Agreed, and I can rephrase my question along those lines.
I want to load Firefox, Python, a text editor, GIMP, GCC, GNU Make, and FCEUX onto a device that fits in my bag. I could use the MinGW versions of GCC and GNU Make or Wine to run FCEUX if needed. I currently carry a five-year-old 10.1" laptop in my satchel, and I want something to replace it once it dies. I prefer the 10" size and require working suspend because I take public transit and want to quickly close it and reopen it when transferring from one bus to another with the state of Firefox and the text editor preserved. I do not want to waste gigabytes of the internal drive on a major upgrade to the operating system that I have not yet chosen to install. Which laptops or detachable laptops of the same size meet these specifications?
I print my mailing labels directly from ups.com and usps.gov.
So how do you automatically paste package weights from your scale and shipping addresses and declared values from your order manager into ups.com and usps.gov, how do you specify that labels shall be printed on a label printer instead of the computer's primary plain-paper inkjet or laser printer, and how do you automatically copy the tracking number and postage amount back out into your order manager? That's what it would take to get several packages per minute out the door. Our current application communicates with Endicia DAZzle and UPS WorldShip through XML files.
You can of course test your Mono/.Net software on any Linux.
Will an application tested on Mono for Linux necessarily work on.NET Framework on Windows? I thought there were subtle implementation differences that could break an application if a developer inadvertently relies on unspecified or undefined behavior.
virtual machines make sense for testing on six different versions of Windows.
And all these six different versions of Windows need six different licenses and will try to download five different copies of Windows 10 without asking (except for the one that's already Windows 10).
Google result for 10 inch thinkpad is $878.99 on Amazon. What this tells me is that your suggestion for Linux-compatible hardware costs three times as much as Linux-incompatible hardware in the same size class. This can be spun as one advantage of Windows over Linux.
Then which distro should I use instead of Xubuntu on a Transformer Book? Google asus transformer book linux suspend brought this disappointing result: "suspend not working at all" and "Reboot doesn't work either, seems like acpi is broken." Likewise Debian has "Sleep / Suspend: Error (Couldn't get it working)".
According to this page, it uses taps and swipes for attacks. But what does it use for moving your kombatant around? I don't own a phone made by Apple, nor am I in the market to buy one any time soon, so I can't try it for myself.
completely redesign the input system for a 5" touch screen
Come up with touchscreen interface for your game
What I appear to have failed to get across is that "[c]om[ing] up with touchscreen interface for your game" is often easier said than done. How would a game similar to, say, Mega Man or Street Fighter series be made enjoyable with a touch screen?
What about the time spent relaunching all programs, windows, etc back to where before?
I'm guessing LVSlushdat might recommend not using the applications you currently use and instead using competing applications that support automatic saving of "all programs, windows, etc back to where before" on logout and restoration of same on login.
Which manual should I read: the manual for the laptop, which gives only the instructions for Windows, or the manual for the Linux distribution, which says Suspend/Resume: Not yet working 0/10?
When you have an SSD that boots Linux in less than 20 seconds, who the hell *cares* if it doesn't hibernate correctly
People who want their sessions to be restored correctly. Or which web browser will correctly reopen pages that had been opened in tabs, even if the machine is offline when the user logs back in?
All reports I've read state that ASUS Transformer Book detachable laptops fail to suspend under Linux. Which non-dud 10.1" laptop should people buy instead?
But how fast do the applications that you had open restore their state after you restart and log in again? And does your web browser restore the pages that were open in tabs after restarting the computer, even if you are offline when you restart?
Instead I ask, "How do I [accomplish task] on Linux?"
I can phrase my questions in this form:
How do I find a new 10.1 inch detachable laptop that correctly supports unmaximized windows, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and suspend in X11/Linux? I've read horror stories of suspend not working on the ASUS Transformer Book. I tried Ask Ubuntu, but it turns out Ask Ubuntu doesn't want "how do I go about finding compatible hardware" questions. I tried Android, but unmaximized windows eluded me there; no one wants a full-screen calculator.
How do I print USPS and UPS postage labels for packages on Linux? The AppDB entry for Endicia DAZzle, the postage software we currently use on Windows, is for a version six years out of date.
How do I develop and test applications for non-Linux operating systems on Linux? I have several users who are unwilling to install Linux on the bare hardware just for one app or to install VirtualBox and Linux just for one app.
Because iTunes Store dropped FairPlay digital restrictions management for music in 2009, your existing iTunes music library works in any AAC player for X11/Linux.
