Google has finally acknowledged that its characterization of Android as open source is false and, in the end, this can only make the mobile platform stronger, InfoWorld's Galen Gruman argues. 'It's hard for believers to accept that open source brings with it difficulties, but look at the consistent failure of the other open source mobile platforms -- Moblin, Maemo, and MeeGo -- that all devolved into grad-student-like thought experiments and personal pet projects. Users don't want that, and ultimately products are sold to users.' Instead, Google has been quietly taking parts of Android back in house to develop them purposefully and deeply, and as Google has asserted more control over Android, it's improved.
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Member since:2009-05-13
Why?? Seriously There is nothing that you can't do on MacOSX or Windows that you can do on Linux or BSD based OSes.
So they finally put APT on Windows? Can I also mount my home folder on a software raid-1 partition?
Can I hack a wireless network from MacOSX, now?
Can I choose among different desktop environments?
Can I configure a Windows system for complete security? Can MacOSX run on a ten years old computer as a network firewall?
Most of all, can I legally use Windows of MacOSX free of charge?
Oh and can I patch stuff or even report a bug on those systems?
Member since:2010-03-08
Just one little note : there is such a thing as a bug tracker for Windows, and other Microsoft products.
http://connect.microsoft.com/
It's just that few people know about it, and that the Microsoft employees there often behave more like technical support ("Here's how you can get around the problem") than like bug smashers ("Okay, help us find out where the problem comes from so that we can truly fix it")
Edited 2011-08-13 09:50 UTC
Member since:2009-08-18
Got me there ... I can't use a slow package management system, but I can install programs quickly and easily from .exe and .msi files (or I just unzip) ;-D.
http://www.softwaresecretweapons.com/jspwiki/windows-7-software-rai...
Yes ... you can do this on any computer ... seriously it us just a network protocol.
On Windows XP and MacOSX you can yes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_shell_replacement
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/~eoster/osxx11/
dunno why you want to but yes.
Yes it called unplugging the network cable, pouring concrete over it and putting it at the bottom of the ocean ... No computer system is 100% secure.
No okay, got me there. But why would you want to use a 10 year old computer as a firewall and spend more money running it than buying a decent router ... I have no f--king idea.
TBH if it being $0 is the only reason you are using something that just makes you a cheapskate ... I personally don't mind buying a Windows License for £120 and then get to use that product for approximately 10-14 years with support ... Lets just work out how much that costs per day of use ..
£120 / (365 * 10) = £0.03 = 3pence a day ...
I think that is the amount I usually put into the charity box when I get given change at the local store.
Windows has an automatic bug reporting tool, and both systems have regular updates and patches.
If you are going to say "I can patch the sources yourself" ... I doubt very much you write your own Kernel patches so all you are doing is patching the system yourself.
Way to go buddy ... you have proved you are a ignorant cheapskate
Edited 2011-08-13 10:05 UTC
Member since:2007-05-27
Why?? Seriously There is nothing that you can't do on MacOSX or Windows that you can do on Linux or BSD based OSes.
So they finally put APT on Windows? Can I also mount my home folder on a software raid-1 partition?
Can I hack a wireless network from MacOSX, now?
Can I choose among different desktop environments?
Can I configure a Windows system for complete security? Can MacOSX run on a ten years old computer as a network firewall?
Most of all, can I legally use Windows of MacOSX free of charge?
Oh and can I patch stuff or even report a bug on those systems? "
So in summary, all the things you listed that Linux apparently can do and Win/MacOS apparently cannot are next to useless for 99.9% of people.
Member since:2006-09-21
You have effectively proven that closed source software is not for you.
But I'm going to tell you something: the people who care about the stuff that you mentioned, scientists and engineers, represent about 1% of the population. Now you could argue that there are plenty of people who are interested in the stuff that you mentioned, yet aren't professional scientists or engineers. Which would be true. Yet it is also true that a significant proportion of those scientists and engineers couldn't give a damn about a single thing that you mentioned on your list. So I'm going to suggest that you're still stuck at about 1% of the population who even cares about the same things that you care about.
And guess what? Google doesn't want to serve 1% of the market. Worse yet, they don't want to serve 1% of the market that is both fragmented among competitors and a market that would fragment their own product into competitors.
So if you want to use open source, I wish all the best to you. But please don't expect everyone to follow you if only they were a bit smarter.
Member since:2007-09-22
"Why?? Seriously There is nothing that you can't do on MacOSX or Windows that you can do on Linux or BSD based OSes."
I don't know about you, but I work on servers a lot of the time where Linux does have a lot of advantages over MacOSX and Windows and having the same system on my desktop is really useful.
Also my Linux desktop is a lot more stable than Windows, even Windows 7. I've seen lots of problems with it. Maybe not BSOD, but still things that needed a reboot just to be useable again.
But I do know Linux really well, much better than most know Windows I'm sure. Just so you know, I do Windows server management also, so I know Windows fairly well to.
If you take a Linux distribution which doesn't want to support all the new fancy hyped features and your hardware is properly supported it is more stable than Windows.
But finding hardware which has good drivers, especially graphics, can be a problem.
Obviously that is mostly a vendors and desktop marketshare problem, not really a Linux problem.
If the vendors give out all the information needed to make the drivers, the Linux developers would develop the driver. Just look at the Linux Driver Project.
But just to summarize: it all depends on what you use it for.
