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Open Source on Windows - Boon or Bane for Linux?
A not-so anonymous Anonymous Coward puts this tough issue up for discussion: "There seem some more
determined
efforts underway currently
in some corners of the KDE project to port substantial parts of the software
stack to the MS Windows platform. These efforts are now met by fierce resistance on the part of some of their core developers. Aaron J. Seigo summarizes his reasoning in his blog:
'If the applications people want are available on Windows, they will tend to stick with Windows...by porting software to Windows, we eliminate the
majority of the competitive advantage of Free Software desktops in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of consumers while Microsoft has all the rope they need to shut the door once again on us ... Free Software desktop applications on Windows represent a no-win situation for Open Source, but
Open Source desktops on Free Software operating systems do.'" (Read more below.)
"Does it hurt the 'Linux to the Desktops!' battle fanfare, if Linux apps and other OSS are ported on a large-scale to MS Windows,
or will it rather have a 'pave the way' effect? Does it help to migrate enterprises and public sector units if users to Linux if users are already familiar with Firefox and OpenOffice.org from Windows, or does it take away the motivation to migrate at all? Is porting Unix desktop software counterproductive? Does it even help Microsoft and damage Windows users?"
for windows... keep it working nicely for Linux. People will switch to Linux because "look how crappily windows runs KDE".
Meh.
Only if "it" is "teh ghey"
...in which MS is Satan and whatever contortions the penitent must endure to avoid supplication to the dark lord will be suffered gladly.
No they won't.
A) they won't realize thier stuff is available and designed for Linux.
B) they wil be content to get some free (gratis) software and be able to easily install all sorts of junk.
C) when the software is not windows centric and so "non-intuitive", they will be turned off Free (libre) software.
It might seem contradictory but it is how people think. My parents have a linux desktop and they do not suffer from any of the spyware problems all thier friends do, but when the scanner stopped work they were quick to bitch how it was a Linux problem.
Now they were getting a message about no scanner detected. I advised them to check the connections but they claimed everything was fine. I go over and check it out and see the dc adapter is unplugged. If a device is not getting power it is not going to work.
Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
Here let me help you turn off your reality distortion field, I think you left it on after leaving your house today:
:) I've got antivirus software, but I've never really had a need to use it.
;P
Apple OS X user: Very stable and works with all the Apple hardware I throw at it. It doesn't even do too badly with the non-Apple stuff!
Windows XP user: @#$%^!! Why the hell won't this damn sound card work!!!? I've downloaded the latest drivers from the manufacturer and XP says they haven't been approved for use with XP, but that's worked for me before! So why isn't it working now!!?? I guess that's the last time I go with no name hardware that I can get inexpensively. I thought PCs were supposed to be just as easy as a Mac and cheaper! (Thus the "PC hardware is cheaper" argument sprouts wings and flies away) Or... Why is my hard drive constantly running and my system so slow?? It's been happening since last week (when he got that funny "RE:Hi" message from his cousin) and I've tried defragging the system. My AVG antivirus software says the system is clean. What's the deal? (Note, you can't use the argument that Microsoft software is more popular than Apple. The Apache Organization's HTTPD software is infinitely more popular than IIS and IIS is still the one that gets successfuly attacked more often.
Happy to have helped. Don't mention it.
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
Dude, what's wrong with your shift key? Our shift keys work great on Windows, and every day new free apps are being ported to it, maybe you should think of switching??