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The Future of Portable Linux Distros
i_want_you_to_throw_ sends in a Tech Radar piece about the various portable Linux distributions, focusing on operating systems like Android, Chrome OS, and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. The article compares the distributions designed for similar purposes and discusses where they will likely go in the future.
"As UNR is built on Ubuntu, it's highly likely that we'll see almost as many UNR respins as we have for the parent distribution. We've already seen one example in Jolicloud, and we'd put money on many community distributions, such as Linux Mint or Crunchbang offering a UNR overhaul alongside their standard desktop installations. It's also likely that Canonical will be able to forge stronger relationships with companies like Dell, which is already shipping a specific version of UNR on its Mini 9 platform. As Windows XP is phased out and the cost of bundling Windows 7 rises, manufacturers will be looking for a cheap and easily maintainable netbook OS, and UNR fits the bill admirably."
Long live diversity. Arguably, one of MS's greatest weaknesses right now is its lack of diversity (ARM et al). The fact that they have conceded to continue selling xp on netbooks is the major reason they haven't been shut out of the growing netbook segment entirely.
Linux, meanwhile, is in every growing market, and although I may run only 2 or three distros personally, these benefit from the work done in dozens of other distros. The fears of a Linux monoculture are misinformed FUD, as long as Red Hat competes with Ubuntu competes with Suse, and so on.
I am literally 3000 tokens away from the chaotic crossbow --Stephen
As we've seen so far, Cloud Computing is a failure in virtually all cases
It has, has it! Huh... funny, Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, YouTube, and god knows how many other services would tend to disagree with you.
But you're right, web-based applications are a failure "in virtually all cases".
sometimes there are just new words for old things.
i don't think many of us are upset about having our email 'in the cloud' for example, but what we like is being able to sync it to our phones and computers. but this universally accepted and successful(?) 'cloud' model is near universal.
i'd say the same about my other documents. i don't mind a 'repository' of my music, documents, etc., which I access over the net, but I do want to have local copies.
sometimes it seems to me like internet companies are trying to stockpile data so that they "can't" go away, get propped up by governments, necessity of access to information. doesn't really seem healthy.
makes me think of highly encrypted shared clouds done on a bittorrent/TOR like model, decentralize the thing...
Long live the BSD license
As Windows XP is phased out and the cost of bundling Windows 7 rises, manufacturers will be looking for a cheap and easily maintainable netbook OS
Walmart.com currently stocks 125 Win 7 laptops. Fifty Win 7 desktops.*
The retailer is looking for sales.
Which Windows and Win 7 have proven they can deliver. Top Operating System Share Trend
This isn't rocket science.
The buyer sees the Win 7 Atom netbook on sale with a 10' screen and a 250 GB hard drive.
What to fill it with?
He has tons of Windows software at home which will load and run without a problem.
Software he knows.
Software he uses. Software he likes.
_____
* But only two netbooks in stores. That's a fast fade-out even by Walmart standards.
As we've seen so far, Cloud Computing is a failure in virtually all cases
Details I need details... That is just a wild accusation.
I have seen Cloud Computing succeeding far more then it fails. As well it has opened up the gates so people on different environments can run the same application.
People don't care if it is their desktop system. They want to run what they want and when... They really don't care if it on a server or on their computer. They want the data they are looking for, and the program to run quick enough.
Why does cloud computing limit people to a single vender or network operator? I can use Bing Maps and Gmail...
Oddly enough your data is safer in the cloud then in most peoples hands. Sure you can get the geeky with their own raid and offsite backups... However that isn't the real case. The cloud allows you to put your data in a place where it will have some real infrastructure behind it. And not just one drop away from being lost, and easily stolen.
Even for me the Cloud has saved my butt more then once, The times the Cloud has failed on me was a minor inconvenience...
Just because RMS makes a Rant about the Evil cloud. It doesn't make him right, He just likes to rant about stuff and be overall negitive about anything he didn't think of himself.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
"They don't want to host their data on some third-party servers,"
yes, the average person *loves* to manage their own backups.
i have an android phone. my pictures, music, calendar, mail, videos, and contacts are all in the cloud. it all works quite well for me.
it's not as simple as connected or not. intelligent client apps cache data locally and sync it when there's a connection.
So you're complaining that UNR, Moblin & all exist and that you have to choose which distro to install?
ahh no that isn't at all what i said. what i mean is, is there really any difference between UNR and Ubuntu besides like one or two packages and a hotkey mapping. Couldn't that just be included as a prompt after the nic works to install the NBR package and the hotkey mappings based on your model that can be found using dmidecode. If i change a splash screen and add a game should i really call it another name than the distro it is? Is there really that much change in the NBR is what I am getting at?