Linked by Allen Boyles on Mon 7th Nov 2011 09:46 UTC
In the commercial software world, user interfaces are generally designed by one group. Like Microsoft for Windows or Apple for Mac OS. Those desktop environments were designed by one company who did things like user testing and statistical analysis to try and make the desktop they thought would work best. Linux is different. Large groups definitely DO perform user testing and statistical analysis, but one group can also say "Here's what we want" and, if they have the ability to code it, their idea comes into being. It's pretty amazing, when you think about it. Linux lets people create what they want. If you don't like what's out there, fork it! Or start from scratch! You're in control!
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Member since:2010-06-08
I'd argue that Android can't be counted as success of Linux on mobile, because Android doesn't share that success with the rest of the Linux world at all.
Real mobile Linux systems like Meego, Mer/Nemo and so on are still way behind in maturity and adoption. They however can be counted as Linux on mobile.
Edited 2011-11-08 00:07 UTC
RE[2]: Mainstream success
by Bill Shooter of Bul on Tue 8th Nov 2011 01:05
in reply to "RE: Mainstream success"
Member since:2006-07-14
Member since:2010-01-07
[q]This group seems to be a bit missing the point regarding mainstream success:
1) Linux is over 60% of the server market
2) Linux is around 92-97% of the super computing market
3) Linux is around 40% of the embedded OS space
4) Linux is the 2nd most popular virtual operating system on mainframLinux LInux is doing fantastic in mobile phones and is around 40% of the smart phone market, expanding into every area and is likely to be the dominant OS[/q[
1, 2, and 4 are the exclusive domain of the IT pro.
Even there your employer may insist on standard configurations of UI and apps because others may have to take your place on very short notice.
3 and 5 are the exclusive domain of the manufacturer and distributer.
The entertainment and navigation system in your car may run Linux, but the UI will be designed by GM or Toyota.
3 and 4 are defined by the device manufacturer.
News
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:38 UTC
"The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:30 UTC, submitted by JRepin
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 22:06 UTC
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:45 UTC
"There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 15:53 UTC
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"More News »
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Member since:
2005-07-19
This group seems to be a bit missing the point regarding mainstream success:
1) Linux is over 60% of the server market
2) Linux is around 92-97% of the super computing market
3) Linux is around 40% of the embedded OS space something like 3x the size of the next largest player, and the Linux kernel doesn't even support RTOS
4) Linux is the 2nd most popular virtual operating system on mainframes
5) LInux is doing fantastic in mobile phones and is around 40% of the smart phone market, expanding into every area and is likely to be the dominant OS
______
That is huge mainstream success. That's it. That's what it looks like.
In terms of the desktop market, Linux has replaced all the workstation OSes except OSX and OSX is frankly better in too many different ways that Linux can't complete with.
However... there is a lot of open source in OSX. If you consider what happened to the propriety Unixes servers I think the example is instructive. Closed systems was the initial state of commercial Unixes. The way OpenSource won on the server was a progression:
1) Commercial OSes running commercial applications
2) Commercial OSes running primarily commercial applications with some open source
3) Commercial OSes running primarily open source applications with some commercial.
4) Open source OSes running primarily open source applications with some/no commercial
5) Open sources OSes running open source applications.
In the last decade the windows platform moved from (1) to (2). In this decade it may be moving from (2) to (3).