Vista - Will it Fly or Fall

[koolbluez]

Some SmartAlec @ TechCast had pointed out a definitive list of why Vista can't survive.

According to him, Apple and Linux will soon take a big dip into Microsoft's market share.
His list goes so....
1. It's expensive
2. It doesn't offer features promised that would have made it a contender, in essence, it's too little too late.
3. Many home and business computers won't be able to run it, cutting a huge slice out of their market share.
4. Its 5,000 different versions will leave users shocked and confused as to which one is right for their needs.
5. Dell, the world's biggest PC corporation is now giving users the option to not have Windows pre-installed on their computer.
6. Linux is free and is all the time getting new features and programs that make a switch beneficial to the uncertain user.
7. Apple is hip with the young crowd and the early adopters, meaning that Vista won't be as well received with them.
8. Security is an issue and probably won't be fixed for a while to come.
9. Even if your computer can run it, many features that are graphically intensive won't be runnable or will run slowly.

His list is true to an extent. As with all Windows applications.
Whatddya say... will Vista survive Macs & Linuxes or will Microsoft have a great fall?

Amazon Vista Sale

[iMav]

Originally Posted by SmartAlec

4. Its 5,000 different versions will leave users shocked and confused as to which one is right for their needs.

6. Linux is free and is all the time getting new features and programs that make a switch beneficial to the uncertain user.
7. Apple is hip with the young crowd and the early adopters, meaning that Vista won't be as well received with them.

8. Security is an issue and probably won't be fixed for a while to come.

dont agree to the quoted points ....

[VD17]

it might have a tougher run than XP did when it was launched.. but dont forget.. this is Microsoft, for cryin' out loud... they have a HUGE brand image and that itself makes people blindly trust MS.. besides, with all that eye candy, ppl. will be all the more tempted. Remember, most ppl. in developed countries wont find vista that "expensive"...

[subratabera]

The best thing about Micro$oft is, they are extremely good at marketing their product. So, no matter how good or BAD Vista is, they will surely able sell it to the masses...AFAIK Apple's new OS is far more superior than Vista, but very few people know about its features...

[tarey_g]

Originally Posted by koolbluez

Some SmartAlec @ TechCast had pointed out a definitive list of why Vista can't survive.

According to him, Apple and Linux will soon take a big dip into Microsoft's market share.
His list goes so....
1. It's expensive
2. It doesn't offer features promised that would have made it a contender, in essence, it's too little too late.
3. Many home and business computers won't be able to run it, cutting a huge slice out of their market share.
4. Its 5,000 different versions will leave users shocked and confused as to which one is right for their needs.
5. Dell, the world's biggest PC corporation is now giving users the option to not have Windows pre-installed on their computer.
6. Linux is free and is all the time getting new features and programs that make a switch beneficial to the uncertain user.
7. Apple is hip with the young crowd and the early adopters, meaning that Vista won't be as well received with them.
8. Security is an issue and probably won't be fixed for a while to come.
9. Even if your computer can run it, many features that are graphically intensive won't be runnable or will run slowly.

His list is true to a huge extent.
Whatddya say... will Vista survive Macs & Linuxes or will Microsoft have a great fall?

Ya may be ,but something i' like to say

1. It's expensive
XP was too.

2. It doesn't offer features promised that would have made it a contender, in essence, it's too little too late.
this one i agree

3. Many home and business computers won't be able to run it, cutting a huge slice out of their market share.
this was case with XP too

4. Its 5,000 different versions will leave users shocked and confused as to which one is right for their needs.
This point is stupid and idiotic. I like choices.

5. Dell, the world's biggest PC corporation is now giving users the option to not have Windows pre-installed on their computer.
i hope everyone follows Dell

6. Linux is free and is all the time getting new features and programs that make a switch beneficial to the uncertain user.
Linux was free always.

7. Apple is hip with the young crowd and the early adopters, meaning that Vista won't be as well received with them.
ya apple has its followers as always , nothing new.

8. Security is an issue and probably won't be fixed for a while to come.
This case was worse with XP.

9. Even if your computer can run it, many features that are graphically intensive won't be runnable or will run slowly.
Same was with XP when it came.



Similar case that was with Xp when it released ,still people run XP on their systems , there can be many reasons for vista to fail. the points made by that guy dont convince me.

