Your Thoughts On Main Streaming Linux What next?

[snutz411 0]

Let's face it, at most 5-8% of the population that uses computers utilizes a Linux distro. Most of the world is still under the influence of Microsoft (M$) however the open-source community is slowly growing in popularity and number.The more popular distros such as Red Hat, Fedora Core, Mandrake, Slackware, Debian, and SUSE each carry with them a strong following. It is only natural that the progression of Linux into main stream computer use will make it more user friendly. I see this as a double-edged sword...Linux will increase in popularity, but more people that typically wouldn't use it in the first place will begin using it.I enjoy the fact that only a small percentage of the population uses Linux and of that small percentage, about half of them can actually USE Linux the way it was supposed to be. I steered away from more GUI oriented distros such as Red Hat and Mandrake in favor for more console based distros like Slackware. Once you start performing everyday functions from the console, or shell, you just begin to gain a better appreciation for the beauty of Linux. You will not believe how much power and capability you have just from a shell.Main streaming Linux would mean that Windows users would jump ship and ride on the wave of Linux. But that would dilute the experienced user pool in the Linux community. Personally, I would take a stupid Linux user than a stupid Windows user anyday. But this is an essential step in the goal of open source beating out Microsoft.Your thoughts?

[hatim 0]

IMO , command line is good but its not meant for every one and for every task. IN the case of webbrowsing you can always open up email from inside of emacs and browse the web ..and never leave emacs (or what ever you use) but you wont be able to take advantages of rich applications like FLICKR and GMAIL. They do have a use and have an appeal.KDE and GNOME have design philosphies inspired from Unix/Linux too. Like making tools from smaller tools. But GUI is not in competetion of CLI but to augment it. Its very hard to do GIMP kind of stuff in command line.(almost impossible). A good portion of hackers will still prefer CLI in tasks which require CLI like kernel hacking , programming , checking up man pages, taking hex dump , dropping a fast email and IRC. But browsing internet , playing music and organizing photos , typing in a letter arent tasks meant for CLI. I mean if you love LaTex thats another issue..but i prefer open office to LaTex for simple letters.Last but not least. there is this 90-10 or 80-20 rule which states 10 percet of the features are used 90% of the time. In case of Linux / Windows ..users have similar needs. If Linux needs a good adoption it needs to look in to the needs of ordinary people and morph itself.In effect the Linux Dev people have todecide that should Linux be OS for elite or OS for all(by linux i mean GNU/Linux in form of a distro ,,ie all bundeled packages)

[jipman 0]

It's not going to happen.99,9% percent of the people out here prefer the lazy *bottom* easy way instead of the hard but leet way . Anyway, Linux distro's don't have such an extensive budget as microsoft or anyother big software company to spend on marketing their product, also, I don't think it's necessary. If windows does everything a user wants so let it be. Why change something when it works fine.Although the percentage of linux users is probably growing, it will never outrun microsoft. ps. As long as the linux community stays small, the change of virusses and worms being created is just as small. So we should thank all the poor souls that are sacrificing their windows based computers and catching on the virusses .ps........ I use windows.

[qwijibow 0]

In the oldern days, there was a certain *Eletism* that went with anyone who even knew the words *GNU/Linux*, Especially for those who could use it.I would prefere it to stay an *Elete* OS.I can just image Linux going mainstream, and millions of people talking abouut a new OS thats just been released, not realising the 2 decaes of work that has gone into it, and 2 decades of people using it before them.

[yordan 10]

Last week I was in a supermarket, I saw a PC for only $300, ready for use, operating system already installed. I asked if the Windows CD was included in the price, and the answer was "no, Sir, this is a Linux system". So, slightly but surely, Linux is coming in the supermarkets, it's the first step for a general use. And this thing was sold as a DivX Player and Internet system, so really for everybody.

[Quatrux 4]

I agree, I see now: Linux pre-installed on a lot of new computers for sale, but well I don't see a lot of point, except that for the sellers it is much cheaper and the computer price is cheaper, because Linux is free. Most of the buyers will install windows, some of them will stay with what is installed and if an experienced Linux user bought this computer, he probably reinstall to what he is using. But over of all, I really like that Linux is getting more popular and more users use it everyday.. for example, two years ago on different forums only couple of users were using Linux, now most of them have tried or seen it, most servers runs on Linux/BSD/etc. For me Windows OS is now only for the software I can't get on Linux and Win Games + school projects. But as I can have Linux and Windows on one computer it is not a problem.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

really? supermarkets now sell computers? that's new... anyways, I'm glad more people are using Linux. It'll be the greater good for humankind. It'll also boost more software support for us Linux users.Having noobs are not a bad thing. It's only a bad thing if they don't want to earn anything.That's my opinion anyways...xboxrulz

