This Laptop is USELESS....
Elonex had financial problems 2 years ago & went into administration....Looks as if its heading that way again..
Avoid at all costs..Note to Sir Alan....Your Amstrad PCs were Junk...now this..Havent you learnt your lesson...are you employing YES men..in the PC sector...?

Tony, Preston, Lancashire

I'm thinking of getting one of these for using during free time when I'm at Uni, which I'm due to start in Sept this year. I have a decent desktop at home and so this will be just for use on the move and then transfer any docs I've written to the PC when I get home each day. Is this up to the job?

Micky b, stockport,

Its interesting that so few people like Windows these days. I think it is because its become a boring and inflexible system for the workplace, and MS does more and more to prevent you doing what you want to do. Linux is so much more exciting, and flexible, and the community does what users want rather than relying on laughable marketing to convince users they want what IT managers think is good for them.

Jon, Portsmouth, UK

All this talk about the OS! What about the Elonex One CPU only running at 300 MHz! If you look on Ebay you could buy an old laptop for £45 that would have a CPU that runs up to 1Ghz with an old 8GB drive and down load Linux for free. Come on Sir Alan, (x “Amstrad” Boss who also owns Elonex ) Please try to learn about what you sell! Most of us kids need Video! Even if it is only £99

David Rathbone, Banbury, UK

hi how can you get one free

dane sulway, manchester, england

where will i be a able to buy this ....

bethanie, manchester,

If you had studied the Linux system you would realise that viri written for Windows systems will not run in Linux, all .exe files are useless and are just ignored.

Ellis, Cambridge,

"There's no-one to complain to when things go wrong?" Have you ever tried reporting faults to Microsoft (or any other proprietary vendor for that matter). It'll cost you more than the price of this laptop in telephone calls...

Free software has a whole myriad of support routes - just go to the home page of each application and you will see forums, IRC, newsgroups galore - and often you get to speak directly to the developers, not someone trained only in the art of 'Newspeak'.

BTW, Open Source != Free Software. Free as in Freedom, not as in beer.

Philip, Reading,

'the One has no antivirus' - It's linux. No anti-virus software is required.

Edd, Lonngsburg, Argentina

You wrote "But open-source software has its problems. If no one owns it, there’s no one to complain to when things go wrong – and the One has no antivirus or firewall software built in."

I suggest you inform yourself in open source before making such comments.

gerard, Meppel, The Netherlands

wow!
this looks brilliant
i really want to get on of these, i cant believe it so cheap
hope theres some left when i get one :)

aaron, saltash, cornwall

I currently use windows XP, however I haven't needed to pay for software. I use OpenOffice for an office suite, Scribus for DTP, Paint.NET for photo editing, OpenProj for Project timelines, PSPad for programming language editing, Quicktime Lite Alternative. Plenty of stuff on SourceForge.

As for security, how about Ashampoo Firewall, AdAware and ClamWin Antivirus. Along with Firefox, 7-Zip, Foxit Reader, CutePDF, why would I be spending money?

Microsoft had ONE benefit, people knew how to use it. I got lost using Office 2007 let alone with Vista. If I have to learn something new, I'd rather get Linux Ubuntu Beryl and learn that for nothing than spend hard earned cash on learning Microsoft Vista.

Mavromichali Szondi, Newtown, UK

Well done Elonex
at least children will see how easy and secure Linux is.
to those knocking Linux download Mepis 6.5.02
http://www.mepis.org/mirrors
and you will see how easy Linux is, you can even run Beryl
3D that will put Vista to shame, all from a live CD with as little as
250 MB of memory,

J Cleveland, Doncaster,

If only I could trace the IP of some of the comments about Linux
I bet they would be somewhere in an area called Richmond VA.

Steve, London,

Windows is like a nice comfortable old pair of shoes that people don't want to let go of. They are stretched and saggy, they have broken in around the toes and heals. Of course the stitching is starting to fray as they come apart at the seems, and there is a hole at the bottom that lets water in. Oh, the shine has gone but who cares when it means having to break in a new pair...

