What is Digg?348 Comments
- WhereAmI, on 08/09/2008, -17/+95I've been using Kubuntu on my desktop and Debian Etch on my laptop and my experiences have been great.
- dkwash, on 08/09/2008, -4/+71"John Hull, manager of an engineering team at Dell, wanted shorter boot times."
He's got to be kidding - gyrfalcon, on 08/09/2008, -2/+54Maybe if Dell wouldn't load the computers down with crapware (aka trial apps) it would probably boot a lot faster too.
- ghall, on 08/09/2008, -2/+39Mac OS X is based on Unix.
- clsslc, on 08/08/2008, -33/+70Is it just me, or did all this "When is Linux going to take over the desktop market?" talk stop being interesting about five years ago?
- earlycj5, on 08/09/2008, -10/+43"In notebooks, for example, Linux "is not as good as Windows" in power management, according to Debra Kobs, a development team member and software strategist for Lenovo."
Oh, so that's why I get to use my Mini-note's battery longer using OzOS (a Xubuntu derivative) vs. Vista?
Glad they cleared that up for me. - Raingwc, on 08/09/2008, -2/+31Uh, flash works perfectly in firefox as plugin, thank you very much. No hardware issues, even my weird 8 year old crap of wireless card is working out of the box, so to speak.
- HerbSolo, on 08/09/2008, -4/+33Well, I'm going to admit, I'm still dual-booting, and XP is my main system.
But if hardware manufacturers are demanding better wireless support, something's fishy! There's plenty well-supported WiFi - Hardware, just built it into your machines.
Also: There's one big market besides servers and Home-PCs: The typical Office-PC. Most office-PCs are mainly used as a better typewriter, for email and some spreadsheets. - A Linux-based PC can do all that with ease. - WoollyMittens, on 08/09/2008, -1/+29What is even more depressing is that the Dell restore CD will put all that garbage right back, so you always start with a ruined bloated system that takes hours to clean up to any usable state.
- phibit, on 08/09/2008, -0/+25Unix/BSD
- tritiuminc, on 08/08/2008, -6/+30great thumbnail picture.
- kdesu, on 08/09/2008, -4/+28Software repositories?
- phibit, on 08/09/2008, -4/+26I use Linux on my desktop, and my laptop. But I readily admit it's not for everyone. Yeah, it's fast, and it's good for developing, but I can't imagine a mainstream user wrestling with and xorg.conf file and liking it (contrary to what lots of people say, I don't think xorg.conf is a thing of the past *yet*).
- mlwarrior, on 08/09/2008, -2/+23What does that have to with thumbnails? Don't derail a thread just because you want better a better parking spot for your comment.
- trogdor282, on 08/09/2008, -2/+22That's because the hardware manufacturer made a driver for Windows but not for Linux. So basically this Lenovo lady is bitching about her own company ***** up.
Side note, my Lenovo R61i does suspend, sleep and speedstep all perfectly in stock Ubuntu. And wireless and everything. YMMV i guess. - Niubai, on 08/09/2008, -9/+28I love linux. All of my development servers run linux or freebsd. I've been working wih linux and bsds for the last 10 years and simply there are no better choice for any kind of server (http, mysql, samba, pop, smtp, etc) than linux. But, STILL, I use Windows XP as my desktop. I can't get used to any graphical window manager in linux (and I've tried lots of them), and plus, I love games.
- lemur, on 08/09/2008, -7/+26I'm not going to digg you down, but Linux has been ready for prime time for a long time. Consider how many years Windows 9x was "prime time", and that system functioned more poorly than any Linux distribution available today. Granted, everybody has been making progress, but the core technology value of Linux is not less than any commercial OS, and all the downsides of running it just come from a situation created by the software market, which is dominated by Microsoft's monopoly.
For example, peripheral X doesn't work with Linux? It wouldn't work with Windows either if it didn't have a driver. Software A doesn't work with Linux? It wouldn't work with Windows either if it hadn't been written for it.
Linux itself is ready for all this stuff, so it's not so much that Linux isn't ready for prime time, but prime time isn't ready for Linux. - Zorkon, on 08/09/2008, -9/+26No, clsslc is right. It was more interesting 5 years ago. Much less so now.
I think that Apple snuck up on Linux in 2000-2002, when Linux developers and companies were concentrating on competing with Microsoft. Apple "stole" a core group of users away from Linux - "mainstream early adopters". People who aren't necessarily comfortable rebuilding a kernel from source, but are still viewed as "technically adept" by friends and family ... and it really took the wind out of the "Linux on the Desktop" sails.
If you attend any web conference these days, you'll see a sea of macintosh laptops running Leopard in the audience. These people are technical enough that their friends and family refer to them for computer advice, and what do you think they're going to tell them to buy? I went to a couple back in 2000-2002, and there were *many* more laptops in the audience running Linux than there are today.
