The thing is that now, almost everything is going to be cross-platform. Everything running in a web browser means we don't have to run Windows to use it, we don't care anymore about what OS we're running as long as a web browser is available. And that's good, because you can choose your OS because of its qualities, not because it runs the programs you need.
GNU/Linux, good though it is, is nowhere near ready to take on microsoft for home users. The simple reason being that in spite of its wealth of applications, it has shitbar games when compared to windows.
So an OS needs many games to be ready to take on MS for home users ? Most people don't give a shit about games. All they want to use their computer for is browse the web, read their emails, write documents, etc... and they have a GameCube, Playstation or Wii for when they want to play games.
Some people like to play games on their computer, but I doubt it's the majority. And it's still possible to use Cedega to play them on Linux. From what I heard, it's working pretty well for 90% of games.
Also, when games creators decide it's time to release their games on Linux because there's enought people to buy them, it should not take too much time for them to do it. They're aldready doing that for the differents games consoles. Linux is just like an other new console, and there's everything you need to run games.
So I'd say that Linux is ready for home users (at least as much as Windows is). Now we need it to be installed on the computers people buy.
Be warned, though: I hear that Azureus is going to re-write their client to act primarily as an on-demand movie viewer, with some weird convoluted UI that makes no sense. So, enjoy it while it lasts...
Hey, if they make something that sux, we can still use the current Azureus. And it's GPL, so people can still continue to improve it...
Current Linux distribution like Mandriva or Ubuntu are very user-friendly. I don't think the problem is that they are not userfriendly. If non-geeks users can have problems using Linux, I think it's most of the time because one of the following reasons : - unsupported hardware - compatibility with some windows programs or files - things not working exactly the same way what they're used to use on windows
But I don't see how Google could do much better than what others are doing. They could probably do something good still.
Why do people want a GoogleOS ? What can they do that other companies like RedHat or Mandriva can't do ?
They can sure make a good OS, but other companies are aldready doing that, and I don't know what they could do much better than others.
The thing they can do however, is use their large userbase, to make that OS known by its users. I think they're starting to do something like that for the web browser with Firefox. Maybe the next step will be the OS ?
Google is expected to release an entire operating system that's supposed to compete heads on with Windows Vista, which is the result of years and years of work and billions of dollars invested? Say what you will about Windows, but it certainly is a massive behemoth with sh*tloads of functionality. You don't just shake something like that out of your sleeve in a few months.
Hey, you don't have to start an OS from scratch. Take a Linux distro. Fork it. Then add the feature that you think are missing or will make your OS different, and you're done.
The thing is you don't need a deal with Microsoft to have interoperability. Microsoft has to make its formats open, or we need to discover by ourself how it works.
Microsoft is talking about interoperability all the time, but they're not doing anything about it, because they don't want interoperability (except for when moving from Linux to Windows, but never the other way), and no deal will change this.
Well, just because you can doesn't mean you have to. You can use one OpenId for all the sites you visit, but you can create one for one web site (there's no limit on the number of OpenIds you can have).
By the way, do you use the same password on all the websites you visit ? If so, if someone can steal you password (the owner of one of thoses websites can, for example), then he can log into all the accounts that you use with the same password. With an OpenID you only have to remember one password, and there's no way that the owner of a website can steal your password. The only person you have to trust for not stealing your password is the owner of the OpenID server (which can be you), not the owners of all the websites you visit.
What do you mean ? Mandriva is mainly a french company (and Brazilian now, since the merger with Connectiva), like RedHat is mainly an american company, nothing more. This is not like Red Flag.
Who do you think is "the kernel developers" ? It's mostly RedHat, Novell, and many other companies... And there's many other important free software that every distro include which are mainly developed by RedHat employes. Have a look at http://www.redhat.com/truthhappens/leadership/osde velopment/
I hate to say this, but actually (and ironically) Windows is the best OS to have if your mouse is broken. OS X is the worst.
Are you kidding ? I'm using almost exusivly the keyboard on my Linux System, and it's far far better and faster than what I could do using Windows. I can move windows, change the size of windows, change virtual desktop, open new programs, etc... using only a few key stroke. ion is a very good window manager for that, but most other WM available on Linux can be configured so that almost everything can be done very easily using the keyboard.