Windows, needs a virus checker, it will add 129 GBP to the price, for OS and anti virus, and add additional cost to the hardware to upgrade it to work , of course a student copy of office will only add circa 100GBP ( for students). The EULA denies responsibility for anything, including the owner ship of the purchased software to its purchasers. Or of course Microsoft would be delighted to let you 'borrow' copies of it's software until you can save up for a legit copy.

Purchasers of this device or similar, are more concerned with how they right their reports rather than the content of it?

Buy new Shoes.

DavidF, Larky,

Ps. Of course if the software doesn't work - you could always complain to the manufacturer who put it in there, they have a reputation to uphold for the goods they sell too. Of course they have the source code to fix any compatability problems.

That also closes another loophole for the purchaser, the software/hardware run around

DavidF, Larky,

No one owns the software. How much help is that? Have you tried buying a personal use laptop & suing Microsoft because the software isn't fit for purpose. In my experience you get more help from the Linux community than you will get from MS. It is also unlikely that Elonex will sell a product without being reasonably happy with it & offer support at some level.

steve downes, Milton Keynes, uk

Any Linux program can have a virus. It's just common sense. Alaeada, Bad Bunny, Binom, Bliss, Brundle, Diesel, Kagob, and MetaPHOR are some of the most popular. Linux users are forced to use open source software, which is obviously not going to have viruses. Once Linux becomes popular and people want to acquire bogus versions of pay software, that's when the viruses are installed. Windows users using OS software don't have viruses, but they can't resist using PSP and fake websites to cheat the pocket.

More to the point, people hate Linux. It's way too hard to use, much too limited, and generally boring.

Zen Larendect, Boston, US

Rajiv,

Try Ubuntu. Designed specifically for non-techy users.

Matthew, London, UK

That is good news but the question for a person like me is: which Linux version is the best, in terms of of being the easiest to use and closest to Windows?

Rajiv Ranjan Rawat, Mytishchi, Russia

That's fine, a cheap and small computer for children.....!!, that's all. There's no antivirus in Linux because there's no virus in Linux. LInux already has a Firewall.

Eugenio, Madrid, Spain

To Tom Knight!

You say Linux is great! But your keyboard doesn't appear to have a functioning "full stop" key! I assume this must be a hardware, rather than software problem!

Just curious!

Thanks!

Joe, London,

KR, Stockport.
I think you probably would notice if every Linux machine blew up. For one thing the intrnet would collapse since much of it runs on linux.
It's a nice starter machine for kids and should be able to handle basic tasks but I will stick with the EeePC. The processor speed is a little too slow to handle some of my needs.

Andy, Edinburgh,

I see the geek war has started. Maybe they should look at the numbers involved. There are no viruses for Linux because nobody can be bothered with the effort - no-one would notice if every Linux computer on earth suddenly blew up. I agree, Windows won a marketing war, not a technology war, but that is true of many products (remember betamax tapes anyone?). Windows won the marketing war because of a consistent effort by a single company - and when it succedded everyone complained.
Linux will start fighting that war when a single company puts in the lead time that Microsoft already has. Until then, it's a side show. Wait until the price goes up when people want to watch videos on something larger than a 7-in screen!

KR, Stockport,

The prevalence of viruses is a function of the popularity of the O.S.

For years mac users were proud that they had no problems with viruses, until macs started to increase their market share. Then-voila!-the nasty gimps who produce this pestilence woke up to the fact, and mac viruses started to appear! If Linux-based products start to ecome widespread, make no mistake-and I really do root for products like this-as sure as day follows night, viruses will e produced to match "demand".

Ian Onions, London, England

It is obvious that the author has little or no experience of using Linux - Its unfortunate that this didn’t stop him from commenting upon it !

Simon Black , Belfast, N.Ireland

[quote]and the One has no antivirus or firewall software built in.[/quote]

No need for a firewall as most routers have one built in, and why would you want anti-virus for Linux? Name me a Linux virus in the wild.

Richard, Leiston, U.K.

Pah - another Linux bashing article! I notice the number of readers who have already commented, but as a Linux user (and somebody who has actually contributed to software development), I just want to point some people in the right direction here!

The authour of this article seems to know absolutely nothing about Linux, software in general, or the way that graphical eye-candy is implemented.

