Linux is coming: Is Apple going to be left behind?
Noticed that Business Week is reporting that desktop Linux installations will be overtaking Apple's Marketshare. Darn.
I really could use some good 20th Anniversary news right now... an aggressive plan to increase market-share would be nice. Being number 3 is not cool at all.
I really could use some good 20th Anniversary news right now... an aggressive plan to increase market-share would be nice. Being number 3 is not cool at all.
Comments
Linux, an open-source software package, has been steadily getting better and easier to use. It can be bought for moderate prices -- or downloaded from the Net for free. Sun Microsystems Inc.
Sure I'd love for this to be true but just because Linux has improving low-cost Office Suite software means nothing. The .doc format is still going to hold sway because of the investment in Microsoft Technology.
its StarOffice applications, a browser, and e-mail. The package sells for less than $100, while comparable Microsoft software for corporations costs more than $600.
$600? come'on. If you're going to write an article at least make it somewhat factual. NOBODY pays $600 for Office on the PC. Pehaps the Mac(lol) but not PC. My school sold me Office XP for 6 bucks.
Truth be told if Linux take a whack out of Microsoft that benefits Apple and anyone else vying for the top spot. Apples licensing is fairly cheap and offsets the premium in hardware. The only problem is getting your software into companies. Linux has been the darling of the IT industry but I'm hearing far too much talk. There's a large difference between "talking the talk...and walking the walk". Let's see Linux on the Desktop do a little "walking" first.
they never think "hey, maybe I should give apple a try"
Originally posted by DMBand0026
Why not give Apple a try. Linux is way too hard for even the above average consumer user to use. Apple is the perfect solution. It's not free, but at least it doesn't suck like Linux.
gnu/linux doesn't suq. infact, its awesome. but i suspect the real reason most fed up windowsers go to gnu/linux is because it means they dont have to drop more cash on a new computer. when you consider the possibility that many windowsers went that way to escape apple pricing in the first place, its clear that they would continue with the least upfront cost.
Personally I see linux's growth a good thing for Apple, for one reason, most of the linux users switched from windows (rarely from mac). Also, it seems that many linux users also get Macs due to the UI, and do not want to move back to windows. Finally, because of linux's growth, things like Office and other key programs become deWindowsfied and make it to linux, which in turn is trivial for a Mac version.
But hmm, I tried linux on my (free) laptop (debian), and promptly installed XP soon after... (is it that friggin hard to change the screen brightness and monitor resolution in linux? geez... these things are mandatory on a laptop that gets 45min battery life, and for presentations).
non-geek people want/need a system that is universal, my winxp looks just like win xp / 2kpro at school, people want to be able to sit down at any terminla anywhere and have the same UI and software, and ease of use, sniker sniker nobody outside of geekdom wants to compile binary just to run office apps, untill a mac-like distro comes out, we will not see a mass linux rush outside of high security firms like wall street and defence contractors (who i hope cant touch windows under their military contract)
the less marketshare MS has the better. the more marketshare a fanatically opensource OS gets the better.
Originally posted by Stoo
Does the mess that is Linuxs' copy and paste behaviour(s) (application specific and the auotcopy selection in XWindows) annoy anyone else ?
Not at all... why? Because there is no copy and paste problems between applications... Copy and past is included into most window managers and X itself... This way you can copy across applications and xterms without a problem...
Oh my setup, to copy a word I just highlight is with my mouse, draging the pointer from one side of the word to the other... That's all... Then to paste I just click my middle button where I want it... note that if you have a scroll wheel then pressing it down is your middle button. It's that easy! No right clicking then selecting copy/paste from a menu... I don't even look at my edit menu... it is just a two click opperation and I can highlight any text on any application even if it does not support copy/paste and I can paste it to any application including xterms...
Originally posted by a_greer
imho, linux in its current form, will not work on the desk-top
non-geek people want/need a system that is universal, my winxp looks just like win xp / 2kpro at school, people want to be able to sit down at any terminla anywhere and have the same UI and software, and ease of use, sniker sniker nobody outside of geekdom wants to compile binary just to run office apps, untill a mac-like distro comes out, we will not see a mass linux rush outside of high security firms like wall street and defence contractors (who i hope cant touch windows under their military contract)
What the hell are you talking about??? Many linux distros do not require you to compile a thing... they come with pre compiled packages that install with as little as one click...
And what do you mean "mac-like"??? Linux is very mac like... if the distro wants to be like that... The desktop environment Gnome is very "mac-like" that and add a bunch of GUI config tools like the ones red hat has then you have an easy to use desktop that is "mac-like"... But why copy? Linux can be anything you want to make it (os wise) so why make it like a mac? Users can feel confortable in a new environment as long as it is well plotted out...
Originally posted by DMBand0026
Why not give Apple a try. Linux is way too hard for even the above average consumer user to use. Apple is the perfect solution. It's not free, but at least it doesn't suck like Linux.
Question:
If things suck because it is too hard for the above average consumer then why is it overtaking Mac OSX?
Oh Yah... because it does not suck... and alot of people like it...
I myself love it... and I am not alone. The Linux community is huge and very friendly... And while the "above average consumer" (maybe you were refering to yourself) finds it way too hard, the above average consumer can pick up linux very fast, and be happy with the results from a small amount of work learning. God... what happend to the good feeling of computing DYI style?
Not at all... why? Because there is no copy and paste problems between applications... Copy and past is included into most window managers and X itself... This way you can copy across applications and xterms without a problem...
The downside is that linux is an extraordinarily wretched user experience, compared both to the Mac and (to a lesser extent) Windows. If people begin to equate unix with linux, they may never consider the Mac, assuming that anything based on unix will have the same issues.
DMB is right Linux sucks for a desktop. And it always will. It's not a hard concept: no company = no support phone number to call, no number to call to buy software. Duh? Still more Linux anywhere is a good thing because it's an easy port to Mac and it's Not MS.
Originally posted by Stoo
Nothing except text copy + pastes
Autocopying the selected text is the real annoyance, especially if you want to paste over some text, (as is the way the copy buffer vanishes when text is deselected but I'm sure this can be fixed).
Applications don't treat the Mac/Win clipboard equivalent in a standard way (but it tends to be equivalent for packages from the same source)
The Gnome Window manager on Linux is the platform I have to use for development.
Well there is a program from KDE that acts as a clipboard and if you use KDE programs all you can copy and paste between them (programs like KOffice, Kwrite, K-anything) But Gnome is a little bland for this...
Also the copy buffer does not vanish when I deselect the text... It only gets replaced by the next highlight...
I guess that could be annoying if you want to paste over text... but I have no problem with just taking out the text to be replaced then doing the copy. I am not annoyed by it... but maybe you should write Gnome about it... the more people who suggest a change the quicker it will happen.
Which distro do you use with Gnome? I find that people like Gnome better if the distro writes GTK based GUI config tools for setting up everything and anything. I myself use Slackware Linux and dislike using Gnome because it sets a big contrast between using Linux on the desktop and configuring Linux within text files... So I use Windowmaker and KDE. Windowmaker because it is simple but it lacks a good WINGs based file manager so I use KDE to do some things...