[TriLUG] Where is Linux today?

[Brian Phelps]

On Wed, 2008-06-18 at 20:31 -0400, Maxwell Spangler wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-06-18 at 12:06 -0400, William Sutton wrote:
> > I've been a Linux user since way back in the Red Hat 4.1 days (my mentor 
> 
> >   When people ask for my 
> > recommendation, I tell them to get an Apple (I recently purchased a 
> > MacBook Pro for myself).
> 
> > Given the Apple price points for hardware (expensive), and the Microsoft 
> > brokenness, I see great opportunities for a consumer-ready Linux PC.  That 
> > said, I'm sticking with my MacBook :-)
> 
> My original message in this thread started on the Washington DC lug list
> where someone else whose opinion and perspective is quite out of date
> and idealic stated that Windows is produced by a monopoly so we don't
> want to go near that, that Linux is wonderful and that we (Linux users)
> would never consider choosing an Apple Mac running OS X because its
> proprietary.  (paraphrasing.)
> 
> So tied into an ongoing discussion about why you don't see things like
> the Redhat LinuxExpo of the past, I started to engage users in a
> discussion on whether Linux is stalling [in the desktop environment.]
> 
> Williams response here is an example of what I was looking for.  Here's
> a guy who's pro-Linux, pro-open source, etc., and has a long history of
> working with a variety of technology issues and platforms, so he knows
> the landscape.  He's optimistic about Linux, but he's using a MacBook at
> home.
> 
> That's a vastly different world than ten years ago when people like me
> were driving to Raleigh from Washington DC to excitedly attend
> LinuxExpo.  Back then Linux was full of unlimited potential and for all
> we knew, might grow into something that was capable of powering servers
> (check!), embedded devices (check), and desktops featuring a Unix
> backend and an amazingly cutting edge innovative graphical front-end
> (check.. wait a second?)
> 
> It's that last part that I was interested in discussing.  Linux did grow
> up and become a powerful operating system that can hold its own.  My
> question is whether or not the practical features of Windows Vista and
> Mac OS X raised the bar and that Linux, despite its advances, is still
> not good enough.
> 
> Especially in a Linux forum its easy to consider Vista with its malware,
> adware, spyware, viruses, initial and ongoing cost and personal dislikes
> in order to write it off as a crappy operating system.  But chances are
> if you buy a new shiny computer, all your hardware will be supported,
> easy access to technical support for hardware issues is available and if
> you little or no legacy apps or hardware, your experience can actually
> be pretty good.  So, reluctantly perhaps, lets agree it is still a
> viable option for the average person, of which there are millions out
> there making decisions about computers and software.
> 
> Mac OS X is what really impresses me because it is in functional terms
> what I always wanted Linux to be.  A solid Unix back end with an
> innovative front end and hardware that works.
> 
> I started with Linux in 1993 with Slackware, switched to Redhat at
> version 3.03 and use Fedora 8 today.  I use it daily as my only computer
> for home and work.  And I really do love it.  But it is worrisome that
> in such a short period of time Mac OS X has inherited a large and
> growing user base with more acceptance on desktops/laptops than Linux,
> and that Microsoft Vista, despite its flaws will inherit a large user
> base of millions of users as well.
> 
> If those operating systems get their act together and keep growing, will
> Linux be limited in the future to servers, embedded uses and politically
> or technically motivated users that require free/open source software
> above all else?
The desktop issue here is not usability of the desktop itself, but
supported applications and supported hardware like USB Cams and USB Wifi
cards.  This seems to be actually improving drastically as of lately.

How many different programs are available as Win binaries only?  You
wanna program that new Philips Pronto Remote?  How about watch ABC
episodes?  Itunes?  Sure itunes runs under wine, kinda.  

Unfortunately, Users need 100% compatibility with the Windows world,
bugs and all.  OO comes close to this, but what about Quickbooks files
and others?

In my business there are hundreds other examples like this.  Wine has
fallen short of supporting most of these apps, and forget USB/serial
support.  Until a standard gui and hardware application interface can be
created and supported on any OS, vendors will support the largest part
of their target audience, and everyone else suffocates.  For now I'm
stuck using WinXP in a VM.  

Believe me, this Win only software mess will straighten out, the rest of
the world is tired of having their computers controlled by an elite few
in Redmond who are ignorant to others needs.

Yes I have heard of mono, but I have not seen it work right yet.

Usability: If people can figure out Mac OSX and Vista or even XP
(Start->Power-Off->Shutdown), they can figure out Gnome or KDE.
Usability may have once been an issue, but Ubuntu and Redhat has fixed
that.  It has definitely surpassed Vista in the usability department,
especially when you finally understand what a package manager is.
Desktop Linux has really come a very long ways since 10 yrs ago.  

BTW where is the Vista package manager?  There isn't one yet? I gotta
download the driver for my USB->Serial from where?  Surely there must be
a package manager for XP.

Seriously, I have tried a few sad attempts at a pkg manager for XP and
they suck ass.  
> 
> Just a question and an interesting discussion I hope.