I'm not saying that Linux is incapable of being a good desktop OS for everyone ... but I am saying the Linux on desktop "movement" seems to have lost a lot of energy over the past few years. If it weren't for Ubuntu, the "movement" would be all but dead. - sn0wmis3r, on 08/09/2008, -1/+18Have you even given it a try as a desktop?
- mlwarrior, on 08/09/2008, -11/+28General anecdotal response qualifying my operating system.
- skunks, on 08/09/2008, -2/+18I dugg your comment, but then I realized that Linux distros do offer one thing different: they are free. That said, I use Kubuntu on a dual boot Vista system, and I usually just boot Kubuntu when I want to scratch my tweakers itch. If I want to play a game, Linux is useless.
- xGeneric, on 08/09/2008, -1/+17Yeah I'm still a Windows user, but I have tried a few Linux Distros(got a 80GB Hard Drive dedicated to Ubuntu), and load times were always great or at least decent. Dell has no right to complain about load times, considering how bloated with unimportant software their computers come with. I've actually had a few people with brand new Dells ask me to clean them out so they could run faster.
- addicted68098, on 08/09/2008, -4/+19Eventually diggers won't make such dumb ass comments...?
- dpb1994, on 08/09/2008, -2/+17nope - I've installed a ton of commercial closed source software on linux
- spdorsey, on 08/09/2008, -34/+48It's not just you.
Linux is not ready for prime time, no matter what a fleet of Fanboys say about it.
Let the digging down begin. - WoollyMittens, on 08/09/2008, -3/+17It doesn't matter if you buy the PC and then buy Windows for it, but it is of vital importance that Windows isn't sold by default with every PC. Bundling Windows amounts to a Microsoft-tax on society and a lock-in strangle hold that cannot be broken.
For the vast majority of people Linux with Pidgin, Thunderbird, Firefox and Open Office is all they will ever need from a PC. I know windows offers the same functionality, but it is unfair to force it by default on everyone. - rowjimmy, on 08/09/2008, -0/+13sorry, claims from 5 years ago no longer apply.
it's fun to pretend you know what you are talking about, though, isn't it? - dpb1994, on 08/09/2008, -24/+37looks like it's just you
- turbodiesel, on 08/09/2008, -0/+13I agree. A half hour with PC Decrapifier works wonders on new Dell's and HP's.
- spdorsey, on 08/09/2008, -3/+15I have had too many experiences with Linux to say tht it's ready for prime time.
Anytime you need to use "make", ".conf", or use the CLI, your OS is already too hard to use. - Admonitor, on 08/09/2008, -3/+15The "average" computer user though, the one that's buying HPs, Dells etc, doesn't even know what Linux is, or isn't overly aware of it. Why would OEMs offer anything but Windows when that's what the majority of consumers are familiar with?
- onesojourner, on 08/09/2008, -0/+12OH OH OH! I KNOW!
linux offers a computer experience with no spyware or viruses.
Ubuntu is great for people who don't know what the junk they are doing on a computer. They just can't screw it up. I get asked to fix computers for friends and family all the the time. they crap them up with spyware and viruses. I installed ubuntu and borderline mentally retarded guys computer. His computer was at a point of being non functional when I got it. he had had it for about 3 months. its been almost a year now and I have not had to do anything. It just keeps on chugging away. Ubuntu really shines there. Its great for people that don't knwo what the junk they are doing. Its also good for super geeks and people that like change, people that don't want to follow the mold and don't want to support the big man. Ubuntu is bad for people who have a closed mind. Its bad for people that know there way around windows well and don't like change. Thats the people in the middle. - willwillywilson, on 08/09/2008, -2/+13As a savvy Windows user and casual Linux user (Slax and Xubuntu on a recently replaced laptop) I'll go ahead and speak for the lowest common denominator of PC users. Linux just needs to be easier more often. Most people just want to surf the internet, send e-mail, maybe write a report. People don't want to have to use console commands. People want to fix things with two or three clicks. Bottom line. Oh yeah, how about an easier file system?????!!?
- inactive, on 08/09/2008, -2/+13They need to blame hardware vendors, it has been an uphill fight for linux trying to get all the right information to have better battery life, power management and wireless.
- adragontattoo, on 08/09/2008, -0/+11I agree that linux should NOT require you to open a terminal to do many of the things that you need to do, but Linux also provides MUCH more flexibility at a VASTLY reduced cost over windows.
I am currently getting the parts out of my various bins to create a small file server, other then buying any HW I may need, I dont know of a SINGLE Windows app/package/OS that will let me create a file server FOR FREE (no, sorry, sharing drives does not count in my book)
I can run Linux with NO issue on many machines that cringe at running 2k (currently have a p3 500 laptop that is used as an alarm clock and also as a web browser).
