"This all costs serious money and a fair amount of non-developer skillset work that has to be paid.
Unless normal application vendors can find a way of making money from Linux desktop development,
the Linux desktop will never fly."
The lack of apps is a real problem for us "normies". I am in the process of switching to a dual boot WinXP/Linspire system because I have some apps that simply won't run in Linspire or any other Linux flavor.
There are Microsoft apps that are great and cheap, one example is MS Streets & Trips. For ~$30 I get a map of the entire US that is very accurate with the driving distances, has all the highways and most of the city streets on it. What programmer is going to write a Linux program equal to that for free?
And I have too much invested in some apps where Linux has absolutely no alternative to consider switching. For instance, I have 5 states worth of Maptech Terrain Navigator that cost me close to $500 and allows me to plug my GPS into my laptop and use the USGS 1:24,000 maps to navigate. Since we love offroading there is no substitute for the above when wandering 4WD drive trails in Utah and Colorado.
One other thing that has kept me away from Linux for years is the "geek attitude" that seems to be prevalent. If you ask a question on a forum the first thing you get is some "geekspeak" about how to run something from the command line. I am not afraid of the command line, I have been using computers since the days of the C/PM86 operating system which predates MS-DOS by a few years so I am not afraid on the command line but when I can't even understand what to put on the command line it doesn't help me.
I think Linux has an opportunity to make some real headway once people start looking at the price of Vista and Office 2007 along with all the DRM stuff MS has stuck into it. That was precisely what made me decide it was time to make the switch. XP is bad enough with it's activation scheme, I have no intention of going down the Vista road.
Like it or not, Linspire has made it a lot easier for us "normies" to look at Linux. When I can click on an icon in CNR and the programs installs automatically and works I am happy. When you start using "rpm", "packages", and such you will see me roll my eyes.
I am enough of a "half geek" that I can live with a dual boot system, but say "dual boot" to the ordinary PC user and they will think you are talking about a pair of shoes.
Bill Tolle
Slashdot Mirror
"This all costs serious money and a fair amount of non-developer skillset work that has to be paid. Unless normal application vendors can find a way of making money from Linux desktop development, the Linux desktop will never fly." The lack of apps is a real problem for us "normies". I am in the process of switching to a dual boot WinXP/Linspire system because I have some apps that simply won't run in Linspire or any other Linux flavor. There are Microsoft apps that are great and cheap, one example is MS Streets & Trips. For ~$30 I get a map of the entire US that is very accurate with the driving distances, has all the highways and most of the city streets on it. What programmer is going to write a Linux program equal to that for free? And I have too much invested in some apps where Linux has absolutely no alternative to consider switching. For instance, I have 5 states worth of Maptech Terrain Navigator that cost me close to $500 and allows me to plug my GPS into my laptop and use the USGS 1:24,000 maps to navigate. Since we love offroading there is no substitute for the above when wandering 4WD drive trails in Utah and Colorado. One other thing that has kept me away from Linux for years is the "geek attitude" that seems to be prevalent. If you ask a question on a forum the first thing you get is some "geekspeak" about how to run something from the command line. I am not afraid of the command line, I have been using computers since the days of the C/PM86 operating system which predates MS-DOS by a few years so I am not afraid on the command line but when I can't even understand what to put on the command line it doesn't help me. I think Linux has an opportunity to make some real headway once people start looking at the price of Vista and Office 2007 along with all the DRM stuff MS has stuck into it. That was precisely what made me decide it was time to make the switch. XP is bad enough with it's activation scheme, I have no intention of going down the Vista road. Like it or not, Linspire has made it a lot easier for us "normies" to look at Linux. When I can click on an icon in CNR and the programs installs automatically and works I am happy. When you start using "rpm", "packages", and such you will see me roll my eyes. I am enough of a "half geek" that I can live with a dual boot system, but say "dual boot" to the ordinary PC user and they will think you are talking about a pair of shoes. Bill Tolle