[Sussex] Is 2008 the Year Of The Desltop for Linux?

[Stephen Williams]

On Tue, 2008-01-29 at 08:15 +0000, Steve Dobson wrote:
> Gavin
> 
> On Tue, 2008-01-29 at 00:50 +0000, Gavin Stevens wrote:
> > On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:47:42 +0000
> > Steve Dobson <steve at dobson.org> wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi All
> > > 
> > > Yes, I know you've head it all before.  I've become somewhat jaded
> > > about the idea that Linux will replace Windows on the desktop. 
> > > However, others are more hopeful.
> > > 
> > > I came across article [1] which I recommend to you for reading.  It
> > > links to article [2] about a large roll out in India that is equally
> > > interesting.  But what is most significant to me is how IBM are
> > > supporting Linux.
> > > 
> > > It appears to me that IBM made the right choice by not developing a
> > > Linux distro of their own.  By providing support for a number of
> > > different distros are they not better able to support their clients? 
> > > If you want RedHat in the server room and Ubuntu on the desktop which
> > > company would you prefer to go to for your support?  RedHat, Canonical
> > > or IBM?  
> > > 
> > > Sure all three have the skills.  We all know that one Linux distro is
> > > pretty much like another, after all the code base is the same.  But if
> > > RedHat recommended their desktop system, or Canonical Ubuntu for the
> > > server room, would you think they were making that recommendation
> > > because it was right for you or because it was easier for them?  If
> > > IBM made either of those recommendations wouldn't you think that they
> > > probably had a point?
> > > 
> > > So will 2008 be the year of the Linux desktop?  I don't know.  I'll
> > > believe it when I see it.
> > > 
> > It's true that Linux has a long, long way to go in terms of users
> > changing from Windows, but Linux is definitely ready as a "product" (I
> > use the term in the absence of anything else more appropriate).
> > 
> > Some interesting things give me hope: I was wandering round the BCF
> > earlier this month & one of the vendors had Vista on offer for GBP65,
> > when it's usually more like GBP195
> 
> Do you know if that was an OEM version rather than a "full" license for
> an already purchased computer?  My guess is that it
> 
> >  - he said he was having real trouble
> > selling it & he has been selling Windows for a long time. He even
> > confessed that he was evaluating Linux (Ubuntu, I think)
> 
> In my view Vista is turning out to be a complete wast of time and
> effort.
> Microsoft spent many years embedding DRM into every level of their OS
> just
> to please a few content provides (who would then only release their
> content
> for the Vista platform) only to find on completion that those same
> content 
> providers are abandoning DRM because the public don't want it.
> 
> > Also, my 12
> > year old stepson now has Debian Etch on his PC - Windows has been wiped
> > off his HDD with a stiff brush. 
> 
> So when will you be bring him along to a SLUG moot?  Maybe 12 is a bit
> young
> to be staying up late on a school night, but in a few years...
> 
> Hay, I'm always on the look out for new members. :-)
> 
> Steve
> __ 

I concur. I installed Vista on my children's PC out of interest, and
their verdict is - Pants! Much slower than the previous XP install, and
not good for their games. Oddly enough I prefer it to XP in some ways,
but if I was going to run it I would need a complete upgrade to my
desktop and my notebook. Whereas Gentoo does me just fine and dandy.

I have Ubuntu Gorilla installed on two of my home PCs, and it is getting
very slick.

I installed it as a live OS on my USB memory stick, along with live
versions of Knoppix 5.1.1 and Gentoo install. It was in setting up this
USB stick that Windows finally hurled itself onto a sword as far as I'm
concerned. Linux quite happily allows me to partition this as I please,
but Windows XP - oh no, I can only have one primary partition formatted
as FAT. How f*%$ing brain dead is that!

No, M$ Windows has had its time. A  few bits of eye candy on top of this
type of dross just isn't going to convince in future. Linux is so much
more robust and feature rich, and distros like Ubuntu are going to
flatten Windows.

Soon M$ will be about XBox and other consumer appliances - media PCs for
example - and a M$ OS will be a memory (one that's likely to blue screen
at that!)

Steve W.

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