<html> <head> <meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> USA Notes ..... People who survey and keep track of statistics are reporting that home XP users have been and still are taking the easy technological route of upgrading to 7, either legally or illegally. I doubt if many home Windows users are thinking about GNU/Linux at all. Resistance to change and expense is at play. Hardly anyone realizes that their Android phones are running a Linux kernel. This is similar to the fact that MacOS and iOS users do not realize that their machines are running an offshoot of BSD Unix. People just look at the eye candy and believe that this is the "system". Commercial use is a different story. Many businesses are buying new or converting to Linux. Faster, more secure, and not more expensive than Windows. IBM and Redhat have benefited hugely from this continuing trend. The commercial desktops, however, are upgraded from XP to 7 "enterprise edition". Corporate America is locked into Microsoft Office and Exchange for the foreseeable future. Ask anyone on the street in America "what is Linux" and you'll usually get a blank look. I often have trouble in social situations explaining what I do. For Linux and BSD Unix users and fans, there is still a tall mountain to climb, especially in communications. Richard the pessimist (sometimes) <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 02/15/2014 04:16 AM, PK wrote: </div> <blockquote cite="mid:CAELqJG5tY7HChQLf_wzeuA2rmO_TDPArpx1joH9ttckd--dmeA@mail.gmail.com" type="cite"> <div dir="ltr"> <div> <div> <div>@Richard Elkins: well put. Lightweight, easy to use and elegant, is what sums it up for me.... </div> And fit for modern hardware, as well. But 12.04.4 should be treated a little differently, I think... That particular LTS should retain its 3.2.x kernel, in order to be maximally compatible with hardware that's currently running on Windows XP. The death of XP is the best chance that Linux has ever had, to grow in the desktop market. The diehard XP users face a simple choice: either buy a new computer, or give Linux a try (which is free). If they can't get used to Linux, then they can go and buy that Windows 8 machine, after all. </div> XP users have nothing to lose by giving Linux a try first.... And Xubuntu 12.04.4 with the 3.2.x kernel, is optimally compatible for those older machines. Let's keep it that way, is my opinion. Let's not miss this one-time historic opportunity.... </div> <div>Xubuntu 14.04 LTS may have "kernel jumps"; that's OK and even an important improvement. The window of opportunity that we have this year for *older* hardware, isn't likely to repeat itself soon. </div> <div>Regards, Pjotr. </div> </div> <div class="gmail_extra"> <div class="gmail_quote">2014-02-15 2:11 GMT+01:00 Richard Elkins <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:richard.elkins@gmail.com" target="_blank">richard.elkins@gmail.com</a>>: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Very interesting food fight (not trying to criticize anyone specifically). The issue, IMO, is that some of the 'buntus seem to have a have fuzzy marketing concepts and no real plans. We might possibly agree that Edubuntu, Mythbuntu, and Ubuntu Studio seem to have well-defined audiences. Ubuntu Gnome and Kubuntu seem to be there for die-hard Gnome and KDE fans. "Ubuntu" (Unity) seeks to conquer all of the other 'buntu flavors (one ring to bind them all?); time will tell whether this is a good idea or not. What about Xubuntu and Lubuntu? Why are there two lightweight distributions? Fan base (one for XFCE and the other for LXDE)? Probably. I am a programmer. Personally, I like Gnome, XFCE, and LXDE so it was a close call for me - Ubuntu Gnome versus Lubuntu versus Xubuntu. The shared Ubuntu infrastructure (E.g. Ubiquity installer) has been, for the last 5 years, the best distro infrastructure at detecting a variety of hardware (especially graphics cards) which is very important to me. Small and simple is beautiful. So, five years ago, I centered on one flavor of Ubuntu: Xubuntu. In the subsequent 10 installations for friends and family (no other programmers but me), this is what I used in their behalf. Everyone liked the simplicity and clarity of the XFCE desktop. I was probably a bad boy and influenced them but there you are. Personally, I've used Gnome heavily in the past and could go back to it but I prefer to stay in sync with people that I consult for. Those of you who think that XFCE is for a certain class of machines, I am in disagreement. For me, it is a matter of personal aesthetics, what you are used to, and who is influencing you. Don't tell me that certain programs or libraries are only available on certain desktops because that is not true; anyone can install components of any Ubuntu distro they want regardless of desktop type given sufficient storage. Suggestion: Instead of arguing about the purpose of each Ubuntu distro, why not start a project to define these different distros in terms of marketing purpose? You may wind up with a surprising new perspective at the end of this process. Richard <div class="HOEnZb"> <div class="h5"> On 02/14/2014 05:03 PM, Michael Fischer wrote: > Sorry for using offensive phrases here. I will go more defensive then > like "utter nonsense", ok? > > FMF > > On 14.02.2014 23:41, Pasi Lallinaho wrote: >> On 15/02/14 00:30, Michael Fischer wrote: >>> Right. And in two years or so Xubuntu 14.04 LTS will be outdated >>> again, we can use the Ubuntu 14.04.x -> xubuntu-desktop workaround >>> again until Xubuntu 16.04 LTS is going to arrive (unless the release >>> policies will not change). >> By which means will be outdated again? As I said in the users mailing >> list, 14.04 will receive hardware enablement stacks. >> >>> Status as of today: >>> >>> By using any Ubuntu 12.04.x LTS we have a wider hardware support than >>> with using Xubuntu 12.04 or Xubuntu 12.04.4. >> Probably wider, but Ubuntu 12.04.x LTS can't support processors with no >> PAE support. I would imagine many of the computers currently running >> Windows XP fall in this category. >> >>> And this is going to help us in a more successful way to replace XP >>> installations. To replace XPs go with Xubuntu not Ubuntu (Unity) is >>> your message. Did it take you a long time to figure out this strategy? >> We don't need an offensive attitude on this mailing list. >> >> Pasi >> >>> FMF >>> >>> On 14.02.2014 22:45, PK wrote: >>>> Utter nonsense (völliger Quatsch). Xubuntu 14.04 LTS will aim >>>> squarely at new hardware. >>>> >>>> Xubuntu 12.04.4 LTS on the other hand, would miss a historic >>>> opportunity by making a "kernel jump": the demise of Windows XP is a >>>> one-time opportunity which shouldn't be missed. >>>> >>>> Regards, Pjotr. >>>> >>> >> > > -- xubuntu-devel mailing list <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:xubuntu-devel@lists.ubuntu.com">xubuntu-devel@lists.ubuntu.com</a> <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-devel" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-devel</a> </div> </div> </blockquote> </div> </div> <fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset> </blockquote> </body> </html>