"Mir, Ubuntu's in-progress replacement for the X Window System, is being used internally at Ubuntu developer Canonical and will be available to all users in the next version of the operating system. Mir was announced in March, with Canonical saying that a new display server is needed to power the Unity interface across desktops, phones, and tablets." Anyone here experience with Mir? Is it any good? any downsides?
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Member since:2006-07-14
Yeah, the FUD that came with the MIR announcement was really bad. They ultimately admitted that they didn't know what they were talking about, but they wanted two things that were not easily doable with wayland.
1) Complete control over the project ( so they can ensure it works exactly like they want for Unity).
2) Compatibility with Android device drivers.
Which is fine, if that's what they want. However, they're kind of upset that Kubuntu won't be joining them on Mir. All of the ?buntu derivatives are in question. They'll work if XMir works, but slower. Not sure anyone wants to do that.
I think Ubuntu rightly sees a great business opportunity in having a single operating system on phones, tablets and desktop computers. I'm not sure if the cost is worth it though. I'd prefer something like KDE where you can have the same applications but with a different gui depending on your form factor ( Desktop, notebook, tablet).
Edited 2013-07-12 18:32 UTC
Member since:2005-07-06
2) Compatibility with Android device drivers.
Complete control over the project was part of Canonical plan since its inception. Unfortunately, history has shown that mindset led to its downfall, ask SUN. About compatibility with Android drivers, Canonical is using Surfaceflinger which turned out to be ad-hoc hack Wayland avoids:
https://gitorious.org/android-eeepc/base/blobs/c75c4364eae030a9ea6db...
In addition, it turned out Mir is nothing more than a modified early Wayland, Wayland itself can use Android drivers through extensions:
http://mer-project.blogspot.fi/2013/05/wayland-utilizing-android-gp...
Canonical made bad business decisions in this case. Wayland already reached these goal canonical tried to reach through Jolla and Tizen. The burden will be the long term maintainance of Mir in these kind of environment especially enterprise. It seems Canonical still learned nothing from their failed webTV venture.
Edited 2013-07-12 20:03 UTC
Member since:2011-02-10
1) Complete control over the project ( so they can ensure it works exactly like they want for Unity).
2) Compatibility with Android device drivers.
Which is fine, if that's what they want. However, they're kind of upset that Kubuntu won't be joining them on Mir. All of the ?buntu derivatives are in question. They'll work if XMir works, but slower. Not sure anyone wants to do that.
Which is really is a valid justification to create their own display server, then
Of which I will do the same if I were Mark Shuttleworth. Ubuntu bashing came before any MIR announcement. It is just the new sport of the Linux so-called elite users.
I am a customer of so many open source projects when I use their projects, my only duty is to comply with the license, not to comply to the demands of the upstream developers.
I think Ubuntu rightly sees a great business opportunity in having a single operating system on phones, tablets and desktop computers. I'm not sure if the cost is worth it though. I'd prefer something like KDE where you can have the same applications but with a different gui depending on your form factor ( Desktop, notebook, tablet).
With great marketing it will be successful.
Member since:2008-03-17
Member since:
2005-07-06
To be frank, Unity/MIR bashing as you call came from Canonical themselves having an extremely poor reputation of collaborating upstream. Canonical should know better having developing MIR in secret for nine months without even contributing Wayland, the display server they supposedly support back in 2010, then spread fear, uncertainly, and doubt about it on MIR wiki before retracting after being busted.
Seeing how Kubuntu and Xubuntu negatively reacted against MIR, "Ubuntu bashing" is to be expected.