In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we interview Tim Flight, the moderator of the popular website for information about GPS devices: GPS Review.
In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on the most commonly-used open source alternative OS.
Linux
Originally developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, the Linux operating system is the poster child for open source, freely distributed software. Used primarily to run back-office server computers, Linux is a favorite of systems administrators and programmers who appreciate its technical elegance and reliable operation, all at significantly lower cost than other commercial operating systems.
Linux’ strength is also its weakness, however. Largely invisible to the end-user community, Linux hasn’t garnered the mindshare of the computer-buying market, compared to alternatives from Microsoft or Apple. Since no one organization has a major stake in the commercial success of the OS, it has not been promoted aggressively to end users, as yet, so Linux just hasn’t captured the imagination of most computer systems buyers.
That is beginning to change, however. Linux is finally making its way onto the typical computer user’s desktop, driven mostly by the rapid emergence of ultra-portable netbook computers. Generally smaller and lighter than full-function laptops, ultra-portables are designed primarily for accessing the Internet and performing lighter computing tasks. Netbooks are more information-access appliances than standalone computers. And like all good appliances, the ability to perform a function quickly and simply is key to its marketability. And so, Linux is now finding a happy home embedded in netbooks.
Tech guru and pundit John Dvorak recently wrote about the potential threat that “instant on” embedded Linux poses to established operating systems, especially Windows. Dvorak wrote:
…The most interesting story the media is downplaying is the ASUS announcement that it will have a ROM boot chip on all its motherboards, which will boot Linux instantly on start-up. When you flick the switch the machine is instantly on. (It’s about time.) Of course, you will have to press another button for the machine to load Windows…
It’s an extremely subversive ploy for a number of reasons. First of all, it gets people used to Linux, gives them a pain-free experience, and provides quick rewards. Second, it shows users that—most of the time—this is all they need. And finally, it makes Windows look like a subsystem not much different from a program that you run under Windows. The psychological effect of this is profound, and the results could be devastating for Microsoft.
What will develop naturally from such a new architecture will be Linux replacement apps for the usual Windows apps. One at a time they will come. Windows will boot only for those laggard apps, such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. The rest of the time, users will remain in Linux, which will be perceived as very snappy and responsive—something missing from Windows.
Could Linux ultimately take over the computer operating system market? Even if “instant on” embedded Linux becomes common, the open source OS still may not be able to declare victory over Windows. For one thing, most users turning on their netbook appliance won’t know that they are running Linux, so the OS won’t get the credit it probably deserves. Second, Microsoft isn’t going to stay still, and as we’ve already discussed earlier in this series, they are also developing the next generation of Windows, which promises to be leaner, lighter and more flexible. What’s to stop Microsoft from developing an “instant on” ROM-based version of their OS kernel for Windows 7?
In addition, there is no “one” flavor of Linux. In fact, there are too many versions available, which has added nothing but confusion to the general market’s understanding of what Linux is, how it looks, how it operates, and what it feels like to use it. Most likely, this diversity will increase, further fragmenting market perception.
Linux does have one major advantage, however - it is free. And that means that computer developers can add more to their profit margins, instead of paying license fees to Microsoft. They would love it if Windows went away, and an OS that worked reliably, and which customers were willing to buy, was free. And for that reason alone, expect to see more computer manufacturers embedding “instant on” Linux into their systems very soon.
In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on perhaps the most visible alternative to Microsoft Windows (which we covered in Part Two of this series).
Apple’s Mac OS X
Ask any Apple Macintosh computer user if they like their Mac - and watch as an almost rapturous look of sheer bliss washes over their face. Apple has garnered a fanatical following of loyal users - and the Mac OS X (also known by it’s code name “Leopard”), is one of the principal reasons.
Because Apple builds their hardware, and can restrict the kinds of upgrades and deviations from factory-shipped configurations, they can ensure a consistent user experience. And OS X keeps that experience very friendly and pleasant-looking. Many users say that it is clearly a superior computer operating system, especially when compared to Microsoft’s Windows.
And yet, Apple has deliberately restricted the use of OS X to Apple-manufactured hardware only. Even though the current flock of Apple machines use the same Intel chips as other computer brands which run Windows, Apple steadfastly refuses to provide OS X to non-Apple hardware users. Apple likes its happy, closed architecture, and wants to keep it that way.
Some upstart companies have tried to force a chink in Apple’s architecture, however. Most recently, a small start-up company called Psystar began selling generic Intel-based computers with a hacked version of the Mac OS X operating system earlier this year. Apple sued Psystar, as expected - but now Psystar has begun to fight back, filing a countersuit of their own.
Most legal experts agree that Psystar does not have a strong case against Apple. But the legal battle might have some significant implications.
For example, if Psystar were to prevail, then Apple would likely have to offer OS X for non-Apple hardware, or find business partners willing to do so on their behalf. That could become a very significant threat to Microsoft’s Windows share.
