Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 29th Aug 2012 22:52 UTC
Miguel de Icaza: "To sum up: (a) First dimension: things change too quickly, breaking both open source and proprietary software alike; (b) incompatibility across Linux distributions. This killed the ecosystem for third party developers trying to target Linux on the desktop. You would try once, do your best effort to support the 'top' distro or if you were feeling generous 'the top three' distros. Only to find out that your software no longer worked six months later. Supporting Linux on the desktop became a burden for independent developers." Mac OS X came along to scoop up the Linux defectors.
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RE[7]: Comment by woegjiub
by gilboa on Thu 30th Aug 2012 14:27
in reply to "RE[6]: Comment by woegjiub"
Member since:2005-07-06
"Somehow, there's a stupid notion that the lack stable *driver* API makes Linux far harder to support on *the desktop*
It's not stupid at all. Fixing an in-tree driver in Linux involves a submission/approval process and then you have to wait for the distros to pick up the change. A simple bit flip can take months to get to users.
In Windows you can fix a driver and then immediately publish to the web server. You can in fact automate the entire process with a single click. "
Try downloading a driver code from the Internet, compile for say, Windows 7 x86_64 or Windows 2K8 and install it and let me know how it goes. *
- Gilboa
* Hint: nothing. (As in driver-not-load-nothing)
Edited 2012-08-30 14:29 UTC
RE[8]: Comment by woegjiub
by bassbeast on Thu 30th Aug 2012 19:39
in reply to "RE[7]: Comment by woegjiub"
Member since:2007-11-11
Why bother? The .exe works fine so no compiling. I know its shocking, not needing to compile everything, but it does have its advantages.
For example my 73 year old dad got impatient because I couldn't come out and install Win 7 on that new machine i built him until the weekend. he decided to DIY and when i got there I thought I'd have a mess, turned out all I needed to do was show him how to install his browser. All the drivers, patches, updates, and even the AV (it popped up a little box on first boot and gave him the choice of several free or pay AVs, he chose MSE which works fine) was all taken care of, he just didn't know where to download his browser from.
Like it or not, admit it or not, Linux is a geeker OS that is a PITA for your average user. Sure if you know compiler flags, can google for fixes, know your way around the forums, then you'll have no problems. lets see, that covers....about 0.97% of the public according to netstats. The rest? Sorry but your OS just don't cut it.
RE[8]: Comment by woegjiub
by mkone on Thu 30th Aug 2012 23:19
in reply to "RE[7]: Comment by woegjiub"
Member since:2006-03-14
Don't use Windows, but in my experience, all you have to do is download the driver (For recent hardware, there will be 4 version of the driver - XP, Vista, Windows 7 and soon to be Windows 8).
The drivers will come in a single executable package. Bingo.
With Linux, unless you are using NVidia, it might involve tarballs (you have lost 99% of potential users right there), or hunting down a distribution specific packaged binary.
RE[8]: Comment by woegjiub
by gilboa on Fri 31st Aug 2012 08:48
in reply to "RE[7]: Comment by woegjiub"
Member since:2005-07-06
Try downloading a driver code from the Internet, compile for say, Windows 7 x86_64 or Windows 2K8 and install it and let me know how it goes. *
- Gilboa
* Hint: nothing. (As in driver-not-load-nothing)
- Gilboa
* Hint: nothing. (As in driver-not-load-nothing)
Yet another hint: I was *not* referring to the download -> click -> click -> click -> reboot drivers installation process from the *user* perspective. I was referring to the *developer* perspective (those of you who missed the subject of this sub-thread, please feel free to re-read it).
In Linux, you simply post a tarball with a Makefile.
In Windows, especially in 64bit and especially once SecureBoot kicks in, developing and, God forbids, testing drivers is a *huge* hassle.
50% of the reason I rather stop porting my kernel code to Windows is the damn signature enforcement!
- Gilboa
Edited 2012-08-31 08:50 UTC
RE[8]: Comment by woegjiub
by ze_jerkface on Fri 31st Aug 2012 14:59
in reply to "RE[7]: Comment by woegjiub"
Member since:2012-06-22
You have to use the signature override
http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo
A fair point but not a big deal
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/13/13 14:35 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/11/13 17:07 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/10/13 23:13 UTC
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).
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/08/13 14:57 UTC
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?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/07/13 11:40 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/04/13 12:45 UTC
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.
Linked by nfeske on 05/31/13 10:12 UTC
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/29/13 16:59 UTC
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.
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!More Features »
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Member since:
2012-06-22
It's not stupid at all. Fixing an in-tree driver in Linux involves a submission/approval process and then you have to wait for the distros to pick up the change. A simple bit flip can take months to get to users.
In Windows you can fix a driver and then immediately publish to the web server. You can in fact automate the entire process with a single click.