Linked by David Adams on Tue 4th Dec 2007 19:39 UTC, submitted by michuk
"It may be a brave opinion but I predict that Ubuntu Linux and Windows Vista are going to be the two operating systems that will take over the largest chunk of the desktop OS market during the next couple of years. This comparison is based on my experience with both systems during the last couple of weeks on two different computers."
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Member since:2007-02-17
However, what I want, and I suspect a lot of OSS advocates also want, is for a major manufacturer to take that giant extra step and assertively offer such support from the ground up.
Either buy direct from here, or buy one of the models this dealer sells:
http://www.system76.com/
http://system76.com/index.php?cPath=28
http://system76.com/index.php?cPath=27
http://system76.com/index.php?cPath=29
That way, you don't even have to do the little bit of research, or indeed if you want you don't even have to get the liveCD & install the system.
And you can get support:
http://system76.com/articles.php?tPath=5
http://system76.com/article_info.php?articles_id=24
More & more people, somewhat to their surprise apparently, are finding that it is actually typically trouble-free:
http://bluesuncorp.co.uk/2007/12/04/five-days-of-ubuntu-linux
Edited 2007-12-05 12:44
Member since:2005-06-29
With all due respect, I think you are still blatantly (perhaps intentionally?) missing my point. I know that there are already small companies out there who offer Linux based systems and even support those systems. I'm not arguing against that at all. My point is, for Linux to truly become a household name, even so much as OSX is, will require at least one of the major, well-known manufacturers to take that extra step and start actively supporting Linux from the ground up. Go to a restaurant and take a survey of the guests, how many do you think have heard of System76 or Everex? Now, ask if they've heard of Dell, or HP, or IBM (now Lenovo of course) and I guarantee that most if not all will have at least heard the names. It's going to take a big move by one of the top tier brands to make this happen.
For you and me, who are already Linux enthusiasts, System76 and similar small outfits are the way to go at this moment in time. Don't get me wrong, I certainly believe in the power of word-of-mouth campaigns especially in the OSS world, but there are times when it takes a leap of faith by a powerful entity to really get the ball moving in the right direction. When, not if, this happens, I just hope they do it right and stay true to the message and philosophy of Free computing. For the OSS concept to become mainstream will take a mainstream player in the game, period.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/25/13 0:45 UTC
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 23:59 UTC
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 22:33 UTC
Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on 05/24/13 21:41 UTC
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 14:44 UTC
"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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 23:22 UTC
"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."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:04 UTC
"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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:01 UTC
"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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
"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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"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.More News »
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Member since:
2005-06-29
You are exactly right in that, with a little research, a computer that is fully supported by Linux can be found. My own laptop, with the exception of the wireless card and the ATI video chip, is supported from a fresh install in Ubuntu, OpenSuSE, and even plain vanilla Debian. Changing my wireless card and waiting for the open source ATI drivers will make it 100%, and a couple of mouse clicks on my part gets those two items working in a binary-only fashion today.
However, what I want, and I suspect a lot of OSS advocates also want, is for a major manufacturer to take that giant extra step and assertively offer such support from the ground up. I want Dell or HP or Lenovo to design and build a system or series of systems for the consumer that have 100% Linux compatibility, come with it preinstalled, AND have the same level of customer and technical support as their Vista-based brethren. That, I think, will be the turning point for Linux as a home desktop and mobile computing platform en masse.
Indeed, it started with the above named companies listening to their customers and venturing into these uncharted waters. I'm not complaining at all that they didn't go "all the way" immediately, I'm just patiently awaiting the day that they do while I silently thank them for what they have done already.