Linux is free, because the majority of its developers work for nothing, not because it's any less sophisticated. Automatic 'wizards' are in fact LESS sophisticated, and are targeted at desktop users who don't have the know-how to set up their computers by hand! Linux is NOT targeted at these people, thus the reason for the lack of 'wizard' systems, nevertheless, if you get a reputable distro, they often supply their own 'wizards' for desktop users! Graphical eye-candy on a laptop this cut-down would be overkill, that is why the applications look so old-fashioned. DO NOT for a MINUTE, think that Linux is incapable of such fancy extras. Chances are, that this laptop runs a cut-down desktop enviroment for speed. If you run a large and well-known enviroment such as KDE or GNOME, especially if you also run a decent window manager such as compiz, the graphics are easily up to par with Windows Vista or other commercial OSes!

Again, with antivirus software and firewalls, they DO exist for Linux, and most reputable Linux distros will supply them as optional packages to install. But the truth is, the nature of open source software means that viruses and security holes get patched and fixed very quickly and the updates are usually availabe within a matter of hours. Thus viruses for Linux, although existant, mostly only cause problems on old software that hasn't been kept up-to-date! (the viruses are rare as well but that is not why antivirus software is uncommonly used!) Same goes for security holes, however, a very large proportion of the internet is provided by Linux servers, so firewalls are more common, but complicated to set-up and not targeted at desktop users! This laptop only supplies the bare-essentials, because of the limited space and budget!

The reason why Windows is so popular is mainly the customer support offered, as well as the better support for proprietry file-formats and the likes! The 'more sophisticated' Miscrosoft Word will save to the program/vendor specific .doc format by default, thus making it incompatible with other software, causing vendor lock-in! On the other hand, OpenOffice.org Writer (the open-source equivilent) will save to it's file format OR OPTIONALLY, it will ATTEMPT to export to another vendor specific format such as .doc, but as specifications for this format only exist within the confines of the Microsoft office buildings, the developers of OpenOffice had to guess! Since Microsoft already has a monopoly on the computer world, people naturally expect files to be in .doc format without questioning who actually OWNS it! This is the reason for the OpenDocument format's creation by the EU, and does not make the applications themselves any less sophisticated at all!

I personally use Linux because of its reliability, security, its structural choices - such as file system structure, and principles - like: each program manages its own files and configuration - thus the lack of a 'registry' or any other place which causes bottlenecks to stability, speed, or robustness! Also, the availablity of software is very good, and you don't have to fork out a ton of money just for the basics! I also develop my own software, and Windows is EXTREMELY unsuited to this task when compared with Linux! I used to use Windows, but since using Linux, becoming an experienced computer user and a bit of a Linux guru, I've come to hate it with a passion!

Despite my reasons and personal choices above, Windows still remains the best choice for desktop users and inexperienced computer users who can't manage the configuration of their computer by themselves, but need automatic tools to do the job for them! It is a good choice for computer gamers as many computer games will only run on Windows! It also remains a good choice for specific uses such as sound design, or graphic design, though in fact, Mac's are better suited for the task and are more stable to boot! Linux is getting much better at these sort of specific tasks also though so expect it to be more of a major player here in years to come!

Personally, I'd recommend Macs to anybody other than myself, as Apple are quite simply more innovative than Microsoft and Macs are not only more stable, but also come with all the same benefits of windows to the average computer user, such as vendor compatibility, eye-candy, and easy to use 'wizards', as well as good product support, and there is a good cross-section of open source software that will work very nicely on both Linux and Mac!

~epat. :)

Tom Knight, Barcombe, Nr Lewes, Sussex, UK

It is not just the software that makes the laptop so cheap. It is the same reason the Asus eee PC is so cheap: parts, labour and volume!

No hard disk, flash memory and a small screen requires very little battery power. Rechargable batteries are not cheap. The whole thing is built onto one PCB, flow soldered, screwed into the case and the screen attached. Manufacture time is dramatically reduced, test time is dramatically reduced. No hard drive takes a big chunk off the cost reducing component count and power consumption. Flash memory is cheap these days. 8GB external sticks can be picked up for under £20. Screens are low cost and no more advanced than the digital photo frame LCD's available for £30 in Tesco.