Or, even if Apple wins, it might help them to recognize a weakness in Microsoft’s market share fortress, as that company struggles to move past XP, make Vista more palatable, and finish Windows 7 - and Apple could move aggressively to grab OS market share on their own.
Most industry analysts agree, however, that Apple will likely continue to remain ensconced in their current exclusive, closed hardware/OS architecture - much to the chagrin of non-Apple hardware users that secretly envy OS X.
The tech blog Engadget issued a report about TrekStor’s new Wireless Soundbox, which connects decent quality speakers to your computer using a USB-connected wireless transmitter.
“OK, that’s cool”, you may be asking yourself, “but other than for entertainment value, why would salespeople care?”
Ever have to give a demonstration or presentation on your laptop computer that includes sound? Trying to use the tiny, tinny built-in speakers on most laptops is certainly less than impressive, if not outright ineffective. And trying to connect your laptop to wired speakers or an external sound system is a pain, and more often than not, totally unreliable.
(Editor’s note: I often demonstrate e-learning applications that use sound extensively, and it’s always aggravating for my audience to have to strain to hear my laptop speakers - it just doesn’t work.)
With TrekStor’s solution, you just plug in a USB key, put a couple of these wireless speakers in the room, and away you go. Perfect for making a good aural as well as visual impression on your customer.
According to TrekStor, you can connect up to 20 of the little speakers, up to about 50 feet away. The audio streams over a 2.4GHz wireless connection. Each speaker runs on 4 AA batteries, with individual volume controls. The USB key and 2 speakers cost about US$75, with each additional speaker costing about $44. The system will be available in October 2008.
LinkedIn, the popular business networking website, released new improvements to its Groups feature, making this function easier to use and more helpful to sales professionals looking to forge connections with customers and potential prospects.
In addition to fixing some previously annoying application errors, the latest Groups update now provides a centralized hub page for every group, so that members can interact more easily in one convenient location within the LinkedIn system. In addition, users can now search a roster of group members. And there are a number of other group management enhancements, making it easier to administrate a group in LinkedIn.
These new features will make it much simpler to establish meaningful communities of LinkedIn users, and will encourage more interactive social networking on the site.
Sales professionals can use the new Groups features to find new ways to find potential connections in their own business networks, making it easier to develop “warm leads” for new opportunities, to research relationships within accounts, and to arrange introductions to target prospects.
In part one of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on the most dominant OS in use worldwide today.
Microsoft Windows
The first thing to recognize about Windows is that there are several versions of this OS, which evolved over time as new variants and improvements were developed by Microsoft.
XP
First introduced in 2001, and still the most commonly used version of Windows with over 70 percent of all personal computers running it today, XP has been very stable and very familiar to nearly all computer-using salespeople for years. XP comes in two flavors itself - XP Home and XP Professional, with more robust network and security functionality in the Professional version.
Microsoft officially stopped new retail sales of XP on June 30th 2008, although it will continue to support XP through April of 2014. Microsoft did this so it could concentrate more development effort on the latest version of Windows, which they dubbed Vista, and also on the next planned version of Windows, currently called version 7, which is expected to be released in 2010.
Even though XP is not officially available for retail sale, XP Home is still available for small systems. The fast-growing ultra-portable market of lightweight computers, designed for browsing the Internet and simpler computing tasks, is a customer segment that Microsoft does not want to lose, and only XP Home is compact enough to fit on these smaller machines - so Microsoft makes an exception for these devices. This is largely a defensive move to keep upstart “lighter” OS alternatives, such as Linux, from gaining a beachhead in the OS market share war.
In addition, many computer makers will sell XP to purchasers of new hardware, at the customer’s request. They can do this by using the “downgrade right” provision of the Windows Vista OS license agreement. Essentially, to get XP in a new computer today, you have to buy Vista, and then “downgrade” it to XP, which means you pay an additional premium for XP. This also keeps Microsoft happy, because they can continue to count the sale as a new purchase of Vista, even if the customer never intends to ever run it. This is, of course, a completely artificial maneuver designed solely to inflate Vista’s market share. According to recent surveys of new computer users, almost one-third of Vista purchasers exercise the downgrade right and install good old XP instead.
Vista
So, what’s wrong with Vista? Well, that is a matter of opinion.
Many people use Vista and think it’s just fine. Vista takes advantage of the latest improvements in computer hardware to provide a better graphical interface, and generally faster performance. In fact, over 180 million copies of Vista have been sold.
Possibly under pressure from Intel and other component manufacturers, Microsoft approved certain hardware configurations as “Vista capable” - which was technically accurate, but not very practical - some of the lower-end configurations just didn’t have the processing power to run Vista at an acceptable level of performance
Many third-party hardware developers were too slow to complete drivers to support Vista with their devices, which meant that some users could no longer use certain printers, disk drives, or other hardware after they upgraded to Vista
No “wow” - the biggest “cool factor” for Vista is the Aero Glass feature - an upgraded user interface that takes advantage of advanced computer graphics - the problem is that it takes advanced computer graphics to run it, and many older machines just don’t have the power to do it - so, these users just get a flat-looking XP-like user interface - yawn.