[mehulved]

Originally Posted by koolbluez

1. It's expensive

Really speaking, which paid OS has even been considered cheap

Originally Posted by koolbluez

2. It doesn't offer features promised that would have made it a contender, in essence, it's too little too late.

That's the worst part about Vista but it's only known to tech entuiasts. For general users, there are no missing features cos ads never told them about it.

Originally Posted by koolbluez

3. Many home and business computers won't be able to run it, cutting a huge slice out of their market share.

Many of them can still keep XP, till support lasts

Originally Posted by koolbluez

4. Its 5,000 different versions will leave users shocked and confused as to which one is right for their needs.

This is one good thing. Choices are always better.

Originally Posted by koolbluez

5. Dell, the world's biggest PC corporation is now giving users the option to not have Windows pre-installed on their computer.

And few of them have some crappy FreeDOS or some stupid half-baked, stripped down, featureless linux installed. So, that's hardly appealing. They can just put in a working Linux distro and refuse support since users aren't paying for it.

Originally Posted by koolbluez

6. Linux is free and is all the time getting new features and programs that make a switch beneficial to the uncertain user.

Linux has been doing that all the time, just that, with a lot of cash and industry support coming in now, linux is getting advertised. So, people are coming to know linux. And that linux indeed has a GUI.

Originally Posted by koolbluez

7. Apple is hip with the young crowd and the early adopters, meaning that Vista won't be as well received with them.

It's been so since eternity. Apple need to give an aggressive push to the markets and launch ads and campaigns by now.

Originally Posted by koolbluez

8. Security is an issue and probably won't be fixed for a while to come.

Upcoming SP1?

Originally Posted by koolbluez

9. Even if your computer can run it, many features that are graphically intensive won't be runnable or will run slowly.

But many people will install it to boast, and maybe even upgrade the hardware for it. But, the same people refuse to buy Mac, which has a better UI.

[koolbluez]

Vovv.... guyz... Yeh main nahin keh raha... TechCast mein likha hai...

BTW... very mixed comments. But seems like Macs too stand a chance

Hey.. guyz... these r not my ideas... just wanted to bring out a poll on the same. Goin well so far...

[infra_red_dude]

i hope apple comes out wid a mac os for every pc user! that will be direct tough comptt. to vista! u simply can't resist the mac os. the rock solid bsd core and an excellant gui! apple should've been awarded the company of the century!

[mehulved]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

the rock solid bsd core and an excellant gui!

and other open source software like apache, cups, etc make up a quite substantial part of the system.

Yeh sure its gona work
__________
ITs gonna be the best

[Aberforth]

Vista is an MS product, predicting doom for it is going too far. Windows still is the favorite of average computer users who will get scared the hell out if you show them the BIOs setup screen in their computers. Besides they aren't going to miss the features in Vista as they haven't tried the better alternatives like Linux in the first place. Moreover Linux is still a little 'geeky' as getting it to work involved a fair bit of work unlike Windows. And which MS OS wasn't expensive, Windows '95 shipped for about Rs. 15000/- when it was released, didn't spell doom for Microsoft.

Mark my words, when Vista is released and in customers' PCs they'll be rambling about how MS made amazing innovations like Aero Glass interface.

[mediator]

Its very hard and useless to predict if VISTA will "chalega ya doobega".

When Xp came around most of my friends still had PCs with 64 MB RAM. But Xp survived and got successful then. Each n every hardware has a life. That life is governed by physical parameters. People will have to upgrade their existing machine with time and technology.

Gaming is a very big department and it needs high configurations. With time its obvious that technology will improve and so will the gaming department. Extreme Gaming enthusiasts upgrade their PCs like in every 6 months or less. My friend buys the latest graphic card wheneva its out. And the gaming department is ruled by Windows.

If such people can waste their money on upgrading their PCs for gaming, then installing VISTA will be nothing for them. Yes they can use XP, but then again whats the use of using an old OS on latest hardware?

VISTA prices also may fall. It has not released yet officially and we r all making guesses here. So there's no doubt that people will upgrade their PCs. They will have to upgrade their PCs either due to sluggish/failing hardware or to njoy the latest technology. Their hardware may survive longer, but not forever.

The only thing that will concern the average users who r least interested in gaming is price of VISTA. But again, prices may fall or as usual piracy will rule atleast in India.

So IMHO, one cannot clearly give his verdict clearly if Vista will "Chalega y doobega". There r too many factors that govern this.