Linux is a good choice for OS. Robust and intuitive. I have an Asus eee that my kids use. My 8 year old took 5 minutes from switching on for the first time to finding the games. Not bad having only used Windows at home and school.

ian, London, UK

The Linux/Microsoft debate here is laughable. Both have thier own problems.
However I do not think the £100 for an oem copy of windows at most will be the single reason this is a cheap laptop..

It is the chip makers that bear the brunt of the costs, and the strangle hold of the large manufactures of laptops.

darren (RHCE), London,

Only the geeky bookworms would be seen dead with such an uncool antiquated piece of kit. Most kids have several items of vastly more advanced electronics these days such as phones and mobile games consoles. Might be better off marketing this stodgy stuff to hard-up OAPs who only need basic web access and something to write letters on.

C Park, Epsom, UK

For anyone wishing to continue to run some Windows programmes under Linux, i can recommend CrossOver-Office from CodeWeavers or the free equivalent "WINE". This lets Linux users run native Windows programmes without having to shell out for an expensive Windows license. So, when Peter Dolkens thinks that "people don't care if you can save $120 by choosing and open source OS" because of possible support problems of *nix applications, why not combine the two and run Windows applications under Linux. This way you can still enjoy the great support of Windows applications but since running them under Linux you can still save $120 on the Windows OS license.

Steffen Schubert, Limerick, Ireland

could this be the beginning of the end for the Microsoft grip on the world's pc users?

Heinz Geyer, London,

It is cheap. This will encourage me to buy one. Elonex have bundled it with educational pretensions which are naive and insupportable. Linux/Windows who cares any more it's the quality of the application software that matters

Michael fitzGerald, Walton on Thames,

>>also as Linux is a Unix like operating system it is inherently more secure than Windows.
After the comment you made prior to that statement, I thought you knew what you were talking about. Turns out, you're just another elitist.

In the real world, Windows is king, not because it is the BEST at everything that it tries to do, but because it SUPPORTS the applications made by companies such as Adobe that ARE the best at what they do. The key word here is support.

People don't care if you can save $120 by choosing an open source OS, they care about the fact that, they're going to have issues getting it to work with everyone elses computers. Mac has made some progress in this, moving towards true compatability with the windows OS, and companies are supporting it more and more, but aside from hardware drivers, *nix just doesn't have the support and compatability that todays fast-paced industries require.

Peter Dolkens, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Viruses? In the physical world, biodiversity reduces the risk of viruses. And biodiversity in the computer world means different operating systems.
The supremacy of Windows has more to do with marketing than with technological superiority. There's nothing inherently superior in Windows - just look under the bonnet.

Max , London,

You don't need anti-virus software on Linux. There are very few viruses aimed at Linux and they are not normally found in the wild, also as Linux is a Unix like operating system it is inherently more secure than Windows.

There is anti-virus software for Linux but it is aimed at Windows viruses and it is primarily for use on Linux servers to protect Windows client desktops from being infected by files delivered from the server.

chemicalscum, Hamilton, Canada

Finally - Great Product!
Insofar as the Linux OS is concerned, a bit of a learning curve will be more than appreciated by kids who think the education system treats them like idiots. - Kids in the developing world are all learning to use Linux, so if we expect ours to be able to compete, we'd best give them a proper chance by introducing them to Linux at an early age, - while it's easy for them.
Linux, unlike Windows, is perfect for the classroom, as it allows actual learning, thinking, and inquisitiveness. - A wonderful divergence from the consumer-in-training agenda of Microsoft and the like.

Brad Nychyporuk, Surrey, BC Canada

If more people learnt about not running their windows Pc with full administrator privileges all the time they wouldnt have so much trouble...sticking to authentic software and websites,not reading emails which are obviously spam and actually having an idea what a pc is, also help protect from malware/virus/crashes. This why linux is pretty strong against virus etc, the user accounts restrict file access, and linux users generally are more familiar with what they are doing. Giving pcs to the unfamiliar is like giving crystal glass to kids..they will break it at some point, and they cry about it..

steve, london,

I really hope this works out well!

