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What Does Open Source Need for Mainstream Desktop?
HesAnIndieRocker asks: "So what will it take to make open source technology a mainstream alternative on the PC desktop? It feels like we've been on the cusp for many years now and the applications available for most common tasks are certainly competitive, but we still hover around a 5% market share by most accounts. I've recently written an article in my weblog about some possibilities, but I'd love to hear what others think."
Foobar2000
Seriously, it has to be the most awesome audio player I had ever used, and Linux doesn't even offer an alternative (other than running it on WINE) that comes close to the pure awesomeness of it. I like Rhythmbox and whatnot, but seriously, Foobar2000 could do it all. I mean, it even cured a cold I had once!
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
I'm sure I'll be flamebait, but i'll have to file you under "you still don't get it". (that and shamlessly promoting your blog.)
/etc. Thats playing with fire.
Not only don't you get it, you won't listen. Sure - argue that I'm wrong. Willing to take a bet which one of us will still be right in a year? Two years?
You said: "Instead, the problem with Linux is that not enough people are getting it preinstalled on their computers."
Bzzzt. Wrong. Do you think everybody would automatically love Linux if it was dumped on them? No. Not by a mile. Remember, Linux is FREE and can't compete on the desktop with stuff that isn't. Stuff that is generally either put out by an evil empire, or a fruit company
I stand firmly behind JWZ's statement: "Linux is free if your time is worthless".
99.9% of the people out there use their computer as a tool. They aren't interested in tinkering with it, or even worse, fighting with it to try to get something done. I don't want to have to screw with my computer for simple things any more than I want to screw with my car just to get to work. THESE ARE SOLVED PROBLEMS.
If you want to get Linux accepted on the desktop, I suggest you take a good hard look at trying to do even the most simple things that people do on other platforms every day.
-play music
-configure a printer
-move files around the network
-play games
-adding/changing hardware
-etc
These are simple and linux still has plenty of problems with them.
Play sound? ALSA or OSS or something else. Barf. And doing something like adding a new graphics card? *shudder*. The ensuing Xwindows pain in the ass makes me sweat just thinking about it. "You've bought the latest wifi card? Oh sure, you just need to grab this patch, patch a kernel module, recompile, reconfigure, modprobe, and you're set!!" OH COME ON!
If the only way to set something up is to edit a config file, YOU FAIL. Period. This is not open to discussion. You will not win on the desktop. When my mom/dad/sister/grandma calls, I can walk them through GUI's to change settings. I can't/won't dare have them editing some random file in
I contrast this with windows. A recent event for me: the onboard firewire port on my laptop died. I bought a firewire PCMCIA card. I plugged it in. Windows detects it, finds the drivers, installs them, and is done. I plug in my iPod and up pops iTunes, it syncs, and everybody is happy. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THIS SIMPLE.
And i'm not even going to go into the KDE/GNOME/whateverdesktopyouchose wars and inconsistency nightmares that are going on.
(And even more, i'm not going to go into the incompatibility issues with the different distros and system configurations. AIEEEEEEEE)
It's not an exposure issue. Linux still isn't there yet. If you think it is, I suggest you go over to an usergroup like mythtv-users for people setting up that particular media server. You wouldn't belive the fucking nightmares people have to deal with for things like getting digital audio working out of their box.
THIS IS ALMOST 2006! PC AUDIO HAS BEEN A SOLVED PROBLEM FOR A LOOOONG TIME FOR THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE.
To replace windows Linux doesn't need to be as good, it needs to be BETTER. I'll tell you I'm perfectly willing to pay $100 for windows/MacOSX for the shear amounts of headaches it saves me vs. trying to run linux on my desktop (and yes, I have done it). If you think paying $50-150 (arguably, whatever the OEM cost is) for windows over a 3-5 year windows product cycle vs. the amount of trouble it saves you is too much money. Well, I'll just have to say we must live in two very different worlds.
I am soooo not a microsoft fan, and I think a lot of their user interface work is junk, but they **still** beat linux's ass when it comes to general usability.
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1