As for Linux, yes one can give his/her verdict affirmly that it will continue to rise. Its requirements r low too. The people who have their old PCs working fine, may continue using Xp or use Linux to Njoy the thrill associated with it.

Only, Time will tell if VISTA will "chalega ya doobega"!

[praka123]

Coming to reality,With people all over the world applauding for past 14+ years on every release of Windows and microsoft's gr8 ad campaign,Vista will be a huge success.
But I expect End Users soon realise that Vista be a pain in the back with its incorporated DRM(Digital Restrictions Management)
But with Vista released,Hardware vendors may be benefitting for the major upgrade of H/W for Vista.
Linux already is getting much easier for Desktop Users and the old rumour that Linux is for geeks turned to be a lie formatted by Windows fanboys.
GNU/Linux is as good as or even better than Vista in Eyecandy and *NIXens are famous for its stability,security etc.But Free Software People cant beat Microsoft's influence in detecting the future of OS business as what i think.they(MS) are the *BORG* You know what can they do.

[kumarmohit]

I agree with mediator that its still to early to predict if Vista will be a success or failure. But its eye candy itself is going to be a USP considering that most people have not either seen OSX or still think Linux is a CUI operating system.

[gxsaurav]

MacOS will never dent in Windows Vista market, as long as it runs on Apple's properity hardware

Linux has potential, but not enough compeling features, & too many different standerds. It's not there yet, if it's the future, i will grab it in the future.

Windows Vista will rule, cos it has DX10 which drives the gaming Industry. It has new features which will bring new hardware standerds (Hybrid harddisk anyone). It's like a combination, Windows moves the CPU/GPU market, & new CPU/GPU move the Windows market

[shashank4u]

na chalega na dubega ..vista will swim slowly..(terega)...
it ll not be a huge success like ms xp...which is a hot favourite
for pc s with decent configuration.

[Abhishek Dwivedi]

Vista has the power to rock.......but what it demands is a good hardware configration...XP also did that....so...Vista will swim(as said by Shashank4u)

and soon take over market ...

but i am wating for XP sp3....wow...ne idea??

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by mediator

VISTA prices also may fall. It has not released yet officially

It has been released. It was already launched when you posted.

[Zeeshan Quireshi]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

MacOS will never dent in Windows Vista market, as long as it runs on Apple's properity hardware

Linux has potential, but not enough compeling features, & too many different standerds. It's not there yet, if it's the future, i will grab it in the future.

Windows Vista will rule, cos it has DX10 which drives the gaming Industry. It has new features which will bring new hardware standerds (Hybrid harddisk anyone). It's like a combination, Windows moves the CPU/GPU market, & new CPU/GPU move the Windows market

thee biggest Plus factor with MS is the gaming support in it's OS .

[sreevirus]

In my personal opinion, Vista's here to stay, whatever Linux enthusiasts and Mac maniacs might say.

You know, I've introduced some of my friends to Linux (SuSE and Ubuntu). But no one of them gave any hints of liking Linux. I still consider myself a n00b with linux (well, maybe an above-average n00b), but the number of phone calls I had to answer with respect to Linux doubts and queries were far too many when I compare it with Windows XP. People learn Windows far more easily than Linux. I would never complain about the advancements in the Linux GUI (openSuSE 10.2 is a real eye candy). But my friends were never satisfied with the Linux experience overall.
At one instance, my friend wanted to use XGL with compiz in SuSE on his PC. He's been really frustrated with it, and he still hasnt succeeded in configuring it. The result: he has given up. Also, since he's an avid gamer, he has shown the finger to Linux (believe me). If open-source freaks on this forum have grudges against my comments, read a little bit more.
When non-geek people generally think of an OS, they want things to be smooth (its a fact, many people will vouch for this). Please, look at what's easier: playing a DVD on windows, or downloading stuff and spending a large amount of time configuring stuff in the wild hope that you might be able to play it on linux. I've seen more people learning to configure things on windows without any help from the internet or a geek, than people trying out stuff by searching on google for help with Linux (I'm just one of them). C'mon man, why is open-source still closed when it comes to adding a little bit of proprietary stuff, that might endear it to more people on the lookout for a good software experience?? No mp3. No videos. This is not what normal people want. And the distros that do have these features out-of-the-box are indeed costly. (I rest my case here).
My friend was just one complainer. Another guy got scared of the GPL, referring to 'Use at your own risk' (yeah, he read the license).
And yes, no one was very happy or keen to use the command line for every damn mundane jobs.
Linux still has a loooong way to go, and I'll be waiting for a 'real' user-friendly Linux OS like I've been doing for 2 years.

