Efforts to bring glitzy new graphics to Linux are fueling an old conflict: Does proprietary software belong in open-source Linux? The issue involves software modules called drivers, which plug into the kernel at the heart of the open-source operating system. Drivers let software communicate with hardware such as network adapters, hard drives and video cards.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-07-06
It's not a lack of hardware support which holding back Linux on the desktop, but the expectation of some potential users that Linux be a seemless drop in replacement for Windows.
And where does the blame lie?
Linux hardware support is good, I won't argue that. But this is a roadblock that is hurting it. It could gain a leg on Microsoft if the leaders weren't so adament about everything being "pure" and "Free".
Member since:2005-07-02
It could gain a leg on Microsoft if the leaders weren't so adament about everything being "pure" and "Free".
That's the point, though, they aren't (whoever those "leaders" are...)
As I've indicated in my previous post, this has NOTHING to do with market share. I don't know of a single person who's told me: "yeah, I would use Linux, but the NVIDIA/ATI drivers aren't installed by default."
Member since:2006-02-12
Member since:2005-07-11
It could gain a leg on Microsoft if the leaders weren't so adament about everything being "pure" and "Free".
Well, given that there are some rather loud and obnoxious detractors, I don't see a lot real resistance to Nvidia and ATI out there. The Xorg team, for instance, works quite closely with both manufacturers.
That said, I think the way forward for Linux desktops is to push Linux's strengths rather than trying create a Windows work-a-like. Linux desktops make sense in some, but by no means all, corporate environments where the desktops are all centrally managed. Linux really begins to make sense in a thin client environment. I use Linux on my home computer, but I really fail to see the sense in pushing Linux as general purpose consumer OS. I say let MS and Apple fight over that space. It has razor thin margins and it's a support nightmare as well.
Member since:2006-02-17
Member since:2005-07-11
That was my point. I wasn't claiming Linux is better because it supports far more hardware than a Mac. I only wanted to demonstrate that lack of harware support isn't really the problem with Linux desktops, it's the expectations on the part of some potential users that Linux absolutely must support every single random periphereal supported by Windows in order to be a viable replacement. Mac users don't have that expectation and neither should Linux users.
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently.
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing."The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run."There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
Member since:
2005-07-11
Which brings me to my point: it's about user expectations, not hardware support.
Mac user's don't expect their Mac to support every periphereal under the sun, so why should Linux users expect the same? I surmise that actual Linux users don't actually, that point of view is one that is usually espoused by Windows users when giving reasons for why they won't switch to Linux. Which, for what it's worth, I consider to be a perfectly valid reason.
It's not a lack of hardware support which holding back Linux on the desktop, but the expectation of some potential users that Linux be a seemless drop in replacement for Windows.