Sammy
Fka200.com

Sammy, Tarzana, California

I think this is a great idea but does it have all the functions that Microsoft have?
How does the blue tooth version work?

ellen marps, dover, england

It is possible to load up a Trojan Horse if you use an unreliable repository. But if you stick with know reliable repositorys or if you program stick with source code that you read before you compile you are safe from that danger. I have used Linux for the last four years and have found it much superior to Windows in about every way. I started out with Unix and then the commodore 64 . I would never of went to Windows if Unix had been cheap enought to use or Commodore and other operating system companies had not been put out of business by Microsoft.

Stephen Cullum, Orlando, Florida, USA

There are a few mistakes on the differences between Linux and Windows.
1/ Linux is a distribution so it differs radically depending on which distribution you're talking about.
2/ If you take a last generation Linux distribution like Ubuntu, then I don't think that you can talk about an easy to use Windows vs. a basic Linux. For example, in Linux it is now rare to even have to insert a driver CD to install your hardware, initial installation lasts 15 minutes... Actually, you don't even have to format and insert a CD to upgrade Ubuntu itself (imagine that from XP to Vista!).
Also, Open Source office software like OpenOffice.org are equivalent to Office on all the features 95% of the users use. Programs like Inkscape - graphic design - or MPlayer - multimedia - are perfectly viable and easy to use Open Source alternatives to the proprietary world.
Even Vista Aero-like 3D interfaces appeared on Linux 1 year before MS claimed it invented w/ Vista...

Windows is easy only because we know it!

Olivier Pilot, LONDON,

"But open-source software has its problems. If no one owns it, there’s no one to complain to when things go wrong"

Actually there are many ways to ask for help; in my experience you get a far better response from the open source community than you do spending hours waiting for a Microsoft employee to pick up your call. Plus, you end up communicating with people who *really* understand how the thing works, rather than someone just reading from a script.

"and the One has no antivirus or firewall software built in."

Windows does'nt have antivirus software builtin! That's why as soon as you fire it up you need to BUY more stuff from a 3rd party to prevent it getting infected. Linux DOES have a builtin, preconfigured firewall (called iptables). It's incorrect to say that Linux is immune to malware, however the attack vectors are extremely limited by design - you have to make an effort to install malware on Linux. If you want A/V software you can install it in a few clicks, free.

Jack Knight, West Byfleet, UK

"Just because its a linux operating system just not mean it is immune to viruses. It is completely possible to write a virus for linux."

True; in fact, Symantec did so as an attempt to show why their product should be purchased by Linux users. The problem is, activating that virus required A LOT of user intervention, so it was really only of interest to people who like to test their security setups.

Generally, creating a working virus on Linux is much harder than on Windows because Linux has stronger security defaults. In order to RUN a Linux program, one has to willingly give everyone execute permission to the file, plus running programs out of the current directory requires a bit of knowledge of the subsystem; the vast majority of Linux users run programs straight out of the main menu. To actually virus the kind of users virus-makers would prefer going after, you'd have to trick them into adding an extra repo to their install and willingly load it into the system, then run it.

Dark Phoenix, Windsor, ONT

I've been looking at getting an eeePC but have been put off by the price tag here in the UK. If this thing gets good reviews I may well buy one. As has been said above, the comments about the PC not having an anti-virus or firewall are irrelevant; linux does not need either due to the fact there are no linux viruses and a good linux distribution does not need a firewall. Also, open source software very rarely has an 'old fashioned' interface and I very much doubt this will be the case with this PC; it may be different, but that isn't the same as old fashioned.

Sam, Hornchurch, England

There's another significant point: easy and legal access to source code and developer tools.
A child with a Windows machine can only learn how to use it: a curious child with a Linux machine can learn how it works, and how to modify it.
Most of the "computer geniuses" of the last 15 years started programming with uncomplicated machines, like the commodore 64, the amiga 500 or the first pc, where tinkering with the software was immediate and encouraged: among the children and teenagers who will receive this laptop there could be the founder of the next multibillionaire software company.

Giacomo, Somewhere in, Italy

HP dropped support for the parallel port CD writer I bought in '98 when Win2K came out. But it still runs just fine on an out-of-the-box and up-to-date Linux system; which itself runs happily on the PII I also bought in '98.

You can avoid built in obsolescence and forced upgrades by using free open source software.

