["Followup-To:" header set to sci.electronics.basics.]
On 2005-12-13, David Maynard wrote:

Peter wrote:


On the other hand, would you buy an O.S. with no browser?

if I already had a browser.

Would most people?

most people buy a computer with the software already installed.
they could as easily buy an OS and a browser as buy an OS with a browser.

And, if not, doesn't that make it a rather 'necessary part' of the
product whether one can remove it or not? And if you were making an O.S.
would you depend on someone else to provide your critical update mechanism,
hoping they make mods as you need them, on time, bug free, rather than
whatever they might determine is 'more important' to their own product
schedule? Or would you feel that important enough a feature to be 'a
necessary part' of your O.S., written and maintained by your own people?

There's no need for the browser to be part of the critical update mechanism.

But then, back to the other side, if you believe it isn't necessary you
just pooh pooh the notion and argue anyone's browser would work just fine
if they didn't 'intentionally' make their dumb update mechanism odd ball
(and you'd believe it).

Debian's update mechanism works fine without a browser.

And we could go on and on, back and forth, in the same manner because
there's always "a way to do it," depending on your opinion of what an O.S.
product "should be" and what's "just as good" or "acceptable."

But then browsers don't all work 'exactly' the same, do they? and when the
user has a problem with your "Internet Ready" O.S., and automatic updates,
who do they call for support? Who do they blame? What's broke? Who fixes it?

say what?

Bye.
Jasen