South Africa native and current London resident Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical Ltd. and the Ubuntu Linux distribution, told DesktopLinux.com Friday in an interview that widespread adoption of Linux on the desktop - so long-awaited by many people. "Yes - I think Linux will be the dominant platform. It already defines the landscape in the server space (from supercomputers to YouTube). The desktop is just a matter of time."
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2006-03-22
The same is valid for installing an new program on windows.You have to get acquainted first.
Yes, but majority of users are used to Windows-way of doing it.
where do you draw the line?
There will allways be users who don't even know what todo with the links you suggested.
I think a GUI package manager looks the most familiar with what the majority of PC users know from working with windows.AKA windows add/remove,although linux package managers such as apt-get,emerge are much more advanced in my opinion.
I didn't mean that package manager should go away, or anything like that. I just ment that adding special handler for links to packages would make things even easier for users. It would be just an additional way (or "interface") to use the same system.
I never used "add/remove" thing to "install" something. Only for "uninstall" and only when application didn't have own uninstall link/icon/app/whatever.
I started using package manager after Ubuntu (well... i used it on Knoppix too, but it was much less "friendly" there) and liked it. Even though i like it and use it i would find it much easier to click on link in webbrowser than to open package manager, find application by name, double click it and click "apply" button. And i don't mean it in a way that "it's too complicated for me to click more times", but in a way that "it requires more time, and i'm lazy" 
.
Member since:2005-07-06
I didn't mean that package manager should go away, or anything like that. I just ment that adding special handler for links to packages would make things even easier for users. It would be just an additional way (or "interface") to use the same system.
just curious,have you ever tried PCBSD?
Their PBI system is as easy as it gets,namely double-click on the file and the rest is pretty dead on.
Member since:
2005-07-06
You're right that using package manager is very easy, but only after user knows where it is in menu.
The same is valid for installing an new program on windows.You have to get acquainted first.
Wouldn't it be MUCH easier for everyone to have "special" type of link for packages? Just like we have mailto://[email address] we could also have package://[package name] (maybe with additional path like "/[version number]"
where do you draw the line?
There will allways be users who don't even know what todo with the links you suggested.
I think a GUI package manager looks the most familiar with what the majority of PC users know from working with windows.AKA windows add/remove,although linux package managers such as apt-get,emerge are much more advanced in my opinion.
Any slightly advanced windows user with average intelligence will without doubt feel in no time at home behind a userfriendly Ubuntu,PCBSD,etc desktop.
A lot of PC users don't want to learn new windows programs much less a new OS.
What would be more interesting in my opinion is the experience of two equivalent newbies where one begins to learn windows and the other PCBSD or ubuntu.
If IBM hadn't given MS a change a long time ago we would propably all use OS2 Warp now.MS didn't reach the current level of marketshare with fierce competition.
Edited 2006-11-19 13:12