tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post7669181600799877531..comments2023-06-03T08:56:16.517-07:00Comments on The Linux Works: Linux on the Desktop: New OpportunitiesCaitlyn Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-18282089111594387532012-09-12T21:05:01.292-07:002012-09-12T21:05:01.292-07:00You assume a Smartphone won't work with Linux....You assume a Smartphone won't work with Linux. The majority of Smartphones run Linux in the form on Android. Of course they work with Linux as does my Blackberry.<br /><br />Why would a Windows domain controller not work with Linux? I do Linux/Windows interoperability in the course of my work all the time. A Linux client most certainly can and does work on a Windows network.<br /><br />You trot out Miguel de Icaza, a developer who turned his back on Linux and who has been called out by everyone from Linus Torvalds on down. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, in the Linux community takes him seriously. See the discussion featuring such Linux notables as Alan Cox and, of course, Linux Torvalds at: <a href="https://plus.google.com/115250422803614415116/posts/hMT5kW8LKJk" rel="nofollow">https://plus.google.com/115250422803614415116/posts/hMT5kW8LKJk</a>. Sure, there are people like you who agree with Mr. de Icaza but you are a very small minority.<br /><br />I hate to break this to you but Linux is already a mainstream consumer OS. Android is a Linux distribution by Google that dominates on Smartphones and tablets. When preloaded systems with Linux in the form of netbooks were available in stores they sold like the proverbial hotcakes. Despite this you tell us the Linux can never succeed where it already has. Amazing!<br /><br />Why are Windows fans like you so terrified of people telling the world about Linux? Why are you so afraid of people like me sharing our real world experience? You know the government contract I referred to in the article, the one I said may or may not go forward... Guess what? I landed that contract on Monday. Yet I still have people in the comments claiming government will never consider Linux. They are wrong... and so are you.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-28706689441836552432012-09-12T00:41:52.319-07:002012-09-12T00:41:52.319-07:00Ok, let's preload linux on a machine. What wil...Ok, let's preload linux on a machine. What will happen? <br />1) the user needs to browse internet, watch some movie , use an IM an do some office work: Ok, maybe he/she will use Linux until the phone/smartphone/printer/ he/she wants to use will not work; then maybe he/she will live with that or will install some winz.<br />2) the user is not an average user: he needs to do audio editing/recording using external consoles, pro tools hardware or similar. Or maybe he/she works in a company adobe-addicted where people use photoshop and other tools and need to exchange jobs many times a day; or maybe he/she is just using a network where there is already a Winz Domain controller and other trickable things, not working (always) correctly with linux. What is gonna happen? he/she will install some winz.<br /><br /> I really would like that what my words could be a " load of fear mongering nonsense"; but I'm not the one person in the world with the same thoughts.<br /><br /> This guys ( Miguel de Icaza )knows a couple of things about the problem:<br />http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2012/Aug-29.html<br /><br /> and there are hundreds of people like him.<br />Again: ok , this is my opinion and respect for yours; but if things are not going to change we 'll never see Linux as a mainstream consumer OS, if this is what we wants and what we are talking about.yobdab68https://www.blogger.com/profile/10831607973192683718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-52476702958944033802012-09-11T12:25:28.981-07:002012-09-11T12:25:28.981-07:00What a load of fear mongering nonsense. Let me sa...What a load of fear mongering nonsense. Let me say this again: I deal with business users, ordinary non-technical business users, each and every day. They can and do use Linux and never, ever compile their own software or go to source code or use the command line. It simply isn't necessary.<br /><br />Sorry, we are never going to have Photoshop for Linux but most businesses and individuals who migrate to the Linux desktop know that up front and are fine with GIMP. Some will use GIMP under Windows first which definitely eases the transition.<br /><br />There is no need to redesign sound or graphics, though they certainly can be improved in ANY OS and need to keep up with current techology.<br /><br />We most certainly don't have to take away choice in desktop environments or anything else for Linux to have "real success". We don't have to turn Linux into a clone of Windows which is precisely what you are demanding. That's arrant nonsense.<br /><br />What we do need, and I've said this for years, is Linux preloaded on systems in stores. That was why Linux did see a sharp uptake in users both when Linux netbooks were in stores and now again with Android devices.