless network the first thing I do is try to connect up with my Linux laptop because "it just works".

11 weeks

I ordered an Inspiron in 15th August. The order was placed by phone, as I called to query an option and was told I was likely to get it sooner if the order was placed over the phone rather than via the web site. Current expected delivery date? 30th October. Almost 11 weeks after placing the order. I am _not_ happy. We have a new starter having to manage without a laptop for 2 months because of this.

BIOS password

As several have pointed ouit, it's easy to compromise a system if you can get it to boot off an alternate media (CD, DVD, Flash etc.). If this is a concern, the obvious thing to do (assuming the PC supports it) is to disable booting from alternate media in the BIOS and then password protect the BIOS. It still won't stop a determined individual (open the box, reset the BIOS) but will slow them down and make "casual" access harder.

Babeldisc

This made me think of Babeldisc - http://www.babeldisc.com/ . In one sense it's completely different, as Babeldisc runs locally off a live (Linux) CD and uses a broadband connection to access data, configuration settings etc. on the babeldisc servers. However, the end result is similar: a desktop you can access from any broadband connected PC; system administration and backup handled for you; a similar set of preinstalled applications. This service is quite a bit more expensive than Babeldisc, but the familiarity of Windows (and the fact it doesn't need a CD) might give it an edge for some people.

It would be interesting for someone to do a back-to-back comparison of the two, used for real world work.

Andy B