Mac might be able to give Vista a run for its money, but I really don't see it gaining a foothold in India very soon (thanks to closed hardware and of course, the astronomical cost)
{Since we're on the topic, one of my friend's cousins couldn't access Sify internet through her macbook pro, and sify guys had no idea what the hell was going on; she had to use bootcamp to install XP...Anyone who might be able to help please PM me}.

So back to the topic...Vista will BE the preference for many now, in my own opinion...but then again, I could be wrong.

[eddie]

The main reasons mentioned, that can go against Vista's growth are Price, Hardware requirement, lack of new features and security.

Price: Since when has this stopped world from accepting Microsoft's software? People buy and they WILL buy, no questions asked. Apple and Linux in their current state don't come near Microsoft because of the marketing and business collaborations. Microsoft will market Vista very aggressively and will collaborate with PC vendors for supplying it. This is where the competitors lose out and Vista gains.

Hardware requirement: For last many years, it has been because of Microsoft that hardware manufacturing companies have flourished. Do you remember the times when XP was about to be released? We all had 64MB RAM and Celerons happily running Windows 2000 or Me. Did we have any complaints? No...but then came XP. What happened? People first upgraded to P4 and 128MB RAM just to install XP, then came SP1 and the RAM requirement went up to 256MB, then came SP2 and I can bet at least 80% people in here are running 512MB RAM in their computers rights now. Hardware requirement just doesn't hold ground. People WILL upgrade their hardware to install Vista.

Lack of new features: Ermm...what were the major feature enhancements between Windows 2000 and XP again? No, the blue theme and that wallpaper don't count. Once again the feature difference between XP and Vista will be "looks". Thats it...it looks cool and it is something to boast about. That is the reason good enough for people to move to it. Who would buy spanking new hardware and want to buy some old OS...no one!

Security: It is Microsoft!!! It has never been "Secure". Which one of their products failed because of that reason? I don't remember any. Do you?
__________
I am just going to reply to the read-a-little-more part. I am not trying to ignite a flame war here and did not mention any positive points of Linux in my above post but just want to clarify what you are saying.

Originally Posted by sreevirus

When non-geek people generally think of an OS, they want things to be smooth (its a fact, many people will vouch for this). Please, look at what's easier: playing a DVD on windows, or downloading stuff and spending a large amount of time configuring stuff in the wild hope that you might be able to play it on linux.

When I try to play my numerous AVI's and MPEG's on any Linux distro they play without any problems. I don't have to install XVID or something else because they come pre-installed. What happens with Windows? We have to install codecs? I don't see people cribbing about that. I have read enough about this MP3 codec thing. Its like only Linux has this problem. Don't you have download a gazillion things at the time of preparing Windows to work smoothly? Why so much of hype about Linux installation?

I've seen more people learning to configure things on windows without any help from the internet or a geek, than people trying out stuff by searching on google for help with Linux (I'm just one of them).

Do you use spoon while eating? Do you have any difficult in working out how to do it? No, because you've always had your food that way. Now try eating your rice using chopsticks. Can you do it? 90% of Indians can't do it and that is a conservative statement. The same logic applies to your question. People have been brought up on Windows. They have always used it...hence no problems.

And the distros that do have these features out-of-the-box are indeed costly. (I rest my case here).

Freespire, Dreamlinux, Ubuntu Mint, various other Ubuntu derivatives. I rest my case here.

Another guy got scared of the GPL, referring to 'Use at your own risk' (yeah, he read the license).

Ask him to read MS EULA as well. We will talk about it then

And yes, no one was very happy or keen to use the command line for every damn mundane jobs.

No need to. I never touched it in SuSE.

[subratabera]

Nicely explained @eddie. I have found something that may be useful. Please check it out...

It's 2007 and Linux has arrived!

[mediator]

Originally Posted by sreevirus

In my personal opinion, Vista's here to stay, whatever Linux enthusiasts and Mac maniacs might say.