My tax software?
Individual tax returns can be prepared on HRBlock.com, and you have to re-buy the software annually anyway to account for annual changes to the tax code, so you can just buy the one that works best in Wine.
The software to keep my GPS up to date?
A GPS application for a phone can be updated within the phone, and a standalone GPS ought to be able to be updated by copying a file to it through USB mass storage or MTP.
If you stuck to Directx for some reason, you'll be stuck with Windows (or Wine).
A DirectX game will run on Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox One. (In fact, DirectX is where the X in Xbox came from.) If your game is designed for use with a gamepad, especially multiple gamepads, you might see more sales on Xbox One than on iOS, Android, OS X, and X11/Linux combined.
The Windows Phone market share is larger than the Linux Desktop market share
It may also be easier to port a Mac game to X11/Linux than to port a Windows game to Windows Phone. An existing OpenGL engine for OS X will likely work on X11/Linux with few changes. Porting a mouse and keyboard game to Windows Phone forces the developer to completely redesign the input system for a 5" touch screen and, if the game is real-time, rebalance all game interactions for the limits of touch input. Porting a Mac game to X11/Linux does not, as both platforms use a mouse and keyboard.
and the games/apps for phones are considerably less complex than those of their desktop counterparts
Are touch-driven games for Windows Phone "considerably less complex than" touch-driven UWP games for Windows 8.1 and 10? Is it hardware power, or is it touch input?
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A single 32 GB OTP (one-time programmable) chip is still far more expensive than a BD-ROM, as I understand it.
You buy a computer to run your software
Agreed, and I can rephrase my question along those lines.
I want to load Firefox, Python, a text editor, GIMP, GCC, GNU Make, and FCEUX onto a device that fits in my bag. I could use the MinGW versions of GCC and GNU Make or Wine to run FCEUX if needed. I currently carry a five-year-old 10.1" laptop in my satchel, and I want something to replace it once it dies. I prefer the 10" size and require working suspend because I take public transit and want to quickly close it and reopen it when transferring from one bus to another with the state of Firefox and the text editor preserved. I do not want to waste gigabytes of the internal drive on a major upgrade to the operating system that I have not yet chosen to install. Which laptops or detachable laptops of the same size meet these specifications?
I print my mailing labels directly from ups.com and usps.gov.
So how do you automatically paste package weights from your scale and shipping addresses and declared values from your order manager into ups.com and usps.gov, how do you specify that labels shall be printed on a label printer instead of the computer's primary plain-paper inkjet or laser printer, and how do you automatically copy the tracking number and postage amount back out into your order manager? That's what it would take to get several packages per minute out the door. Our current application communicates with Endicia DAZzle and UPS WorldShip through XML files.
You can of course test your Mono/.Net software on any Linux.
Will an application tested on Mono for Linux necessarily work on .NET Framework on Windows? I thought there were subtle implementation differences that could break an application if a developer inadvertently relies on unspecified or undefined behavior.
virtual machines make sense for testing on six different versions of Windows.
And all these six different versions of Windows need six different licenses and will try to download five different copies of Windows 10 without asking (except for the one that's already Windows 10).
then what happens when you buy more music on iTunes, do it again?
Once you have switched to Linux, you won't "buy more music on iTunes" anymore. Use Amazon.
Try a Garmin
In this comment, raymorris recommended a Garmin plug-in for what appears to be Ubuntu.
Use Windows in a virtual machine
Which still costs the price of a Windows 7 license and still downloads Windows 10 in the virtual machine without asking.
Google result for 10 inch thinkpad is $878.99 on Amazon. What this tells me is that your suggestion for Linux-compatible hardware costs three times as much as Linux-incompatible hardware in the same size class. This can be spun as one advantage of Windows over Linux.
Then which distro should I use instead of Xubuntu on a Transformer Book? Google asus transformer book linux suspend brought this disappointing result: "suspend not working at all" and "Reboot doesn't work either, seems like acpi is broken." Likewise Debian has "Sleep / Suspend: Error (Couldn't get it working)".
I played Mortal kombat X on my iPhone.
According to this page, it uses taps and swipes for attacks. But what does it use for moving your kombatant around? I don't own a phone made by Apple, nor am I in the market to buy one any time soon, so I can't try it for myself.
Seven years ago, iTunes started selling music without DRM
Perhaps gstoddart has a big pile of movies, TV shows, and books.
And most Humble Bundles are filled with indie shovelware
What makes a game "shovelware" to you?
They are not a proxy for the "proper" commercial games market.
