I've been saying for a while that Microsoft only had one last real chance to keep their monopoly on operating systems with Windows 8.
And they have blown it again. They have tried to restrict Win 8 to keep folks from having other operating systems on the machine (and got slapped down about it right smartly by the EC). They have failed to lock out all the Linux competition.
So, to try to do the same thing by another path they want you force you (the loyal Windows people) to buy a NEW office for windows products to go on your ARM chipped products and then none of your old file formats will readily transfer. Ain't that nice?
Meanwhile, this little $35 poppet has shown up on the market and has over a million back-orders waiting at this point in time. Why? Because it is a complete PC that will do Linux just fine and folks in Europe, Asia, Africa realize that it is stupid to pay Microsoft $350 for operating system and office software that does the exact same thing that Open Office does for free. And now you have a $35 cute little PC to run it on.
All the information about it
http://www.raspberrypi.org/A quick blurb that covers the high spots.
Warning: don't jump on the bandwagon for this tiny PC for at least 6 months until all the new customized software sets for the little bugger are all written and completely debugged by the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of eager programmers jest salivating to get their hands on the little device. Wait for the still yet cheaper cased version that will be dispersed through the school systems.
Because they can, the linux nerds will have written a little Linux distro that fits the completely understood and known RP device and it will also be able to use the massive GPU that the chipset has to share some of the computational workloads, so it will only get faster/better with some time.
IT IS INTENDED FOR CHILDREN -- so don't think it is too hard for you old farts to use. Millions of grade school kids all over the world will suss it out completely, so you old grandpas can certainly do it too.
Meanwhile, I have been running Linux Mint for 2 full years now and I haven't booted my XP for the best part of 3 months now .... haven't needed it. Linux seems to be workable good stuff to me.
Further amusing note: My daughter went over to Mac about 5-6 years ago, paid OVER $3,000 for a super nice light Mac laptop then she shelled out a further $3,000 for software this and that and the other.
She just got notified that her Mac OS has hit end of life and she needs to buy a new laptop/OS -- she was a little pissed at that because her old stuff is working fine and she HAS ALL THIS EXPENSIVE SOFTWARE THAT WON'T WORK ON THE NEW MACS.
I've been talking Mint to her hubby for a while and he has been dual booting Mint for over 2 years now on a Windows machine. He likes it, so he took her mac, repartitioned it and put Linux Mint on it.
Mac is funny -- they stop supporting the OS and the machine simply stops not to long after that for some obscure and "unsupported" reason.
Eric showed Katie, my daughter her new boot time selection of OS systems and that he had found replacement open source softwares for everything she had spent $3,000 to buy at the Mac store.
He knows durn well what is going to happen, she'll break bad and go buy a new Mac for herself and he'll inherit her perfectly good Mac laptop -- all sussed out and ready to go.