You know, I've introduced some of my friends to Linux (SuSE and Ubuntu). But no one of them gave any hints of liking Linux. I still consider myself a n00b with linux (well, maybe an above-average n00b), but the number of phone calls I had to answer with respect to Linux doubts and queries were far too many when I compare it with Windows XP. People learn Windows far more easily than Linux. I would never complain about the advancements in the Linux GUI (openSuSE 10.2 is a real eye candy). But my friends were never satisfied with the Linux experience overall.
At one instance, my friend wanted to use XGL with compiz in SuSE on his PC. He's been really frustrated with it, and he still hasnt succeeded in configuring it. The result: he has given up. Also, since he's an avid gamer, he has shown the finger to Linux (believe me). If open-source freaks on this forum have grudges against my comments, read a little bit more.
When non-geek people generally think of an OS, they want things to be smooth (its a fact, many people will vouch for this). Please, look at what's easier: playing a DVD on windows, or downloading stuff and spending a large amount of time configuring stuff in the wild hope that you might be able to play it on linux. I've seen more people learning to configure things on windows without any help from the internet or a geek, than people trying out stuff by searching on google for help with Linux (I'm just one of them). C'mon man, why is open-source still closed when it comes to adding a little bit of proprietary stuff, that might endear it to more people on the lookout for a good software experience?? No mp3. No videos. This is not what normal people want. And the distros that do have these features out-of-the-box are indeed costly. (I rest my case here).
My friend was just one complainer. Another guy got scared of the GPL, referring to 'Use at your own risk' (yeah, he read the license).
And yes, no one was very happy or keen to use the command line for every damn mundane jobs.
Linux still has a loooong way to go, and I'll be waiting for a 'real' user-friendly Linux OS like I've been doing for 2 years.

Mac might be able to give Vista a run for its money, but I really don't see it gaining a foothold in India very soon (thanks to closed hardware and of course, the astronomical cost)
{Since we're on the topic, one of my friend's cousins couldn't access Sify internet through her macbook pro, and sify guys had no idea what the hell was going on; she had to use bootcamp to install XP...Anyone who might be able to help please PM me}.

So back to the topic...Vista will BE the preference for many now, in my own opinion...but then again, I could be wrong.

I request u not to deviate the topic to O.S1 VS O.S2 etc. If u wanna express ur thoughts n feel like deviating the topic then it wud be better to post here

And since u r giving so many "friend's" examples who r "noobies", then allow me to give one too similarly. My friend tried to install Xp when it was new n it was affected by "Blaster worm virus" resulting to reformat and reinstall. Then it the misery of BSOD's, crashes,.....list is too big! Another friend of mine cudn't install VISTA on his new PC. I dunno the reason, then he tried to install Xp, but the install disc got stuck on the starting stage itself. He said "Bhai maine haath jod liye. Toone linux kaha tha, please give that now". And next guess what? He said he liked Knoppix 5.1.0 very much. I told him try fedora and ubuntu tooo then.

So the list is endless! Please stick to the topic and discuss why Vista will "chalega ya doobega". Eye Candy? So many people have posted their VISTA desktop screenshots in this forums. And none of them matched the power of Beryl on Linux.

If u think I'm a linux fanboy, then u need to read my previous post again!

I can give a list of convincing points for why VISTA will not chalega. But then again, there r too many factors involved. So I think nobody can really say if it will "chalega ya doobega".

[praka123]

Vista,might had this time included many UNIX like features like File system permissions and user permissions setup incorporated.that may prevent virii infections>?

[ECE0105]

Not really sure. I have tried to use Linux for a long time now, but going nowhere. Mac? Forget it. I am a poor man and I can't afford even the Mac Mini, which is for around 33k (I guess...)

My P4 2.8GHz(511) with 1GB RAM etc... Cost me 20K. That is a better config than the Mac Mini (in terms of Hardware).

I can run Vista, but without the Aero Interface. But as long as Piracy Wins..., I have no issues with Vista or any other OS that M$ brings out.

Jai bolo Pirate Maharaj ki.......

[mehulved]

1 thing I should agree, if GPL scares them, then EULA should kill them. EULA is repstrictive whereas GPL is permissive.
They don't bother reading anything in Windows cos they're more or less familiar but Linux is new so they bother reading such licenses.
And it's not GNU who will sue them, it's the owners of patents which could sue them. But, that chances of that happening in India is null.