[Jeigh1405241495 0]

I agree that I'd say its a good thing. Sure you might lose some functionality with the GUI's, and mainstream could eventually mean viruses or whatnot, but it'll be a long time before it gains any significant margin and there will always be '1337' distro's out there that are CLI based and made for the most hardcore of users. Thats the best thing about linux, its made by the people who want it... so you can always find the flavor thats right for you

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

CLI can be handy on software installations and graphic card driver installation, but I don't think CLI is great for everything. Also, I think with Linux's superior security system, I don't think any virus could really run on it.That's just my opinion...xboxrulz

[derouge 0]

I'd like to see Linux become slightly more mainstream, although, I'm not sure if it can ever become truly mainstream. "Linux" to me at least, is not just one distro, it's the whole lot of them. I like knowing that if I decide that I need something specific I can get out on the web and search through hundreds of flavors until I find the one thats just right. I can then tweak that flavor until it's 100% what I need. I think if a distribution went mainstream it'd lose some of that feel. On the flipside, I'd love to see some major competition to Microsoft. When corporations compete, customers win. I think thats the saying anyways.

[yordan 10]

I guess that snutz411 is essentially thinking about home users.Because, for company work, there is no questions. At most real production sites, the SI has to choose between a "normal" system, which is a Linux one (of course, the commercial version or Linux in order to be supported) and a "huge" system, which is a propriatary Unix system.So, the choice is between Unix and Unix, Linux in my mind being a version of Unix.Of course, Microsoft is still present, but mainly in the workstations mono-user systems, not so in the multi-user, multi-task systems.

[organicbmx 0]

i think linux becoming more mainstream would be better for everyone. if hardware and software developers can work with a stable and logical base they are more likely to produce a better final product. linux staying a minority thing will hold back technological advancementi think for this to happen there are a few things that need to change. first people need to stop being pathetic and scared of everything [ive used the example before of my friend who's winxp pc died of a virus and i told him i could salvage the computer with linux. at first he was almost angry - he almost said he would rather have nothing than something new to him]second is much harder. it is the compatability issues. not only the real ones but the percieved ones. many people think linux [and Mac osX] is totally incompatible but this is out of date by nearly a decade. there are real problems though and these need to change but most are ompossible to change, they either need microsoft support [!] or just time. one example is the ntfs write support project. i badly want that.the third is if computer lessons in school atually help in using a computer. my gcse [final exams of compulsory education] was based on how to use ms access. if that gcse had started with basic languages and moved on to simple advanced stuff that would be useful. for example installing a linux distro onto a old pc would be not too hard but really educational.

[qwijibow 0]

The hardware compatability issue is a self inflicted wound.There are 2 ways to make hardware compatable with an OS.There is the MS windows Method, and the Linux Method.I will explain..MS windows has a un-changing kernel ABI for device drivers.This allows hardware developers to ship their hardware with a device driver that will probably out-live the hardwares life.For example for many device drivers written for Windows NT/2k still work with WindowsXP Service pack2 (6 years later)The people whomake the hardware, also provide its device driver.The advantage of this, is hardware compatability.However the dis-advantage is stability.Many BSODS, and other compatability issues are caused by faulty device drivers.Device drivers run in kernel mode, and have sufficiant access to brink the whole system down.MS have tried to get around this major issue by poping up message boxes when you install drivers that have not ben "tested by microsoft"but my 4 year old PC-world computer still contains many un-tested drivers (of which many come with the WindowsXP cd !!!)In Linux, the kernel ABI is always open to change.A binary device driver written one day, might not work a month later with the latest kernel.hardware vendors (except for Nvidia.. woo nvidia !) dont have the resources to release a new closed soure binary only driver every time Linux kernel is updated.but thats Okay, Linux doesnt want this, Linux hackers want hardware vendors to release documentation on the hardware so that linux programmers can write there own device drivers, to an equal quality to the rest of linux.or possably to release the drives open source, so thet they can be ported, and any instability's rsolved.Linux chooses hardware incompatability over in-stability.in my opinion, this was the correct choice..I would rather spend an extra 10 minutes checking for compatability before buying hardware, than have to suffer from in-stability.FreeBSD has a reputation for beeing more stable than linux, however FreeBSD-6.0 rashes constantly on my machine due to a buggy reverse engineered nForce-3 network card driver.an excellent OS ruined on my machine, because it listed support for a device, that had a closed source buggy driver.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

why can't they just make the drivers a module. NVIDIA had their driver a module instead of a built-in kernel driver. This causes less crashes on the OS. It is true that Windows' drivers uses kernel built-ins, that's why it crashes so much.Since Linux's modulisation API is rarely changed, then why are hardware makers so fussy over Linux?xboxrulz