Steve, Toronto, Canada

A Linux OS can have a separate firewall, but as the only ports opened by default are those that are absolutely necessary, this is not as big a deal as it would with Windows.

Linux doesn't have a problem with viruses, but you can install, for FREE, a firewall and anti-virus software (to protect your Windows-using friends).

Windows is not 'more sophisticated', it just has nice pictures :)

My research is limited to friends and relatives...but they're 'normal' user space people and can easily use an pre-installed Linux distrobution.

For my friend who is 'disappointed it's Linux'...ask for a free Windows install.

'No support'? - try the many user groups and forums before you ring MS for free, for free help.

Analogy - I once rang McAfee about my two-year-old firewall, They were polite but it was 'sorry', even though I'd paid money for it.

On the other hand, I've had personal responses from developers when asking about problems with a Linux application.

Patrick , Sydney, Australia

Mike in Runcorn said:

"I was pleased with this development until I read "Linux""

Er, this begs the question: "Why"? Seriously, why would that stop you being pleased with it?

Linux has no viruses, has *wonderful* package managers that list *thousands* of programs that are free to install at the flick of a button (no more having to trawl the web), has millions of people all round the world always willing and able to help you, doesn't crash, is fast, is open and is free. If you want to pay you can sign up with the likes of Mandriva, Red Hat etc who will offer help on the end of a phone line. If you don't want to pay you can get Mandriva, Fedora, *buntu etc with a free download.

You can do almost anything on Linux that you can do on Windows these days. For the majority of users Windows is no longer the only option.

What's not to like?

Rob, Manchester,

It's an irony. Software and hardware gets more productive because the underlying chips have stopped doubling in speed every couple of years. What it means is that, for the first time, a less than cutting-edge product is usable.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

I was pleased with this development until I read "Linux"

Mike, Runcorn, United Kingdom

Why would they NEED anti-virus or a firewall? Stupid stupid un-researched article written by someone who looks like he's just copied a press release.

And there are thousands of people to ask, there's a whole internet full of them, waiting to answer any questions or problems people have.

Adam, Northampton,

"- and the One has no antivirus or firewall software built in. "

It won't have antivirus because there aren't any viruses on Linux. It will probably come with firewall since they're standard on Linux.

Brendan , Sydney, Australia

Your wrong of course about no one to complain to if it goes wrong. You complain just like with lots of IT situations to whoever you are paying to support you.

If something goes wrong with current "none owned" (which is also wrong as it is owned by all those with copyright vested in it, but I'll ignore that for my point) software how often does a complaint to the creator of the software provide any results? Not often. You use the support people.

And the system not being the junk Windows stuff doesn't need a firewall (it's presumably running no servers or services!) and there has still been no real Linux virus. You don't need the anti-virus scam that Windows supports.

James, Huntingdon, UK

gnu/linux is just a blatently superior operating system. it's biggest problem is, that it doesn't make the mistakes windows makes. no users therefore sometimes find it confusing.

howie, jena, deutschland

> If no o one owns it, there’s no one to complain to when > things go wrong

Actually quite to the contrary! There are many alternative,
competing sources for help, rather than a single monopolist
sitting on the system's secrets. Some of the help will be
free, some will cost, like 24/7 support (hardly relevant for this gadget though).

Martin Vermeer, Helsinki,

really cool idea if it gets the kids off microsoft thats the best move ever...and at such a cheap price maybe kids from not so well off families will finally get a chance too.....

stephen , cheltenham, gloucestershire

Linux needs neither a firewall or antivirus. People are so used to the weak security of Windows that they can hardly believe this.

RB, Abderdeen,

"The old-fashioned feel of the One’s programs could also flummox modern cyber-kids used to the slick … plug-and-play simplicity of Windows."

Funny thing, that. I have an archaic webcam originally built for Windows 98. Thanks to Microsoft's incessant tinkering with Windows's internals, it can't be used under any later version of Windows—but it works under Linux, bingo, just like that. Plug and play simplicity in Windows? Hardly.

Yes, Linux is a little rough around the edges, but it's fundamentally far more secure than Windows, it's *free", and because it's open source, your valuable data is no longer locked into undocumented proprietary file formats.