If you want Linux support, you get a company that takes a product made by someone else and only slightly changed by the company to give you support.
Why made by someone else ? An open source company can make its own software, and sell support for it. MySQL sell support for a product they created for example. They can take someone else product, but they don't have to.
Your link to the previous presentation seems to be very interesting, but for some reason it is down at the moment. Do you know any mirror ? I can make one if you send me the file : boklm@mars-attacks.org
That's true. I guess they knew for a very long time before they announced it that Vista would no be out any time soon. And it seems to be working for some people, they are not moving to an other OS because they think Vista is coming soon... but it won't work forever ! Now the question is : Will Vista be out before Duke Nukem Forever ?
Perhaps this item of news is being pushed as hard as possible by the french state, to try to make younger people feel that at least something is being done for their benefit.
No, this is not the case, because all of this is false. There has been many problems with that law (and this is not the end yet)... The government try to disallow P2P software, disallow writting and using programs that don't respect DRMs (free software would then become illegal if they want to be able to play some music or share some files), disallow the right to make copies of the songs you buy, etc... all the things that some big companies want, doing all they can (including some dirty thing) to pass this law. But fortunatly some other people want the opposite, they want freedom, and are still fighting at the moment. Don't listen to Christian Vanneste or Renaud Donnedieu De Vabres says, because most of what they say is lie.
It would no longer be illegal to crack digital rights management -- the codes that protect music, films and other content -- if it is to enable to the conversion from one format to another, said Christian Vanneste, Rapporteur, a senior parliamentarian who helps guide law in France. Obviously, today it IS legal to crack digital rights management ! If this law is passed, then it will be illegal. Christian Vanneste is lying, as always.
Slashdot Mirror
They must be very, very worried about what Microsoft is going to look like 10 years from now.
:)
Maybe that's the reason why Bill Gates decided to leave
The thing is that now, almost everything is going to be cross-platform. Everything running in a web browser means we don't have to run Windows to use it, we don't care anymore about what OS we're running as long as a web browser is available. And that's good, because you can choose your OS because of its qualities, not because it runs the programs you need.
GNU/Linux, good though it is, is nowhere near ready to take on microsoft for home users. The simple reason being that in spite of its wealth of applications, it has shitbar games when compared to windows.
... and they have a GameCube, Playstation or Wii for when they want to play games.
So an OS needs many games to be ready to take on MS for home users ?
Most people don't give a shit about games. All they want to use their computer for is browse the web, read their emails, write documents, etc
Some people like to play games on their computer, but I doubt it's the majority. And it's still possible to use Cedega to play them on Linux. From what I heard, it's working pretty well for 90% of games.
Also, when games creators decide it's time to release their games on Linux because there's enought people to buy them, it should not take too much time for them to do it. They're aldready doing that for the differents games consoles. Linux is just like an other new console, and there's everything you need to run games.
So I'd say that Linux is ready for home users (at least as much as Windows is). Now we need it to be installed on the computers people buy.
Be warned, though: I hear that Azureus is going to re-write their client to act primarily as an on-demand movie viewer, with some weird convoluted UI that makes no sense. So, enjoy it while it lasts...
...
Hey, if they make something that sux, we can still use the current Azureus. And it's GPL, so people can still continue to improve it
Current Linux distribution like Mandriva or Ubuntu are very user-friendly. I don't think the problem is that they are not userfriendly.
If non-geeks users can have problems using Linux, I think it's most of the time because one of the following reasons :
- unsupported hardware
- compatibility with some windows programs or files
- things not working exactly the same way what they're used to use on windows
But I don't see how Google could do much better than what others are doing. They could probably do something good still.
Why do people want a GoogleOS ? What can they do that other companies like RedHat or Mandriva can't do ?
They can sure make a good OS, but other companies are aldready doing that, and I don't know what they could do much better than others.
The thing they can do however, is use their large userbase, to make that OS known by its users. I think they're starting to do something like that for the web browser with Firefox. Maybe the next step will be the OS ?
Google is expected to release an entire operating system that's supposed to compete heads on with Windows Vista, which is the result of years and years of work and billions of dollars invested? Say what you will about Windows, but it certainly is a massive behemoth with sh*tloads of functionality. You don't just shake something like that out of your sleeve in a few months.
