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Rethinking the Linux Distribution?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the pc-to-mainframe-and-back-again dept.

eldavojohn writes "ONLamp.com is running an interesting article about rethinking how the community distributes Linux and the open source applications that often come with Linux. The author isn't arguing that Linux needs to become a full blown web OS over night but instead, asking if the community should be considering 'Software as a Service' and what he means by that is perhaps many of the open source applications that run on Linux should be available through a browser. The reasons for this are obvious, the code is open so anyone could host it, it would be platform independent so anyone could use it and it might attract more users to the Linux environment. The obvious note here is that many of the enterprise software makers are switching to Software as a Service, shouldn't the open source community investigate the possibility of a Web OS?"

2 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Why change direction now? by Ckwop · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think it would stupid for the AbiWord or OpenOffice teams to down tools and start working on a web-based version of the software. At the minute, a lot of productivity is wasted on browser incompatibilities and AJAX is still rather clumsy in comparison to what it could be. To get even the fairly basic functionality of AbiWord in to a web-app would take far longer to develop than it would for an equivalent desktop application.

    I think the free software movement is doing very well. It's getting somewhere. I've used Windows on every PC I've owned since the Windows 3.11 days. In January I made the switch to Ubuntu on a new PC that I recently purchased. I decided to ditch Windows because I thought that Vista was a downgrade to Windows XP.

    I was frankly amazed at just how good GNU/Linux really is. It isn't just tolerable, it's out and out better than Windows XP. After installation, the machine is usable in that it has all the software I need to actually start using the computer. Windows by comparison has a basic 'toolset' (if you can even call it that). The file system layout is far more intuitive than the baroque drive lettering system. The firewall is simple, powerful and non-intrusive - compare that to Windows based firewalls. Windows Update only supports Microsoft products. Ubuntu provides updates for all software packages it distributes. In short, it feels better engineered, more robust, consumer centric and easier to use.

    Why should the free software movement rethink its strategy when it's just starting to gain traction in a big way? I say keep up the good work! It is no accident that Dell have decided to sell Ubuntu on their machines. This is no longer a hobbyists OS but a baby gorilla eating its way through plenty of fruit and gaining in size all the time. Watch out Microsoft!

    Simon.

  2. http://www.AstraNOS.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    It is definitely a good idea. That is why I started an Open Source WebOS called AstraNOS ( Astra is Not an Operating System ).
    http://www.astranos.org/

    You can check it out and see where it could excel. I need any type of help I can get.

    Please note that this is a very young project ( 3 weeks ) and already offers a lot of posibilities.

    I want to focus on communications but also hope eventually offer some type of desktop integration with E.g. KDE.

    I could also think of writing a onlyne GUI for my previous project ( QDVDAuthor ) so that you can create DVD from just about anywhere.

    Varol :)