FB, Victoria, BC, Canada

This is an immense idea. I've been using a 7" eee pc as my main laptop for months now. It cost me £200. If I could get something similar for £99 I'd want to buy 6!

David Little, wakefield, , UK

"If no one owns it, there’s no one to complain"

The reality is that even if you paid for software, software companies like Microsoft, Symantec etc just can't be bothered with your complain. You can't ring them up for support unless you exobitantly priced 'support packages'. With open source, ultimately, you can take things into your own hand.

stevie, Berk,

Reveals the over priced Windows packages which are "rented" for use on one machine [remember having to authenticate your windows?]. Look forward to state schools investing in these Linux machines - not worth stealing, worth using.

JANE FLEMING, Whittlesey, cambs

Just because its a linux operating system just not mean it is immune to viruses. It is completely possible to write a virus for linux.

One might also consider purchasing the asus eee pc (micro sub laptop) for ~£200 as an alternative. It is a wonderful little device, also running linux. very portable and very small.

Phill, Hatfield, Herts

Most open source software have communities -far more responsive to helping users- far more than commercial companies.
I use an open source program for my business site -Zen Cart and my experience compared to say Quick Books support is so much more refreshing. Intuit will not provide support before taking a chunk of money as opposed to FAQ on the zen cart forum or the enthusiastic and relevant response you get if you post a question on the forum.
Also bear in mind that some open source software say OPEN OFFICE have big companies supporting them -Sun sysytems and IBM. Open source is the future for all.

Andrew Porter, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan

And no spyware.

alan, andover,

And any version of Linux will have a firewall that can be set up in a couple of minutes.

Also, by introducing the young to a real operating system before they have been introduced to the overpriced bloatware of Windows the Linux user base will be extended when they come to upgrade to bigger desktop or more powerful laptop machines.

Anthony Price, TRURO,

Linux does not need a firewall, its built in via iptables.
As for viruses, a "virus" is a program designed to exploit an insecurity in an operating system, of which Windows has many, something Linux has not.
I have been using only Linux for 12 years - age? 72

Nick

Nick, Chelmsford,

The "old fashioned" feel has probably more to do with the operating system being tweaked to run comfortably on a very mellow pc rather than it being an "open source" thing.

I would love to see some justification for the comment that Windows is more sophisticated than Linux. Perhaps in terms of wibbly-wobbly eye candy, but nothing substantial there.

Michael Taylor, Oxford, UK

The reason it apparently has no 'firewall' program is because this is *built in*, so a separate program is not required.

candtalan, bracknell,

I've been using Linux exclusively for years. It does everything that Windows does, and it never ever needs to be rebooted. I do run antivirus software, but that's to prevent me passing viruses on to poor old Windows users, I've never seen a virus that would hurt Linux. Oh yes, and OpenOffice is way better than Microsft Office any day - I recommend it even for Windows users.
And I'm a Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society

Richard A Downing FBCS CITP, Bassenthwaite/Keswick, UK/Cumbria

The reason it has no anti virus is, its running Linux. There are no desktop viruses in the wild for desktop Linux. NONE.

There are between 100k and 200k for Windows. Something to think about.

George Johnson, London, England

"But open-source software has its problems. If no one owns it, there’s no one to complain to when things go wrong – and the One has no antivirus or firewall software built in."

There may be no-one to complain to, but there are large numbers of people on the internet who will be happy to offer help if you ask politely. And if all your friends have a "One" then the geeky ones will soon be up to speed and able to help you out.

Antivirus software is not currently necessary on computers that run Linux instead of Windows. If the "One" has no firewall it would surprise me greatly, but your geeky friends will be able to add one easily.

Michael Leuty, Nottingham,

I would like to point out that you can easily go to Linux sites and downloads various patches, upgrades, and bug fixes. There are literally thousands of users who love to help newbies. It is also worth pointing out that Linux has tons of free software for the asking on the Internet. It is rock hard stable and seldom needs to be rebooted. Unlike windows it is very secure and happily hums along for me with little trouble at all. While it is somewhat arcane once you get used to it you really start to hate all the costs associated with windows. Frankly I would love to have a One to take with me to work and I am 64 years old.

Walt Gee, Copperhill, Tennessee, USA