Zonker wrote a review of the Sun JDS 1 at Unixreview, in the dawn of the JDS 2 release.
UnixReview: Sun Java Desktop System
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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The author mentions the lack of choices of different applications as a bad thing for the desktop user.
I disagree. Although I’ve been using various distros for the past few years, when I was first confronted with a large number of applications which supposedly did the same thing, it wasnt always easy to pick the ‘right one’ for the task at hand.
I agree. In this day and age most Windows users really shouldn’t be installing software. Most home users would be better off with a properly configured and beautifully skinned Linux system that has all of the stuff they want to do (Firefox, Gaim, Evolution, Limewire, K3b, OpenOffice, XMMS, Mplayer/Xine/Totem, etc.) already properly configured for them so they can do whatever they want without having to install anything additional and get their Windows box infested with adware and spyware. I spend a lot of my weekends cleaning up and repairing people’s windows installations after an adware/spyware/virus blowup and make some extra cash doing so, so I guess it’s good for me, but I could also set these people up with a tight linux system that does everything they want it to and know I would never have to worry about them fscking it up in any way. It’s just a lot harder to fsck things up in Linux. Limited software choice and difficulty installing software can be a good thing if you’re dealing with an ignorant user who messes up their computer by installing AOL and Hotbar and Kazaa, or in an environment where users shouldn’t install software or modify the system anyway (like schools, libraries, offices, etc.)
Yo can lock down a windows box to the point where users don’t have access to do anything also. Suprisingly enough, this trend is not very popular with the people forced to use these systems. The rest of the world would be safer if some people were forced to drive cars governed at 35 mph but you don’t see a large market for those cars do you?
The problem I had when I had to use a Windows box that was locked down like that was that it wasn’t configured for everything I needed to do before it was locked down, and I think that’s why this type of system isn’t very popular. Also, even as a Restricted User (many people at our company are), adware and spyware can still easily infest your computer (I don’t know of any adware and spyware that requires admin privilages to install), and an ignorant user can still run a script in an email from someone they don’t know that says “see the attachment for details”. I don’t think the way Windows locks things down is as effective.
…when you’re a Restricted User in Windows, you can’t do anything to clean up or perform the maintenance that is required to keep Windows up and running. Adware and spyware can install itself, but it can’t be removed. Icons can’t even be deleted off the destkop. The way a typical user account is set up in Linux, you don’t feel like you’re being restricted in any way.
In this day and age most Windows users really shouldn’t be installing software. Most home users would be better off with a properly configured and beautifully skinned Linux system that has all of the stuff they want to do (Firefox, Gaim, Evolution, Limewire, K3b, OpenOffice, XMMS,
This could work, assuming the user never decides they don’t want to do anything more with their computer than the distro makers decided tehy should. In the event that this happens though, the system should be flexible enough so that the user can install anything they want without a lot of bloodshed.
Adware and spyware can install itself, but it can’t be removed. Icons can’t even be deleted off the destkop.
How the hell does spyware ‘install itself’ ? Can you point me to a single piece of spyware that can infest my machine without me clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘OK’ to some dialog, or running some rogue .exe file ?
It happened to me over the last two days. I haven’t installed anything on my Windows partition in months, I rarely use it. I don’t install crapware or freeware or anything, it’s just there for when I need to use IE and Office 2003. I run Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy a lot. Then last night I booted into Windows and instantly got messages from 180Connect (or something like that) about providing me with great value, and I ran Spybot and it found a ton of adware and spyware I didn’t put there (and no one else uses this machine, I live alone). Spybot removed it, then I went back into Linux where I left it all day today. When I got home from work I needed to do something in Windows, and I rebooted and typed a URL in IE incorrectly, and the Not Found page had been hijacked by another piece of spyware (can’t remember the name) and so I ran spybot and it found three more adware/spyware programs since the night before and I hadn’t done a single thing!