Admittedly HW support is not as great for Linux as it could be, that isnt the fault of Linux though. Manufacturers are going to support the OS that has the most share. MS has something along the lines of 85%+ share of the market with Apple and *nix taking the remaining 15%. I cant really blame the vendors for NOT releasing a driver for every possible distro, OS, and platform..
I still have a few different reqs. to use windows due to work, HW incompatibilities and also personal preference but I am working towards converting all of my MS reqs to either work via a VM, or work with Linux as that becomes possible. - gyrfalcon, on 08/09/2008, -2/+13Flash is a P.O.S...
- lmor, on 08/09/2008, -1/+12"When asked what they would have the Linux community improve," "John Hull, manager of an engineering team at Dell, wanted shorter boot time."
He can't be serious. I dont know what kind of magical computer he uses that boots windows faster than linux because on my computer XP takes 5+ minutes to boot and my Ubuntu takes less than 1 - DestroyFascism, on 08/09/2008, -6/+16Won't catch me using windows..
Unless it was the last OS on Earth. If so, I will take up shooting again... - fluffyturtle, on 08/09/2008, -21/+31I've been using linux on the servers and windows for the desktops and my experiences have been great.
Now where are my +14 diggs. - quickgold192, on 08/09/2008, -8/+17...And Mann added, "don't ever make me open a terminal window and access a command prompt."...
Well then stop making me open up regedit and accessing cryptic registry entries! - urgeigh, on 08/09/2008, -0/+9Yeah there's 3 dells in my family, for my older relatives and such.. and I'm the person everyone calls when they need ***** done to their pc.. it's mind boggling how much ***** they will put on a pc if you don't tell them what you want on it specifically when you order it. I reformat every Dell I ever come in contact with right off the bat. I hate Dell just for that very reason.
- Theli, on 08/09/2008, -0/+9About the article, I can't find a lot of reasons mentioned why Linux would not be 'ready for the desktop'. The only ones I could find were:
1. Not as good at power management. When it comes to hibernation, they have a point.
2. Slow start-up time. Not sure what this is all about. I dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows XP and Ubuntu seems slightly faster (though the difference is pretty small).
3. Lacking wireless drivers. For pre-installed Linux it's not a problem as OEM's can just pick wireless adapters that they know are supported. To tell you the truth, this complaint made very little sense.
4. Reliance on terminal. Always shrinking. I'm using the terminal much less in Hardy Heron than I did in Feisty Fawn. I expect there will come a time (very soon) where I won't have to touch a terminal window ever again.
Some more realistic problems I see:
1. Linux always gets third serving. After a piece of software has been released to Windows, it MAY be released to OS-X. And after/if it has been released for OS-X, it MAY be released to Linux.
2. No obvious 'advertised' advantage beyond cheap. The biggest advantages to me that often get overlooked are the package managers and all the functionality you get out-of-the box. Perhaps that's where to start.
3. Fragmented. While I think having multiple distributions is generally a good thing for the development of the platform, I think Linux needs a champion. Ubuntu is in a lot of ways leading the charge for the desktop (at least usability-wise), but Canonical doesn't have nearly the clout as Microsoft or Apple has in the industry.
4. Made by hackers, for hackers. Software designed for Linux generally needs a paint-job.
If Linux is ever to make any strides to take over the desktop, I think the most likely 'attack vector' is technologies like Splashtop. It shouldn't attack Windows head-on, it should creep up from underneath it. - mdwstmusik, on 08/09/2008, -1/+10How about a decent scripting environment?
- growler1, on 08/09/2008, -2/+11Non-sequiter cursing you and postulating causation with demise of close friends who attempted running said operating system.
- jamesmcm, on 08/09/2008, -1/+10Yeah but they used GCC for the Obj-C compiler so the low-level stuff is GPL'd now.
- rowjimmy, on 08/09/2008, -1/+10security, FOSS, a solid kernel, the ability to tweak to your hearts content, etc etc etc.
the "advantages" of *nix-based systems (beyond the obvious lack-of-cost) usually don't come into play except for developers/"power users". however, the fact that any average "check-email/browse-the-web/write-a-document" user can benefit from the constantly on-going development of "power-users" is a benefit in and of itself. - headzoo, on 08/09/2008, -4/+12This is the same circular argument we've been seeing for a while. The top companies don't want to use Linux on real PCs, because it doesn't work as good as they think it should. It doesn't work as good as they think it should because it doesn't have support from top companies. And around and around we go.
- mdwstmusik, on 08/09/2008, -1/+9I haven't had to edit an xorg.conf for at least 5 years. How long does it have to be before it's officially a thing of the past? I still hear "I can't see Joe Sixpack editing xyz.conf." Yea, but he's a pro at editing the Windows registry.
- MadOgre, on 08/09/2008, -1/+9Take up shooting now. It's brilliant fun.
- init100, on 08/09/2008, -0/+8"Reg keys make a whole lot more sense to the average person than running commands in linux."
That sounds very unlikely. I would guess that you just pulled that statistic out of your ass. -
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