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-45872863884636829762012-09-11T08:06:34.730-07:002012-09-11T08:06:34.730-07:00"the fear of trying a different OS than Windo..."the fear of trying a different OS than Windows may be gone"<br />But does this fear exist? (once, I asked my sister which windows (98, XP, seven) she had. She did not know she had windows (she had, anyway)...<br /><br />The difference of ergonomy between phones and tablets is huge (and the difference of ergonomy between gnome 2 and a working iexplore is not that huge) : <br /><br />once, in a internet café, I noticed a gipsy woman pasting and drawing instead of clicking (and had to explain before the landlord get mad : she "only" knew Polish, Rumanian and Rrumanes) . <br /><br />This lead to very strange behavior under Firefox (it has the same ergonomy under any OS, AFAIK) :<br /> she was accustomed to touch screens phones -they can be cheap- , and not to desktops/laptops -there are no internet café in the transsylvanian region she came from-.<br /><br />The choice of GNU linux instead of Window can be linked to 2 causes:<br />a) A better code quality, less viruses. But internetcafés manage not to have/keep viruses (very strict policies, sometimes reinstalling every week).<br />b) One cannot trust monopolistic practices (i.e a political choice ; the former was a technical one). But what about google's influence, then?<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-69130612543443430212012-09-11T05:55:52.567-07:002012-09-11T05:55:52.567-07:00As a sysadmin i use linux everyday with satisfacti...As a sysadmin i use linux everyday with satisfaction, on server side.<br /> For the desktop there are a lots of things to do before linux become an interesting thing for the average user:<br />1) redesign sound system: too many piece of software, too much complicated. alsa, oss-emulation, jack ... where is the KISS philosofy?<br />2) redesgin the graphics system ( wayland? ) : same as above.<br />3) redesign the mind of linux developers/"experts". If I say " i need photoshop in linux" don't answer me "why you don't use Gimp"....STOP...too much. <br />4) I want to decide WHERE to install an application; if I want FIREFOX in /u/software/internet/firefox...let me do it.<br />5) STOP SAYNG: "where, why U don't use the source... './configure && make && make install' " . As a sysadm I know what U mean but for the average user this is arabian language. <br />6) stop make everyday a new media-stupid-player that need xine-libs, gstreamer-shits..let's have a codecs systems that work for everything.<br />7) let's have a nuclear war, a battleship , a karate tournament but DECIDE what to have for a serious desktop: KDE OR GNOME.Let's leave the others zillion micro-desktop in a garbage cans, somewhere. It's enough.<br />8) if i want to play a movie in a remote linux-samba-share DON'T make me crazy for access that share and DON'T COPY the entire movie in /tmp with a temporary name ...WTF...<br /><br /> There are some other rules like these to follow. Obviously IMHO, but I'm not the only one with these ideas. Before comment remember I'm a linux fan , but if we want linux to have REAl SUCCES in the desktop we have to follow the average users , not to think the average user can be ( and wants to ) a linux expert.yobdab68https://www.blogger.com/profile/10831607973192683718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-28976726628430412662012-09-10T16:55:59.675-07:002012-09-10T16:55:59.675-07:00Troll? You know, I'm an IT consultant. I wor...Troll? You know, I'm an IT consultant. I work with businesses who run and use Linux every single workday. I've only been in the industry for 32 years and have only worked with Linux since 1995. Yet, somehow, because I don't buy into your post about how awful Linux is I'm a troll worthy of your mirth. Really?<br /><br />Of course nobody can answer about systems that haven't been released yet. However, I can tell you that openSUSE 12.2 and the forthcoming Fedora 18 both have support for UEFI Secure Boot built in already and both have good touchscreen support. So, probably, the answer to your question is that yes, they will just work.<br /><br />No special driver downloads? No tweaks? Try installing Windows on bare storage on one of the new systems with no drivers and no tweaks and tell me how that works. Linux supports more hardware out of the box than Windows does by far. Sure, if you set an impossible standard that NO operating system on the planet will meet then Linux will fail. Here is an article from May that I wrote for O'Reilly on the subject: http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2012/05/linux-hardware-support-myths-a.html You'll undoubtedly consider that "trolling" too since it reflects the real world rather than your preconceived notions.<br /><br />So, the idea that vendors will line up to sell Ubuntu or that Ubuntu should go into the hardware business is likely? You consider my dismissing it a joke? Who is the real troll here?Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-1482364550608838802012-09-10T15:07:01.950-07:002012-09-10T15:07:01.950-07:00I'm convinced that I've visited a some ran...I'm convinced that I've visited a some random troll's page looking for hits. My bad... I probably should have looked at your previous posts.<br /><br />"from the very old to the shiny and brand new". Does brand NEW mean the Touch Screen x86 Hybrids booting UEFI that are coming out in late-October? Are you sure about this? No tweaks, no special driver downloads, no complaints about a graphic company not supplying open source solutions to 3D?<br /><br />How about a straight-up x86 tablet? No issues here that require massive tweaking? My 17.3" HP laptop would also kindly disagree, as it required massive tweaking and Blu-ray is still a problem.<br /><br />Re: Linux BASELINE Systems: "The rest of your prescription is equally unlikely." I'll forward this statement to Google, I'm sure they'll have a good laugh. I'll also send it to Apple and Microsoft too! This statement alone was worth the effort in responding. Cheers!<br />Johnhttp://linux_doesnt_need_baseline_systems_omg.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-9092294641146235712012-09-10T13:23:39.439-07:002012-09-10T13:23:39.439-07:00Let me just introduce you to *my* experience with ...Let me just introduce you to *my* experience with "THE superior OS":<br />http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3090857&cid=41215505<br />Linux simply cannot do much worse than that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-43974486862201259292012-09-10T09:51:57.921-07:002012-09-10T09:51:57.921-07:00This is my runner up for ridiculous comment of the...This is my runner up for ridiculous comment of the day. In businesses I have to make Linux work on all sorts of hardware, from the very old to the shiny and brand new. Most hardware, off the shelf, works well. Users don't need to try and find the right hardware and it certainly doesn't have to be years old. The idea that distros fail to run on most hardware is nonsense.<br /><br />The rest of your prescription is equally unlikely. Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-81848646252946352322012-09-10T09:49:08.147-07:002012-09-10T09:49:08.147-07:00This wins the award for most ridiculous comment so...This wins the award for most ridiculous comment so far. Your description of the Linux desktop and what you have to deal with (lack of intuitive interfaces) and the need to script and configure all the time is a fairy tale that Windows and Mac users love to tell. It was real perhaps in 1995, and maybe not even then. I have helped I don't know how many ordinary users, both business users as well as ordinary home users, friends and family, move to Linux on the desktop. I have had a few give up on Linux after a day or two, simply because they weren't really willing to make any change at all. Most have no problems at all once they get used to it. Within six months or so most wonder how they ever made do with Windows. <br /><br />As a consultant or a professional who do you think I work with in business? IT people only? Nonsense! I work with business people who have no IT background at all and no desire to have one. Linux is no problem for them. It isn't any harder than Windows once you're used to it and most NEVER touch the command line or configure anything.<br /><br />Oh, and you might want to compare Red Hat pricing with Microsoft's again. You're way off base there too.<br /><br />Nice try. No sale.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-46542558910984699932012-09-10T08:30:57.866-07:002012-09-10T08:30:57.866-07:00@Dr Loser
Apparently you've either missed the ...@Dr Loser<br />Apparently you've either missed the point, or you are choosing to ignore it. Either anecdotal evidence means something, so both pieces are valuable, or it doesn't mean much, and neither piece is valuable. You can't claim that one account is very meaningful and then dismiss the other account as worthless.CFWhitmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01109952971346462453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-75977639773316964562012-09-10T08:14:10.503-07:002012-09-10T08:14:10.503-07:00The really sad thing about computers in schools is...The really sad thing about computers in schools is that the kids are not learning "computers" at all.<br /><br />They are being taught Microsoft Office.<br /><br />Drop a Linux system in with LibreOffice and Firefox, and the kids would not know the difference.Curt-https://www.blogger.com/profile/15378506296755879713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-5148020478291314832012-09-10T08:10:42.327-07:002012-09-10T08:10:42.327-07:00Deliberate trolling. Right out of the MS playbook....Deliberate trolling. Right out of the MS playbook. Curt-https://www.blogger.com/profile/15378506296755879713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-66436882979023810222012-09-10T05:16:38.389-07:002012-09-10T05:16:38.389-07:00Thanks for your interesting post. The discussion i...Thanks for your interesting post. The discussion is quite interesting, too. ;-)<br /><br />I have never -ever - used winblows as a primary operating system on my home computers or the computers in my own business (of which I have many) and only once at outside work due to management stupidity at one place where I worked for a year. I have used Linux since about 1996, and OS/2 before that.