Speculation thread: What must linux do to become more competitive in the home desktop
- Thread starter mjdted
- Start date
Support AMD/ATi hardware betterer. 
Why get linux then?
The usual argument I see about this is that GNU/Linux is too unlike Windows and that people don't like the change.
In my view, I'll never switch from Windows to another Windows with a different name. Linux ditros have to provide a better experience not just another start menu with a penguin icon on it.
In my view, I'll never switch from Windows to another Windows with a different name. Linux ditros have to provide a better experience not just another start menu with a penguin icon on it.
I sort of disagree with that one. For at home, I could see myself buying a Linux box simply because I wouldn't have to pay for Vista. I would be running Linux with OpenOffice and FireFox for instance and basically we'd have all that we need for home use, but without having to pay for the OS, basically.
For my work things are getting more interesting too. What if I can run VMWare on my laptop from Linux? Actually, the mother firm of the company I work sells something very interesting in that area - basically its a modern twist back to server/terminal using Linux and some extremely energy efficient hardware, that pays for even the initial investment in the first year just from the energy savings alone, never mind all the maintenance benefits and the fact that hardware can stay around for much longer. It's quite amazing, already selling well (some big companies already on the client list), and I think it will see a lot of copy cats very soon, because it just makes an aweful lot of sense, yet I didn't see this coming at all - suddenly it was just there, and it's immediately attractive and sellable.
For my work things are getting more interesting too. What if I can run VMWare on my laptop from Linux? Actually, the mother firm of the company I work sells something very interesting in that area - basically its a modern twist back to server/terminal using Linux and some extremely energy efficient hardware, that pays for even the initial investment in the first year just from the energy savings alone, never mind all the maintenance benefits and the fact that hardware can stay around for much longer. It's quite amazing, already selling well (some big companies already on the client list), and I think it will see a lot of copy cats very soon, because it just makes an aweful lot of sense, yet I didn't see this coming at all - suddenly it was just there, and it's immediately attractive and sellable.
1. Better hardware support.
2. Games.
3. Consistency. There are some things that are infuriating to do because they require some third-party tool or command line fiddling to do something very straightforward. The damn thing should just work.
4. Native versions of killer apps (Photoshop, for example).
2. Games.
3. Consistency. There are some things that are infuriating to do because they require some third-party tool or command line fiddling to do something very straightforward. The damn thing should just work.
4. Native versions of killer apps (Photoshop, for example).
Linux will have to be by Microsoft and be called Windows. The other option is to be made by Apple and called OSX.
Really, all they have to do is look at OSX. OSX is BSD or UNIX with a lot of candy on top to make it easy for anyone to use. The last time I used Linux, which was a couple years ago, it was still a pain in the ass. Linux at one time, when it was very simple, was very stable. The last time I tried it I had lockups, program crashes, incompatibilities, dependency errors, annoying installs and modifications. The average person would not touch that with a hundred foot pole.
Really, all they have to do is look at OSX. OSX is BSD or UNIX with a lot of candy on top to make it easy for anyone to use. The last time I used Linux, which was a couple years ago, it was still a pain in the ass. Linux at one time, when it was very simple, was very stable. The last time I tried it I had lockups, program crashes, incompatibilities, dependency errors, annoying installs and modifications. The average person would not touch that with a hundred foot pole.
Hardware interaction is the hardest part IMO.
My mom acquired a digital camera and an MP3 player from my younger brother, and without even so much as looking for a CD, she just plugged them both into her XP box and starting transferring files. She's 54 years old and knew enough to simply plug them in and see if they showed up in "My Computer".
How would you explain trying to install either of those on a Linux system? And then transfer files to them? Sure, there are those flavors of Linux out there that, with enough "snap-ins" on top, could make that work.
Contrary to the Apple marketing slogan, people use Windows because "It just works." Yes, we can all laugh and joke at security patches and lockups, but as their respective user and hardware markets expand, OSX and Linux are starting to experience the exact same issues. It supports pretty much every piece of PC hardware manufactured on this planet for the last 10 years (Vista has finally broken that, which I think is actually a good thing...), and supports apps even further back.
You click on something, it installs, you use it, the end. Until Linux is that simple, it won't have the marketshare.