[sreevirus]

Originally Posted by eddie

When I try to play my numerous AVI's and MPEG's on any Linux distro they play without any problems. I don't have to install XVID or something else because they come pre-installed. What happens with Windows? We have to install codecs? I don't see people cribbing about that. I have read enough about this MP3 codec thing. Its like only Linux has this problem. Don't you have download a gazillion things at the time of preparing Windows to work smoothly? Why so much of hype about Linux installation?

Please tell me which distro? It might help me and some of my friends.
But please, when I was first introduced to windows XP, it played all my music and video CDs. Linux didn't. I had to learn a lot of stuff. And I could say that its my modest knowledge of Linux that's keeping my friends from formatting their ext3/reiserfs partitions. Please, do not assume that I'm anti Linux. I love trying things out, that's why I'm still using Linux. But also, please don't assume that I'm an uber-geek.

Originally Posted by eddie

Do you use spoon while eating? Do you have any difficult in working out how to do it? No, because you've always had your food that way. Now try eating your rice using chopsticks. Can you do it? 90% of Indians can't do it and that is a conservative statement. The same logic applies to your question. People have been brought up on Windows. They have always used it...hence no problems.

I anticipated an answer like this. I wasn't talking about people being used to Windows or Linux. I was talking about complete n00bs. I've seen people using Windows for the first time in their lives. And I have seen them being at ease on new land. Not the same in case of Linux. (For instance, my Dad). You don't blame people who never even have used a spoon in their life for not knowing how to use it. (But I will also not deny that some had problems with viruses).

But the opinion was similar in most cases: Linux is tough to use.
I'm not talking about developers and coders here, well versed with all the technical jargons associated with computers. I'm talking about simple minded people who need a simple OS.

Again, as some of you guys said, familiarity with windows is what keeps it going. You can't deny that now, there are more people knowing windows than linux. So support is a deciding factor. And i was answering to "kya vista chalega?". Daudega to nahi, na hi doobega, par chalega zaroor.

Originally Posted by eddie

Ask him to read MS EULA as well. We will talk about it then

Well, he ain't too worried about MS suing him for "disassembling, reverse engineering or trying to reduce the software to a human perceivable form..." because he knows he can't do things like that.


BTW, c'mon yaar, don't flame me for trying to introduce Linux in a Windowed building.


And mediator, I was trying to explain a scenario with respect to the topic. If you felt I was deviating, I apologise.

[Aberforth]

I remember an incident of a friend a few days back when he peeped my laptop while I was asking and asked, "Do you have Windows Vista?". I went on.."No, I have Windows MCE and Linux and I don't really need it" He went on sayinf how a classmate had Vista and how amazing, goodlooking it was. I booted to OpenSuse, showed him the ripple, cube effects, it had him astounded. But when I told him about the requirements and ways to enable it in his own laptop he backed off saying, "You are a technical guy, I can't understand these things. Windows will do for me." Well this is the picture which shows Vista isn't going to sink very soon. Firefox free, faster, quicker to install, easy to use and more secure but we still have a large market share of IE which pales Firefox share in comparison. So its too naive to predict outcomes of a multibillion dollar company on such assumption. Maybe MS will fall but not with Vista....

[mehulved]

Originally Posted by sreevirus

Well, he ain't too worried about MS suing him for "disassembling, reverse engineering or trying to reduce the software to a human perceivable form..." because he knows he can't do things like that.

GPL doesn't sue for such stuff either, on the other hand it encourages you to modify GPL'ed softwares and create something suitable for yourself.
We're going way off topic now. Maybe we can start a thread on this in Open Source.

[mediator]

Originally Posted by sreevirus

I'm not talking about developers and coders here, well versed with all the technical jargons associated with computers. I'm talking about simple minded people who need a simple OS.

Simplicity and ease is also governed by smoothness in running of the OS, maintainence, repair work, .....etc. For windows it implies disk defragment, installing antivirus,antispyware and its continous updating and updating the O.S itself continously. I dont think anybody wud call all this simple and easy.

Neways, I too dont intend to start a flame and OS war here. But I just request u to install any latest distro, equip it with codecs and beryl and then show it to ur friends. If one can download and install codecs,office,winamp,winrar,winzip.....etc in windows, then installing beryl and codecs in linux shudn't even bother them. There r many distros like suggested by @eddie which have all of this packaged in the cd itself! So u don't even need to install them from net.

Neways I'm glad to see that u have a similar mindset like me to learn things. So please read this, all the posts.