Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 28th Aug 2012 20:46 UTC
"For years now, Linux has been a black sheep standing in the shadow of Apple and Microsoft. Despite having a fervent and enthusiastic following, the operating system hasn't been able to grab a sizable share of the computing market and has instead been content to subsist on the customers that come away dissatisfied with the mainstream competition. But that may be about to change. With the release of Microsoft Windows 8 on the horizon, some are saying Linux may have a great opportunity to steal a significant share of the market away from Microsoft, allowing it to finally take the helm as a major operating system service provider." This has to stop, and the only reason I'm linking to this nonsense is to make this very clear: Linux will not magically conquer the desktop or even make any significant gains because of Windows 8. People who don't like Windows 8 (Vista) will continue to use Windows 7 (Windows XP). This is getting so tiring. And does it even matter? Linux is winning big time in the mobile space, server space, and countless other spaces. The desktop is and always has been irrelevant to Linux.
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RE: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer
by amadensor on Tue 28th Aug 2012 21:51
in reply to "Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer"
Member since:2006-04-10
The learning curve from zero (first time touching a computer) is not that much different. When the schools start teaching concepts, rather than "push the button right there, and good luck if they ever move it" it will even out at least somewhat.
Mac being significant in the marketplace is good, because now people realize than things can be done with more than one UI. Maybe that can spread.
RE[2]: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer
by Yehppael on Tue 28th Aug 2012 22:03
in reply to "RE: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer"
Member since:2012-08-01
... now people realize than things can be done with more than one UI.
That! That is exactly it. Apple is showing people a different UI, but so does Windows 8.
Linux share won't increase by much, but it WILL increase. What it needs right now is a little popularity boost to remind people, there are other options as well.
There is ONE thing that everyone seems to keep on forgetting. We're talking about market share, but the market size right now is considerably larger than it was 5-6 years ago.
Honestly though, I really don't care. I'd rather have a solid Fedora or Slackware than a popular Ubuntu.
RE[2]: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer
by ze_jerkface on Tue 28th Aug 2012 22:03
in reply to "RE: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer"
Member since:2012-06-22
RE[2]: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer
by CodeAndSyntax on Tue 28th Aug 2012 22:08
in reply to "RE: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer"
Member since:2012-08-28
learning curve from zero (first time touching a computer), agreed isn't that much different.
I was thinking more from those who might migrate away from Win 7 to Linux if they're that dissatisfied with Win 8, which I'd doubt will happen as the tablet market is adding an extra dynamic and Win 8 has been created specifically to cater for it.
RE: Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer
by Lennie on Wed 29th Aug 2012 00:24
in reply to "Linux desktop distro's have to mature a while longer"
Member since:2007-09-22
Actually, just now I was watching this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2LGmY796wQ#t=18m30s
Where Mark Shuttleworth claims this:
"If you know Windows and you confronted with a new desktop, Windows is the easiest. Ubuntu is the second easiest and then Mac OS."
"And if you know Mac OS, it is easier to switch to Ubuntu than to Windows"
"Next year 5% of the world's PCs will ship Ubuntu preinstalled"
Edited 2012-08-29 00:26 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
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.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
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."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/15/13 22:44 UTC
Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about why OSNews was no longer OSNews: the alternative operating system scene had died, and OSNews, too, had to go with the times and move towards reporting on a new wave of operating systems - mobile, and all the repercussions that the explosion of smartphones and tablets have caused. Still, I was wondering something today: why aren't we seeing alternative operating systems on mobile?More Features »
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Member since:
2012-08-28
For the general public, Linux desktop distro's are getting better. However to the novice, Linux distro's still have a steep learning curve that resembles a small mountain when compared to that of the start button.
I'd rather see Linux distro's concentrate on catering to those who appreciate it's creative solutions in doing things differently (and patience for it's driver issues due to lack of OEM support).
As for it being the next big thing. Android is doing fairly well in mobile. Just a shame, most of those who use it don't realise it's Linux based.
Edited 2012-08-28 21:46 UTC