[Divya1405241516 0]

Linux has a number of useful bandwidth monitoring and management programs. A quick search on Freshmeat.net for bandwidth returns a number of applications. However, if all you need is a basic overview of your total bandwidth usage, iptables is all you really need -- and it's already installed if you're using a Linux distribution based on the 2.4.x or 2.6.x kernels. If you just can't bear to part with Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, or Quicken, but want to make the switch to Linux, relax -- CodeWeavers' CrossOver Office has you covered. Simple, cost-effective deployment Manage UNIX, Linux, Windows https://www.emperex.com/ While it is technically possible to install Windows software on Linux using the Wine project, it requires a lot of technical knowhow and painful troubleshooting. It's not as simple as putting in a CD and clicking Install.CodeWeavers' flagship product, Crossover Office, is based on the Wine project, but incorporates substantial changes to make installation of Windows programs a piece of cake. CrossOver Office version 5.0 was released at the end of October, and offers support for several versions of Microsoft Office -- including Office 2003 -- Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Quicken, and a host of other Windows software.The most notable change in this new version is the concept of "bottles." A bottle is basically a separate virtual drive for each instance of installed software. For example, if you install Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, they will exist on separate virtual drives, with separate files.This approach has certain drawbacks, the most noticeable of which rears its head when you need something like Internet Explorer, which is generally installed only once and then used by various programs. When using CrossOver Office, you'll need to install IE in every bottle separately. It is possible to force an application to install in an existing bottle, but CrossOver Office warns you that doing so is "likely to produce errors." I tried installing Flash MX and Dreamweaver MX in the same bottle, and it worked, but other applications might not.The advantages to this approach outweigh this inconvenience, though. You can be sure that installing a new program will not ruin a working program. This used to happen occasionally with previous versions of CrossOver Office, and it was a major show-stopper. The peace of mind the new approach gives is worth the slight trouble of installing some software multiple times.CrossOver Office is available in Standard ($40) and Professional ($70) editions. The two are functionally identical, but the Professional version has some extra features that home users won't really miss, such as multi-user support and the ability to create RPMs with CrossOver Office and Windows apps installed under CrossOver Office. The company also offers a CrossOver Office Server Edition, which allows CrossOver Office to run on thin clients.Well, and here is a comparison with Windows:Microsoft Releases Longhorn Server Code with Vista BetaA Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that participants in the Windows Server "Longhorn" private beta program had received an updated build of Longhorn Server code as part of the Windows Vista Community Technology Preview.• ActiveWin Details the Latest Longhorn Release Windows Server vs LinuxMicrosoft Slaps Itself into Shape with R2News Analysis: Microsoft's on-schedule release of Windows Server 2003 R2 represents the first fruits of Microsoft's effort to shape up on delivering Windows products on a regular basis, with much-improved security, in a form that doesn't break applications.Windows Server vs LinuxLower Cost and Risk While Increasing PerformanceAfter deciding to run its SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO) solution on an Intel Itanium 2–based Unisys ES7000 server computer, Rayovac Corporation (now Spectrum Brands) chose Microsoft Windows Server 2003 because it met the required performance and scalability requirements, while saving nearly $1 million in the first four years. Hardening Security Is Key to Reducing Risk and TCOIn this independent Yankee Group report, 550 IT managers and executives were surveyed comparing the TCO between Windows and Linux. The results show improvement in Microsoft's score from the previous year's survey. Interoperability Through Service Oriented ArchitecturesThis ObjectWatch white paper highlights the ease with which Windows Server and Linux can interoperate using Service Oriented Architectures. SERVER IQ RESOURCE CENTER Free Microsoft Security Webcast!Register now for a free Webcast from Microsoft! Learn how you can protect your infrastructure from e-mail borne security threats. Mike Nash and a panel of experts discuss software, services, and policies you can put in place to protect every layer of your network. Reliability Study: Windows Server vs. SuSE Linux Security Innovation tested both OSs in a simulated, real-world, e-commerce environment. The study found that the Linux implementation grew more complex over time. Windows Server with critical core functionality built into the OS, required less maintenance. But what`s fro me i prefer Windows