Recognizing that the initial reaction to Vista has been mixed, at best, Microsoft has stepped up its marketing efforts to try and re-engineer public perception. For example, Microsoft recently published a new website publicizing their “Mohave Experiment“, in which they showed unsuspecting computer users an “upcoming new release of Windows.” The users’ reactions were generally very positive. Only then did Microsoft reveal that the “new Windows” was instead the current version of Vista. Although obviously manipulative, the point of this exercise was to prove that Vista only has a perception problem, not one based in fact.
Critics suggest, however, that the “Mohave Experiment” proved little. The demonstration did not show the participants any of Vista’s problems with installation, drivers, or hardware limitations. Naturally, Microsoft focused solely on the positive advances of Vista. But no one doubts that Vista operates very well on an optimum configuration of high-end hardware - it is with less perfect configurations that users have had trouble.
But Microsoft is soldiering on - they recently signed comedian Jerry Seinfeld as the new spokesman for Vista, as part of a US$300 million public relations makeover. No matter how much money Microsoft plows into making Vista look good, in the end, it is the user experience which will define the operating systems’ legacy. And that has been a mixed bag, so far. Perhaps that is why Microsoft’s leaders have started touting Windows 7, the new version now under development, as the next “big thing”.
Windows 7
In May 2008, Microsoft’s leaders previewed some of the features of the next generation of the Windows OS, currently called version 7. Expected in 2010, Windows 7 will include support for multi-touch screen interfaces - think iPhone but with larger computer screens. Microsoft previously showed similar technology in its “Surface” interface experiment, which showed how a large tabletop could be turned into a useful computer-driven experience.
While Microsoft has provided a few glimpses of Windows 7, in truth, no one really has a clear picture yet of what the operating system will look or feel like yet. But Microsoft is betting a lot on the next-gen version - and competitors know that if Windows 7 stumbles in the marketplace, they will have a clear opportunity to step in and seize a respectable share of computer users away from Windows’ dominance.
Windows Mobile
We would be remiss if we did not also mention Windows Mobile - a version of the OS that is designed to run on hand-held devices, such as mobile phones.
Microsoft enjoys a healthy 13% of the smartphone market worldwide, and has shipped more than 18 million licenses on a wide variety of hand-held devices.
The next version of Windows Mobile, expected in 2009, is also expected to embrace a multi-touch interface similar to its bigger Windows 7 computer OS cousin.
The tech blog Engadget showed the packaging for the new touchscreen-operated BlackBerry 9530 - RIM’s first device with no physical keyboard. Now called the Storm in the U.S. market, the phone will be released on Verizon Wireless later this year. The 9530 will operate globally with a removable SIM card. It will also include an 8GB SanDisk microSD card, stereo headset, travel charger and USB cable.
It appears that the device may be marketed as the Thunder in Canada through Rogers and in Europe through Vodafone. Pricing or final release date are not yet finalized, although prior rumors has the phone pegged for a mid-October launch in the U.S.
In order to be competitive today, virtually all sales professionals must use computers. They need rapid access to information about their industry, customers, prospects, competitors, and their own organizations’ products and services, and the computer is the ideal device for finding, storing and retrieving this information.
Most people think of computers in terms of hardware: the central processing unit, storage, disk drives, keyboard and display, among other components. But hardware is simply the “flesh and blood” of a computer - its “soul” is the operating system (OS).
Simply put, the OS is the first thing a computer loads when it is turned on. It provides the rules which define how the computer recognizes all its hardware, how the components will work together, how it will run software programs, and how it will interact with the user. And so, most of the experience of using a computer is defined by the operating system.
But is Microsoft’s long-held hegemony over the OS landscape slipping? Could alternative operating systems challenge Windows, and give users - including sales professionals - more choice in how they use their computers? And most importantly, would any shifts in the OS market help or hinder salespeople as they try to do their jobs?
Over the next five days, we’ll examine the state of the principal operating systems used today, and try to get some insight about how their evolution might affect sales professionals - and what they should do to prepare.
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In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we interview Tim Flight, the moderator of the popular website for information about GPS devices: GPS Review.
Links to resources mentioned in this show:
And yet, Apple has deliberately restricted the use of OS X to Apple-manufactured hardware only. Even though the current flock of Apple machines use the same Intel chips as other computer brands which run Windows, Apple steadfastly refuses to provide OS X to non-Apple hardware users. Apple likes its happy, closed architecture, and wants to keep it that way.
First introduced in 2001, and still the most commonly used version of Windows with 
So, what’s wrong with Vista? Well, that is a matter of opinion.
We would be remiss if we did not also mention 
First of a six-part series
Many thanks to everyone for reading the SellingGeek.com blog, and for listening to our podcast! Since launching officially in May, our numbers have grown quickly, and we’re gratified and humbled by your response. We’re now more motivated than ever to make Selling Geek a useful and entertaining resource for you, the sales professional looking for a competitive edge.
