Is Linux a desktop operating system?
hagen van rissenbeck
news4didascali at gmx.net
Thu May 26 08:04:15 UTC 2005
Hi Dave,
you wrote:
> I am going to have to disagree with a few of your points.
I think, that our opinions are not so far away from each other ;-) read
my comments
> I agree people who use Windows are using it because they are not
> looking to install and potentially 'crash their systems', or they
> don't want to try. And for good reason. There have been times where
> everyone who is reading this would have had a hosed system if it was
> not for their understanding of the command line, and ability to edit
> config files. The standard user does not know about changing their
> resolution in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
you are right, that has to be preconfigured for the standard user, if
not...I agree.
that's why I argued for preinstalled linuxes in the shops
> However, I am going to disagree that that is the main or only reason.
> People have seen the IBM Linux ads on TV (at least in the US) and they
> hear about it every now-and-again in the media, like New York Times.
> I am going to say people are using Windows because they have used it
> for as long as they have owned a computer
> You are right, that the lack of choice prevents this. But people stay
> with what they are comfortable with. The learning curve is not an
> easy one, granted that it is leaps and bounds easier than 1 or 5 years
> ago.
Yes, I know, my own experience...but from the todays view I did not knew
a lot of computers at the time I decided for the change to linux...and
it took a while to learn ... I guess 5 to 15 months or so...
>
> I believe, correct me if I am wrong, there are hardware companies that
> are trying to get support into Linux more and more. Places like
> nVidia release drivers for Linux, however can not release the source
> because of some NDA they have. Taking this further, my opinion is
> that the nvidia X driver is much better than the open source nv driver.
> How would a normal user know or care about the difference. All the
> user knows is that some 'magic' happens to make a computer work.
If the graphical driver would be preinstalled, the user hasn't to care
about that.
That is what I wrote about. It is a great disadvantage, that there is no
opportunity to buy linux-computers.
And, from my point of view, the support of hardware producers is not
really good.
The case of the scanners: Some scanner producers don't want to ccoperate
with the sane developers.
If you try to get a driver for something, let me say for an epson
scanner (yes, they support linux with drivers and a scanning tool), you
find no linux-link on www.epson.com or www.epson.de, you have to go to
www.epkowa.co.jp. Additionally, no comments on the packages that it
works on linux. The same is acer. Their usb-sticks work, but no comment
on the package. Brother-printers from the 1200 -1400 series are working
fine under linux, but no comment on the packages.
What a support! Secret for the general customer. The result? The
consumer has to inform himself/herself about computer technology and
decides very often: No, it's better if I would continue using m$ because
I have no time for that, I've got other problems, which are more
important for me than a pc.
>
> I also think the problem lies in the software. Linux stacks sort by
> far on this one. Everyone and their mother who write business
> software are writing it in Windows only. Programs like wine can't
> keep up with the advances with that software.
Yes, that's true. Software development is often restricted to a specific
platform. Changing the dlls or the programming languages would be a
really strong problem and a risk. The programmers have to learn the new
tool or the enterprise needs new programmers.
Their enterprise has to survive and selling software on the linux
platform is difficult, because a lot of product of oss-projects are for
free.So they do not invest in new programming technologies or in porting
the software to linux, because that needs human power, or causes - in
other words - costs. Abbyy for example. OCR is a playground IMHO, where
m$-platform-based programs are better. I asked Abbyy's sales
representatives on the cebit fair last year if there is any plan porting
Fine Reader to linux. The answer was short: No! And they didn't want to
discuss that point (Now, I'm very interested in the story of the ported
Nero Burning Utility. I would like to know if they are successful or not).
Nevertheless, it is possible to develop platform independent. But
sometimes, software developers do not actually want to see the sense,
from my point of view. It seems to me that software-makers try to hold
their consumers on their products. They don't want them to migrate in
any case. It's not a question of linux, it's a question of competition
between proprietairy software makers.
> Even programs that are coded for Linux to compete with Windows ones
> fall short. I have to say MS Office is still better and more feature
> complete than OpenOffice is. Now I have not used OpenOffice 2.0 yet
> so maybe it has made a comeback.
That depends on the point of view. From my point of view, the
differences between M$ Office and others are not relevant - for the
general end user...normally there is a solution for user problems in
each of the office packages.
>
> The one thing you have to remember is that as much as we don't like
> Windows, it still is a tool that has a purpose. All Linux
> distrobutions, even Ubuntu, is not ready to be pushed to the standard
> user.
Just find it out with your friends and members of your family: Two
members of my family use linux, two of my neighbours also, only to write
letters and so on...three of my friends....and .... ;-)
> I think we are getting closer, and more automatic. Windows is a,
> don't kill me, great OS for that user, as much as I don't like to
> think that. Ubuntu has and is doing a fantastic job on making a
> desktop OS.
>
I would like to close that I am not against windows, I prefer both
systems on a machine. For some problems, m$ is the better solution, for
other problems it is ubuntu.
Hagen
More information about the ubuntu-users
mailing list