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Google Working on Desktop Linux
paulmac84 writes "The Register reports that Google is working on a version of Ubuntu, known internally as Goobuntu. Google has confirmed it is working on a desktop linux project, but declined to supply further details, including what the project is for. Is Google about to release this as an alternative to Windows?" Update: 02/01 00:11 GMT by SM: chrisd is the first among many to point out that this is just more fodder from the Google rumor mill and isn't something they are currently planning to release.
It's all a conspiracy to take over the world.
It's been said before but I feel needs to be repeated.
There is no way this is going to be an "alternative to Windows" unless it can run *every* currently available (and even "out of print") piece of software, nor will this work unless it can work with every piece of hardware that Windows supports (as it were).
bork bork bork!
So why do you suppose third party developers don't like to develop drivers for Linux? Is it because it's harder? Nope. It's because it's not a big market. So third parties don't release drivers for Linux because few people use it, and few people use it (according to you) because there aren't drivers for everything for it.
According to me? Hardly. It is a catch-22 for linux as far as drivers go. I don't even think, personally, that hardware vendors don't develope for linux because it's "hard". How many binary only drivers (think nvidia and ati) don't work when you switch from one kernel to another, or need to have a portion re-compiled? I think this is why many of them don't develope.
The grandparent mentioned that Linux is ready, it just needs a marketing push. Suppose a big enough company, with enough commitment got behind Linux and started pushing it... hard. More people start using it, despite the lack of drivers. Google pressures third party hardware manufacturers to start providing drivers or let Google themselves do it.
I mentioned it's not, backed up the claim, and got negatively moderated by a bunch of linux fanbois. It, in spite of what you and the other idiots want to believe, will take more than "a push by a big enough company" to get linux anywhere CLOSE to where Windows is right now.
bork bork bork!