Hey, you don't have to start an OS from scratch. Take a Linux distro. Fork it. Then add the feature that you think are missing or will make your OS different, and you're done.
... patents. We need to get ride of those stupid laws.
The thing is you don't need a deal with Microsoft to have interoperability. Microsoft has to make its formats open, or we need to discover by ourself how it works.
Microsoft is talking about interoperability all the time, but they're not doing anything about it, because they don't want interoperability (except for when moving from Linux to Windows, but never the other way), and no deal will change this.
Well, just because you can doesn't mean you have to. You can use one OpenId for all the sites you visit, but you can create one for one web site (there's no limit on the number of OpenIds you can have).
By the way, do you use the same password on all the websites you visit ? If so, if someone can steal you password (the owner of one of thoses websites can, for example), then he can log into all the accounts that you use with the same password. With an OpenID you only have to remember one password, and there's no way that the owner of a website can steal your password. The only person you have to trust for not stealing your password is the owner of the OpenID server (which can be you), not the owners of all the websites you visit.
Actually, PLF is for packages that can't be included in Mandriva because of legal reasons.
Hopefully this is only temporary, and a new law will be voted next year.
What do you mean ? Mandriva is mainly a french company (and Brazilian now, since the merger with Connectiva), like RedHat is mainly an american company, nothing more. This is not like Red Flag.
Who do you think is "the kernel developers" ? ...e velopment/
It's mostly RedHat, Novell, and many other companies
And there's many other important free software that every distro include which are mainly developed by RedHat employes.
Have a look at http://www.redhat.com/truthhappens/leadership/osd
And who needs "commercial Linux" anyway?
"commercial Linux" contributes a lot of code to Linux and other open source projects. Linux wouldn't be what it is today without RedHat...
I hate to say this, but actually (and ironically) Windows is the best OS to have if your mouse is broken. OS X is the worst.
... using only a few key stroke. ion is a very good window manager for that, but most other WM available on Linux can be configured so that almost everything can be done very easily using the keyboard.
Are you kidding ? I'm using almost exusivly the keyboard on my Linux System, and it's far far better and faster than what I could do using Windows. I can move windows, change the size of windows, change virtual desktop, open new programs, etc
If you want Linux support, you get a company that takes a product made by someone else and only slightly changed by the company to give you support.
Why made by someone else ? An open source company can make its own software, and sell support for it. MySQL sell support for a product they created for example. They can take someone else product, but they don't have to.
Your link to the previous presentation seems to be very interesting, but for some reason it is down at the moment.
Do you know any mirror ? I can make one if you send me the file : boklm@mars-attacks.org
Now the question is: when are they going to move to Jabber ?
We don't know yet. Maybe Duke Nukem Forever will be there first ?
That's true. I guess they knew for a very long time before they announced it that Vista would no be out any time soon. And it seems to be working for some people, they are not moving to an other OS because they think Vista is coming soon ... but it won't work forever !
Now the question is : Will Vista be out before Duke Nukem Forever ?
When you have so much money, you certainly have a lot of friends.
I think it was Steve Ballmer. "My inbox is bigger than yours".
Perhaps this item of news is being pushed as hard as possible by the french state, to try to make younger people feel that at least something is being done for their benefit.
... The government try to disallow P2P software, disallow writting and using programs that don't respect DRMs (free software would then become illegal if they want to be able to play some music or share some files), disallow the right to make copies of the songs you buy, etc ... all the things that some big companies want, doing all they can (including some dirty thing) to pass this law. But fortunatly some other people want the opposite, they want freedom, and are still fighting at the moment.
No, this is not the case, because all of this is false. There has been many problems with that law (and this is not the end yet)
Don't listen to Christian Vanneste or Renaud Donnedieu De Vabres says, because most of what they say is lie.
It would no longer be illegal to crack digital rights management -- the codes that protect music, films and other content -- if it is to enable to the conversion from one format to another, said Christian Vanneste, Rapporteur, a senior parliamentarian who helps guide law in France.
Obviously, today it IS legal to crack digital rights management ! If this law is passed, then it will be illegal. Christian Vanneste is lying, as always.
Yes, it's the same. FreeBSD has shared libraries too.