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[4]: Linux on the desktop WOULD be nice
by bassbeast on Wed 29th Aug 2012 11:34
in reply to "RE[3]: Linux on the desktop WOULD be nice"
Member since:2007-11-11
But y'all missed the point which was it was a tower of Babel! Things that are so simple you don't even think about them, like taking a file from home, printing it at school or vice versa? Practically impossible!
Like it or hate it MSFT and the cloners did at least bring us some basic standards that now benefit us all. Before you couldn't even buy things like memory without it being a total crapshoot (anybody remember Compaq RAM?) and NOTHING that wasn't made by the same manufacturer, and sometimes not even then, talked to each other. Apple couldn't read an IBM floppy, Commodore couldn't read Apple, nobody could read ANYTHING because nothing was compatible with anybody else's stuff!
And it is THIS reason why having a half a dozen OSes would be bad, because everyone would have their own formats jockeying for dominance and we'd be right back to where we were then, with no idea what is gonna work and what isn't, or what is gonna talk to what.
Of course it looks like in the future Linux may end up shut out, I'm already seeing ExFAT flash sticks and Apple is pushing H.26x which is a patent trolls wet dream, but at least we can exchange files with each other and a web page is a web page. Or did everybody forget that back then you couldn't even count on that, because both Netscape and MSFT supported different proprietary tags, so even web pages were different or even broken if you didn't run the "right" browser!
RE[5]: Linux on the desktop WOULD be nice
by Yoko_T on Fri 31st Aug 2012 09:39
in reply to "RE[4]: Linux on the desktop WOULD be nice"
Member since:2011-08-18
But y'all missed the point which was it was a tower of Babel! Things that are so simple you don't even think about them, like taking a file from home, printing it at school or vice versa? Practically impossible!
Like it or hate it MSFT and the cloners did at least bring us some basic standards that now benefit us all. Before you couldn't even buy things like memory without it being a total crapshoot (anybody remember Compaq RAM?) and NOTHING that wasn't made by the same manufacturer, and sometimes not even then, talked to each other. Apple couldn't read an IBM floppy, Commodore couldn't read Apple, nobody could read ANYTHING because nothing was compatible with anybody else's stuff!
And it is THIS reason why having a half a dozen OSes would be bad, because everyone would have their own formats jockeying for dominance and we'd be right back to where we were then, with no idea what is gonna work and what isn't, or what is gonna talk to what.
Of course it looks like in the future Linux may end up shut out, I'm already seeing ExFAT flash sticks and Apple is pushing H.26x which is a patent trolls wet dream, but at least we can exchange files with each other and a web page is a web page. Or did everybody forget that back then you couldn't even count on that, because both Netscape and MSFT supported different proprietary tags, so even web pages were different or even broken if you didn't run the "right" browser!
Like it or hate it MSFT and the cloners did at least bring us some basic standards that now benefit us all. Before you couldn't even buy things like memory without it being a total crapshoot (anybody remember Compaq RAM?) and NOTHING that wasn't made by the same manufacturer, and sometimes not even then, talked to each other. Apple couldn't read an IBM floppy, Commodore couldn't read Apple, nobody could read ANYTHING because nothing was compatible with anybody else's stuff!
And it is THIS reason why having a half a dozen OSes would be bad, because everyone would have their own formats jockeying for dominance and we'd be right back to where we were then, with no idea what is gonna work and what isn't, or what is gonna talk to what.
Of course it looks like in the future Linux may end up shut out, I'm already seeing ExFAT flash sticks and Apple is pushing H.26x which is a patent trolls wet dream, but at least we can exchange files with each other and a web page is a web page. Or did everybody forget that back then you couldn't even count on that, because both Netscape and MSFT supported different proprietary tags, so even web pages were different or even broken if you didn't run the "right" browser!
Dude, those 64GB and 128GB USB Flash drives are *NOT* ExFAT formatted flash sticks.
They're Fat32. I know. I have a PNY 64GB and a 128GB from another maker. Neither was formatted as ExFAT.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
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!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
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.
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.More Features »
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Member since:
2009-08-18
Very true, that because there is no incentive for printer companies to improve it.