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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RE: Linux as a leading desktop platform? Why?
by DeadFishMan on Wed 5th Dec 2007 18:47
in reply to "Linux as a leading desktop platform? Why?"
Member since:2006-01-09
Ditto. I couldn't have said it any better. I also don't want Linux to become the leading platform to avoid the sort of thing that you described. It just needs to reach critical mass so that hardware manufacturers start to take it seriously and start to develop drivers for their products for Linux (releasing the specs so that all the OSS ecosystem including BSD, Haiku, Syllable and others could benefit would be even better!), ISVs can see the benefit in actually bringing their applications to the platform and the people that adopted it not because they hate Windows or want to look 1337 to their friends but actually appreciate its strengths can keep using it and improving it without having to make it Windows-ish or OSX-ish in order to cater to the lowest common denominator.
You deserved that mod point up, mate!
Edited 2007-12-05 18:55
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Member since:
2005-07-06
Call me crazy, but why should we (as Linux users) want Linux to be the leading desktop platform?
Leading server platform and/or development platform, sure... but desktop?
Targeting Joe-six-pack carries a hefty price tags - one that I (for one) don't really like to pay.
Has anyone ever studied the effect that over-automation/dumbed-down UI interfaces/over-GUI-zation have on security? stability? remote management? power users?
Do we really want to be a second Windows where you don't really need to open the console, but you have laughable console capabilities and you may spend days removing broken registry entries that were generated by a broken Norton A/V installation?
Again, I'm not saying that this is -bad-, I am saying the that Windows became Windows partially because it targeted Joe-sixpack and (far-worse!) Joe-six-pack your friendly IT manager.
Having said all that, thankfully, in the OSS world I can mix and match my own distro - leaving the offending of the Joe-six-pack parts out.
- Gilboa