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It runs Linux as its OS. But ...
The management of the company that makes it can't say the "L-word" out loud for some reason. Which makes them either Microsoft Lackeys or Morons. Either way, would you buy a radio from them?
It might be used to run everything from PCs to power stations, but it seems some people are still a wee bit shy about using the (cough) L word.Speaking at the launch of the touchscreen Pure Sensia digital radio, director of marketing Colin Crawford was pressed for specifics of the new device's software. But after his CEO reminded him that the new radio was based on a Linux OS, Crawford remarked: "I don't like the using the word 'Linux' on a radio."
Technology
Comments
I'm sitting here on my laptop running Ubuntu Linux fuming a bit (it gives me far fewer headaches than my Vista running desktop). Linux is absolutely wonderful and it's really a slap in the face of Linux developers that they use the OS and won't acknowledge it. Morons.
Posted by: Noadi | September 29, 2009 2:42 PM
Sounds to me like the CEO wanted to play up the Linux angle, but the marketing guy wanted to cover it up. I can kind of see where marketing guy is coming from, though I think he's wrong. But is it fair to tar the entire company management because of the marketing guy?
Posted by: lylebot | September 29, 2009 3:18 PM
Lylebod: Yes, until he is publicly tarred and feathered!!!
Posted by: Greg Laden | September 29, 2009 3:21 PM
You have to avoid nerdy connotations in things as cool as radio. Actually drawing attention to an underlying technology as if it were a feature is sad geeky to the extreme, and nobody hip enough to be associated with broadcasting would EVER do anything that lame.
Oh yeah, and this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio
Posted by: Funkopolis | September 29, 2009 3:33 PM
But... if it's both "digital" and "linux" it must be really complicated!
Posted by: Alcari | September 29, 2009 3:58 PM
Clearly, his objection was that there's no such thing as a "Linux OS" and he felt it should be called "GNU/Linux" instead.
Clearly.
Posted by: mewol | September 29, 2009 4:20 PM
If it had been running Windows I bet he would have been equally keen to avoid using that word. Pure's market is obviously people who want a nice internet radio. Anything that makes them think of their radio as a stripped-down PC is likely to put off people who really don't want another computer in their house.
(For the record, I own a Revo Pico Radiostation, and I have no idea what OS it uses.)
Posted by: csrster | September 30, 2009 7:02 AM
Greg, shouldn't the marketing head be tarred and gzipped instead?...
Posted by: Bob | September 30, 2009 9:08 AM