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Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?

Posted by WorBlux on 2012-04-05 20:24:47

In reply to Katherine Noyes

I would agree with hairyfeet that linux on the desktop has never really been alive. It's a lot more useful then BSD and Hiaku, but still sucks in certain ways that makes it difficult to mainstream.

I disagree with two points from the PCWorld article. Lets gather up the 100 most deployed desktop models (50 laptops, 50 towers) and install retail windows 7 and count the number of driver issues. Then repeat with some distro with a 3.2 or 3.3 version kernel. Linux just works on a large portion of hardware because most of the drivers are first-party. (Even halfway functional graphics drivers are on by default for the first boot) Sure you'd probably be able to bring up 90% of the computers to work with 7 and 80% with linux but it's in no small part to a distribution dominance of 7.

Also the rise of Mac has make Linux as a development platform more attractive. If you already are running a cross-platform library, it's not a epic endeavor to add one more platform.

Ferniez, the explosion of desktop environments is a good thing. It shows a lot of creativity, interest and completion in the desktop. Eventually the best ideas will filter though and we may even get something fantastic.

Also in the ARM world, which may bleed into low end or cheap desktops, Microsoft doesn't have an overwhelming user-base or legacy apps in the niche. Whereas Ubuntu has the source and porting while not painless is quite practicable.


*	Topic	Author	Date
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	Katherine Noyes	2012-04-02 05:08:59
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	WorBlux	2012-04-05 20:24:47
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	Ferniez	2012-04-02 09:50:05
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	pogson	2012-04-02 08:57:28
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	hairyfeet	2012-04-07 00:27:55
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	pogson	2012-04-07 23:18:24
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	hairyfeet	2012-04-08 15:12:07
	Re: Linux on the Desktop - Dead Again?	GeekHillbilly	2012-04-02 05:16:23