Humorously, OSX is starting to pick up -- I think they're at 6% now? OSX is a great piece of software, but I think Apple's marketing is going to ultimately kill them if they continue down the same road. As more and more people start using the Mac platform, it's going to become obvious that it has it's own problems just like Microsoft does.
My mom acquired a digital camera and an MP3 player from my younger brother, and without even so much as looking for a CD, she just plugged them both into her XP box and starting transferring files. She's 54 years old and knew enough to simply plug them in and see if they showed up in "My Computer".
How would you explain trying to install either of those on a Linux system? And then transfer files to them? Sure, there are those flavors of Linux out there that, with enough "snap-ins" on top, could make that work.
Contrary to the Apple marketing slogan, people use Windows because "It just works." Yes, we can all laugh and joke at security patches and lockups, but as their respective user and hardware markets expand, OSX and Linux are starting to experience the exact same issues. It supports pretty much every piece of PC hardware manufactured on this planet for the last 10 years (Vista has finally broken that, which I think is actually a good thing...), and supports apps even further back.
You click on something, it installs, you use it, the end. Until Linux is that simple, it won't have the marketshare.
Humorously, OSX is starting to pick up -- I think they're at 6% now? OSX is a great piece of software, but I think Apple's marketing is going to ultimately kill them if they continue down the same road. As more and more people start using the Mac platform, it's going to become obvious that it has it's own problems just like Microsoft does.
I suppose that's true as long as they don't try to go to a website that uses quicktime, flash or wmv and find out they have to do some weird hacks to watch it.
Or if they start opening documents with OpenOffice only to find the formatting is messed up.
Simple things like that have to just work right away, or people will get mad and switch to the same thing everyone else is using.
The best example of Linux's failings that I can think of is the ALSA debacle...
http://insanecoding.blogspot.com/2007/05/sorry-state-of-sound-in-linux.html
Linux has too many problems almost as ridiculous as this. With Windows, most things work out of the box unless the company who made the hardware you're using or the software you're using fucked up(Hello, Creative. Nice to meet you!).
Windows isn't perfect by any means, but it's a hell of a lot easier to use most of the time.
http://insanecoding.blogspot.com/2007/05/sorry-state-of-sound-in-linux.html
Linux has too many problems almost as ridiculous as this. With Windows, most things work out of the box unless the company who made the hardware you're using or the software you're using fucked up(Hello, Creative. Nice to meet you!).
Windows isn't perfect by any means, but it's a hell of a lot easier to use most of the time.
Berek
Regular
Make an easier to use experience, and have games run on it reliably and efficiently?
Linux is a very iffy experiment right now in many respects. It needs to pull itself together and bring in these other elements to be a truly successful OS.
It needs more official support too... that might help its current chaotic situation.
Linux is a very iffy experiment right now in many respects. It needs to pull itself together and bring in these other elements to be a truly successful OS.
It needs more official support too... that might help its current chaotic situation.
from my own experience (using several years Ubuntu as second OS), while theres a wealth of apps for everything in Linux, most of them are buggy or unsuited for different workloads (graphical apps, commandline are fine). Take gedit for example - its a nice and simple texteditor, but load up a big file and it crawls to a halt (shouldnt happen on todays CPUs).
Openoffice is a good enough Office-Package for me, only because I dont use it productively, but compared to Word its insanely sluggish and unresponsive.
And dont get me started on mediaplayers.....
It might be nice if all you do is watching spinning cubes, but finding good & stable programms to use everyday is hard... and getting all of em to fit nicely in a single Desktop Enviromnent is probably impossible. I cant help but feeling im looking at a big bunch of ducttape instead of ONE nice environment.
Then theres the the KML, which abhoars necessary changes by sticking with 30-years old Unix annoyances (keywords: atime, inodes) and primary catering for the needs of servers.
Openoffice is a good enough Office-Package for me, only because I dont use it productively, but compared to Word its insanely sluggish and unresponsive.
And dont get me started on mediaplayers.....
It might be nice if all you do is watching spinning cubes, but finding good & stable programms to use everyday is hard... and getting all of em to fit nicely in a single Desktop Enviromnent is probably impossible. I cant help but feeling im looking at a big bunch of ducttape instead of ONE nice environment.
Then theres the the KML, which abhoars necessary changes by sticking with 30-years old Unix annoyances (keywords: atime, inodes) and primary catering for the needs of servers.
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