Don't say Windows is better, it isn't true. It is different. And different people have different use-cases.
Member since:2009-08-18
Member since:2008-08-03
That's a totally ignorant statement, and raises the question why you are on an OS enthusiast site. Almost any operating system offers some unique features, and Linux/BSD both offer several that don't exist on MacOSX or Windows, as well as each having their own unique benefits. If you can't think of anything you can't do on MacOSX or Windows that you can do on Linux or BSD based OSes, you fail at operating systems.
Member since:2009-08-18
Member since:2010-04-30
While I agree with most of what you wrote, this:
is not true.
Yes, in general, NT is reliable but not "extremely", and yes, you can see BSODs (at least on XP) for purely software-related problems. The last one I experienced was because of a bug that made XP restart or show a BSOD, if you run a program with a certain type of manifest file. A fix was available soon after, but still, it's insane that something as simple as an XML file can crash the whole OS.
Member since:2007-09-22
But the fun only just started with Windows Vista/7/2008, the Ping Of Death is back:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS11-064.mspx
Member since:2009-05-19
Windows NT kernel is extremely reliable (especially after NT 4.0) and you will not see BSODs or system lockups unless you have failing hardware.
I'm happy for you.
And my 4 y/o machine(that has hardware labelled as supported by Vista) has a crapload of issues when I switch to play games on Windows7. Main reason why Linux is my main OS now - the hardware support is nowhere near what it is in Linux. I guess the tables have turned...
Member since:2009-08-18
I honestly think that some of these problems are made up tbh or you guys buy the cheapest shittiest e-machine PCs.
I have never seen Vista or 7 BSOD for anything that was not hardware related ... never. I used to make a little extra cash fixing computers while at uni.
"In Real Life" as opposed to the internet is the only places that I see these problems.
The third and final WWDC product I want to talk about is - of course - OS X 10.9 Mavericks. While iOS 7 was clearly the focus of this year's WWDC, its venerable desktop counterpart certainly wasn't left behind. Apple announced OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the first OS X release not to carry the name of a big cat.
We already talked about iOS 7 yesterday (after a night of sleep, it's only looking worse and worse - look at this, for Fiona's sake!), so now it's time to talk about the downright stunning and belly flutters-inducing new Mac Pro. As former owner and huge, huge, huge fan of the PowerMac G4 Cube - I haven't been this excited about an Apple product since, well, I would say the iMac G4. This is the Apple I used to love.
Apple held its big keynote event thing at WWDC earlier this evening, but since I was away with friends I've had to read up on it later in the evening. The company announced iOS 7, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and they gave a preview of the new Mac Pro. Especially the Mac Pro impressed me, and while iOS 7's new Holo/Metro-inspired theme looks messy and garish to me, I do commend Apple for finally breaking the mold. This news item will focus on iOS 7 - I'll dive into the Mac Pro and OS X 10.9 tomorrow (it's late here now).
And yes, the PRISM scandal is far, far from over. More and more information keeps leaking out, and the more gets out, the worse it gets. The companies involved have sent out official statements - often by mouth of their CEOs - and what's interesting is that not only are these official statements eerily similar to each other, using the same terms clearly designed by lawyers, they also directly contradict new reports from The New York Times. So, who is lying?This story is getting bigger and bigger. Even though most Americans probably already knew, it is now official: the United States government, through its National Security Agency, is collecting the communications and data of all American citizens, and of non-Americans using American services, through a wide collaboration with the large companies in technology, like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and so on. Interestingly enough, the NSA itself, as well as the US government, have repeatedly and firmly denied this massive spying on Americans and non-Americans took place at all.Ah, patents - the never-ending scourge of the technology industry. Whether wielded by companies who don't actually make any products, or large corporations who abuse them because they can't compete in the market place or because they're simply jerks, they do the industry a huge disservice and are simply plain dangerous. According to The Wall Street Journal (circumvention link), president Obama is about to take several executive actions to address patent trolls - which may seem like a good idea, but I am very worried that all this will do is strengthen the positions of notorious patent system abusers such as Apple and Microsoft.
With version 13.05, the developers of the Genode OS Framework take measures to ensure that Genode continues to scale well with a growing number of users and the steadily broadening platform coverage. Further highlights are the improved SoC support for Exynos 5, OMAP4, Raspberry Pi, i.MX, and new components for realizing headless systems.At the D11 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again took the stage to be interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. While most of the interview can be replicated by picking and reading 10 random Apple fanblog stories - there were still a number of very interesting things that warrant some closer scrutiny.
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.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!
Member since:
2009-08-18
I honestly wonder if you guys live in the real world.
Why?? Seriously There is nothing that you can't do on MacOSX or Windows that you can do on Linux or BSD based OSes.
What utter rubbish. Typical Elitism ... "other people only use stuff because they don't know any better."
People want stuff that works outta the box, most people don't want to have to tinker etc etc ... nobody buys a washing machine where you have to install the drum yourself.
Yes it is becoming like Windows, in that it is ubiquitous ... you are just butthurt that Google have realized that open sourcing the platform doesn't give them any benefit.
What utter rubbish again.
I haven't had 1 single crash system lockup from my Windows XP machine at work that gets used 10 hours a day ... 5 days a week for 2 years.
My Windows 7 machine runs flawlessly without reboot for months.
Windows NT kernel is extremely reliable (especially after NT 4.0) and you will not see BSODs or system lockups unless you have failing hardware.