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Eric Raymond on desktop Linux
desktoplinux.com — Eric Raymond, one of the founders of open-source, sees the current transition from 32- to 64-bit processor-based PCs as Linux's big opportunity to make a mainstream play for the desktop. But some compromises will be needed, such as dealing with DRM and proprietary multimedia drivers.
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- CurtHowland, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No Compromise!
Either it's a free and open product, like OggVorbis, or I won't buy it!
Let's see what happens if AMD truly opens the ATI video drivers. Will Nvidia follow suit? Will Jean marry Bob and make Jennie legitimate?
Tune in tomorrow and find out! - eha1990, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Eric Raymond is right, everything that he has proposed needs to happen immediately for Linux to take the next step!
- KevinWPeters, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2As bad as I hate to say, ESR is right on the money. We can deal with proprietary format politics afterwards, but for the moment, the only way to get Linux in the mainstream is to support these formats. Myself, I don't buy anything that doesn't support open standards, but for most people, they just want their stuff to work. The iPod may not be the best player on the market (just as Windows isn't the best OS on the market), but it IS the player with the largest market share. Like it or not, if they can't use their iPods and view WMV streams, then they won't use it.
- sonnysavage, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the key here is choice. If Linux has the ability to use proprietary stuff, people will feel like it's a valid choice for their operating systems. I will personally NOT buy an iPod or any music with DRM, but that is MY choice. I feel that people should be informed, and then allowed to make their own choices.
- Killroy1971, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have to (begrudgingly) agree. Let's face it, so long as we have monopolistic-styled media companies, we will have DRM. No amount of hacking will kill that completely. It's akin to virus or spy ware writing: there will always be an escalation. The same is true of all conflicts be it war, politics, men vs women, etc. So long as one or both sides are actively engaged in attacking the other, the intensity and ferociousness will escalate.
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