Back when I was in college Comet Cursor used to show up one my and my friends systems all by itself. And at work one of my duties is to keep the machines of about 40 users clean and working, and they are all set up as Restricted yet they have just as much problem with Adware and Spyware as anyone else, and they usually have no idea how they got it either.
So you have all this spyware on your machine, but you don’t know where it’s coming from? I’ve heard reports of this happening, but have never heard of any piece of spyware that can ‘magically’ appear on your system without you taking any action to get it there.
PS – If you have so much spyware problems, why the hell are you still using IE ?
Here’s a link if you’re interested. It certainly is possible for software to bypass IE’s security warning and install itself just by visiting the website. Tainted well method of spreading…everyone who comes leaves infected.
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-230602.html?legacy=cnet
I’m using the IE that comes with XP SP2 RC1 which blocks popup windows and which MS promises is “the secure one” and I have been for about a month, and I do it because there are many intranet sites at my company that require it, otherwise I wouldn’t have a windows partition at all.
“How the hell does spyware ‘install itself’ ? Can you point me to a single piece of spyware that can infest my machine without me clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘OK’ to some dialog, or running some rogue .exe file ?”
adware typically comes as part of other programs so that the end user isnt aware of it
>>adware typically comes as part of other programs so that the end user isnt aware of it
It also gets intalled by misleading statements like, “Browser upgrade available. Upgrade? ‘Yes’ ‘No'” or “click here to get smiles in your email.” Many restricted users have gotten the notorious HotBar by clicking here to get smiles in their email. I would be thrilled to death if my company would migrate everyone who just needs Word/Excel/Outlook to a Linux desktop like JDS or SuSE so they can’t click OK to anything like that.
Umm … this stuff is off topic, hope someone mods these post down.
Anyway I think SUN needs to pick something and stick with it, be it GNU/Linux or Solaris. Seems to me that for a company with financial problems, they are spreading themselves too thin.
I think its time for sun to break off the hardware and software business. split it.
Promote SPARC for additional OS’s and promote it’s standards and offer chips for small companies (they have already announced they will support smaller companies instead of worrying over volume customers) Promote all the OS’s that run on SPARC. Weither it be windows, linux, solaris, etc.
I think Sun Software or Java Software should move JDS off of linux onto solaris. Also offering an open sourced version of solaris, the core, like how apple does with darwin and Mac OS.
They should promote their software to be sold on multiple hardware archs. If they called their software business “Java Software” That would be cool too.
Adopt the model sprint has. Sprint has different stock for mobile and wireline, yet unified.
This would boost sun’s values and reduce the failing part of one business from affecting the others much.
Sun likes linux, but they are also supporting solaris. THey are doing this because of HP, and SGI, and IBM and crap alot of the time its important to copy off competetor’s success or strategy, but linux, although the ‘new hot thing in town’ is just not right for sun.
Give up on linux Sun. Finish your Solaris x86 drivers. Open source the core of it like what apple did. Let them fork it. integrate the forked features.
All happy.
What about Real Player, Flash, and other applications which are with JDS and are not with other Linux distros.
What about their Configuration Manager?
IMHO author of this article had not look close enough.
If all you want is using vim then he’s right – JDS is no different then other Linux distros.
This version of JDS is GNOME 2.6 based ? (modiffied by Sun) ?
JDS2 comes with JDK, but what’s about gcc and other C/C++ compiler tools?
How many time remaining to JDS on SPARC ?
Sorry for my english, isn’t my native language 😉
where is the java in sun java system ?
as far as I can tell it is just another distro
I understand all of the gpl, and I agree that companies should be able to make $$$ off the work of others who release their work under gpl.
but, when I heard sun were going to release a new system called sun java desktop, I was looking forward to a totally new os design, based around java
instead they repacked a linux distro, I am disappointed
the java brand is strong. they are trying to cash in on it. the only javaly thing about it is sun provides you with their VM on the OS…. but so does redhat and etc..