But they are how new developers enter the "proper" commercial games market and bring their lack of Windows-only mentality with them.
I think the ability to mark connections as metered was new in Windows 8.
I'm curious to see the data set that you're pulling from.
Citations: Geek.com (2011); Softpedia (2012); Humble Bundle (October 2014)
Generally it's a small percentage of Linux users who actually pay for software, most prefer to use Open Source/free software.
The business case for developing free software for productivity has not historically extended to video games.
completely redesign the input system for a 5" touch screen
Come up with touchscreen interface for your game
What I appear to have failed to get across is that "[c]om[ing] up with touchscreen interface for your game" is often easier said than done. How would a game similar to, say, Mega Man or Street Fighter series be made enjoyable with a touch screen?
No, you're using a make and model of laptop on which suspend and resume happen to work in Linux. There exist other models on which they do not work.
What about the time spent relaunching all programs, windows, etc back to where before?
I'm guessing LVSlushdat might recommend not using the applications you currently use and instead using competing applications that support automatic saving of "all programs, windows, etc back to where before" on logout and restoration of same on login.
Which manual should I read: the manual for the laptop, which gives only the instructions for Windows, or the manual for the Linux distribution, which says Suspend/Resume: Not yet working 0/10?
When you have an SSD that boots Linux in less than 20 seconds, who the hell *cares* if it doesn't hibernate correctly
People who want their sessions to be restored correctly. Or which web browser will correctly reopen pages that had been opened in tabs, even if the machine is offline when the user logs back in?
All reports I've read state that ASUS Transformer Book detachable laptops fail to suspend under Linux. Which non-dud 10.1" laptop should people buy instead?
But how fast do the applications that you had open restore their state after you restart and log in again? And does your web browser restore the pages that were open in tabs after restarting the computer, even if you are offline when you restart?
A lot of these ISPs don't offer unlimited, and these users had no advance notice that unlimited would be preferable with their present usage pattern.
Instead I ask, "How do I [accomplish task] on Linux?"
I can phrase my questions in this form:
How do I find a new 10.1 inch detachable laptop that correctly supports unmaximized windows, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and suspend in X11/Linux? I've read horror stories of suspend not working on the ASUS Transformer Book. I tried Ask Ubuntu, but it turns out Ask Ubuntu doesn't want "how do I go about finding compatible hardware" questions. I tried Android, but unmaximized windows eluded me there; no one wants a full-screen calculator.
How do I print USPS and UPS postage labels for packages on Linux? The AppDB entry for Endicia DAZzle, the postage software we currently use on Windows, is for a version six years out of date.
How do I develop and test applications for non-Linux operating systems on Linux? I have several users who are unwilling to install Linux on the bare hardware just for one app or to install VirtualBox and Linux just for one app.
And my existing iTunes library?
Because iTunes Store dropped FairPlay digital restrictions management for music in 2009, your existing iTunes music library works in any AAC player for X11/Linux.
My tax software?
Individual tax returns can be prepared on HRBlock.com, and you have to re-buy the software annually anyway to account for annual changes to the tax code, so you can just buy the one that works best in Wine.
The software to keep my GPS up to date?
A GPS application for a phone can be updated within the phone, and a standalone GPS ought to be able to be updated by copying a file to it through USB mass storage or MTP.
If you stuck to Directx for some reason, you'll be stuck with Windows (or Wine).
A DirectX game will run on Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox One. (In fact, DirectX is where the X in Xbox came from.) If your game is designed for use with a gamepad, especially multiple gamepads, you might see more sales on Xbox One than on iOS, Android, OS X, and X11/Linux combined.
The Windows Phone market share is larger than the Linux Desktop market share
It may also be easier to port a Mac game to X11/Linux than to port a Windows game to Windows Phone. An existing OpenGL engine for OS X will likely work on X11/Linux with few changes. Porting a mouse and keyboard game to Windows Phone forces the developer to completely redesign the input system for a 5" touch screen and, if the game is real-time, rebalance all game interactions for the limits of touch input. Porting a Mac game to X11/Linux does not, as both platforms use a mouse and keyboard.
and the games/apps for phones are considerably less complex than those of their desktop counterparts
Are touch-driven games for Windows Phone "considerably less complex than" touch-driven UWP games for Windows 8.1 and 10? Is it hardware power, or is it touch input?
The probably is that your average Linux gamer is a cheapskate
If this is true, then in the pay-what-you-want Humble Bundles, why have X11/Linux gamers paid more on average per person?