Microsoft no longer thinks Linux poses a threat to its desktop Windows business.
Directions on Microsoft's Wes Miller pointed out via Twitter how Microsoft has changed the boilerplate "Competition" section in its last two annual financial filings with the SEC.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2010-12-12
Member since:2005-06-30
From the article:
"This only applies to the Windows desktop, however."
In other words, Linux on the server is still a huge threat, but when it comes to desktop usage, you are exactly right. In addition to the three projects you mentioned, there's the problem of buggy graphics drivers from everybody except nVidia, and half the time you can't suspend/resume with the blob.
With regard to KDE4, Gnome3, Unity, there's one other thing to take into consideration: Microsoft got Windows 7 right. Add Cygwin and gVim and you've got a mature, stable desktop. The closest thing we have in FOSS is KDE4, which seems like the buggy, retarded clone of Win7. Unless you're broke, or follower of some ideology, there's no real advantage to using a Linux desktop anymore.
Member since:2006-01-10
Well except that Windows 7 still likes to try to control your environment far too much for my likes.
I really can't stand using Windows for much more than launching games.
If they ported Steam and all the games under it for Linux, I can pretty much guarantee a lot of people would switch. The only reason that hasn't happened with the Mac OS X port, is that the initial purchase price of Macs are still WAY too high for the hardware you get.
Member since:2010-03-08
I'd say that in my experience, the Win7 UX ranks very high in the hall of shame of retardedness. Performance is terrible, the updating system... well... makes me wonder if abolishing death penalty was the right choice, the explorer breadcrumbs are ridiculously small and you need to hack your system with admin rights to get a Up button, the control panel is a mess, Notepad++ is no match for a Kate as far as usability is concerned...
GNOME 2 on F14 is far from flawless (#1 urge to kill is that column of inactive pixels on the corner of the panel, making mouse targeting stupidly painful), but it works definitely best for me.
Edited 2011-08-12 15:14 UTC
Member since:2011-03-08
I freaking love Gnome 3. But there is a very good reason why it is called "personal preference." The Gnome 3, Unity, KDE, OS X DM, Windows DM argument sounds like the same fucking argument over gay marriage in the US. Who cares?! If you aren't gay, why the fuck does it bother you? This is the exact same situation. Who cares if you don't like Gnome 3. I do, you don't, we can still be (internet) friends. Chill. I don't particularly care for OS X or Windows, but I'm not bashing it or anyone who uses it.
Member since:2007-11-24
Member since:2007-07-19
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Member since:
2008-12-16
I guess GNOME 3, KDE 4 and Unity succeeded in their mission