<br /><br />I have been in the computer biz for over 35 years. I worked for IBM in Boca Raton in 1981 and wrote the first IBM training course for the original IBM PC. <br /><br />I am able to do everything I want with Linux except sync my iPhone, and I am thinking of going Android, but not there yet. For now I run XP (legal version that came with an old Dell laptop) in VirtualBox to do the sync.<br /><br />I am 66 and I have my 92-yo mother using Linux, which she likes much better than her previous windoze system. See my story about that here: http://www.both.org/?page_id=35<br /><br />I talk to many people about Linux as part of my business and on a personal level. None really like windows, they tolerate it because it is what they know. A few have enough trouble with it to try something new and I help them with that. Sometimes they go all the way with Linux and other times just go with FOSS like Firefox, Thunderbird and LibreOffice. Either way it is a start and it saves them money. <br /><br />But some people just don't want to change for whatever reason. I don't worry about it and don't say any more. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12005544205946195164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-14076601421123500322012-09-10T03:22:58.364-07:002012-09-10T03:22:58.364-07:00Sometimes I really wish a non-professional to writ...Sometimes I really wish a non-professional to write a post how linux is a good desktop system. Seriously linux users and it-professionals do always forget about people, who can barely tell the difference between the web browsers they are using. And that is still a majority. I've recently been experimenting on my friends, the end was that she was begging me to install windows back again. And this fact was a devastating blow to my naive dreams of linux on the desktop. It is a craggy shore for a person who does not know much about how PC works. And while the progress has been made, so far linux on the desktop is a bad idea, unless you're an idealist dreamer.<br />We can speculate about how many companies use linux and how successful it is for their business, but one does forget that RHEL support cost is not that much less than of windows for example and that companies actually have admins and tech support. Linux enterprise little success has nothing to do with the desktop.<br />The biggest issue is hardware drivers support, ui bugs, total unfriendliness and lack of intuitive interfaces. This is what I think of linux after using it for several years. Oh, wait, I did not use it, I was configuring, shell scripting and tickling it all the time. Sorry, there was no time left to use it actually:)android850uhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05556865854335329844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-67871061199959320782012-09-10T02:34:37.895-07:002012-09-10T02:34:37.895-07:00Linux needs to be fully compatible on the new and ...Linux needs to be fully compatible on the new and exciting hardware that's coming out like the Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA or the Dell XPS Duo 12. Ubuntu needs to start selling hardware to take advantage of some of the backlash we're seeing re: the dumb-downed OSes that are taking over the marketplace. These dumb-down OSes are only dumb on the client-side but exceptionally smart at tracking, advertising and making you dependent on their wares.<br /><br />If Ubuntu began to select *baseline* hardware under different categories - hybrid touch laptop/tablets, business-class, consumer-laptop and possibly a tablet-only option from one or two vendors -- and writing their Distro to ensure 100% compatibility... that would also help all the other distros that use Ubuntu as their base. The vendors would gain, the end-users wouldn't WASTE so much time trying to find the right hardware (that's usually multiple years old) and everyone could just move on.<br /><br />Instead, we're going to continue to see the same thing that has plagued Linux since its' inception.... forum questions, how-tos, my WiFi is not working, Help, hElp, heLP! Why... because these distros try to run on every single piece of hardware but often fail to run on most. You can alwways send a software update "over the air" to get new fancy effects but you can't do that with hardware. Ubuntu (as the leader) needs to get its' distro working on some of this great hardware that's coming out - NOW! Not tomorrow....<br /><br />If they opened up a kickstarter campaign or other... and asked for support to equip their main developers with BASELINE hardware, I'm sure they would receive lots of love.<br />Johnhttp://whatevert.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-80732970780282652892012-09-09T18:32:25.482-07:002012-09-09T18:32:25.482-07:00Ma'am, thank you for your post. Linux is used ...Ma'am, thank you for your post. Linux is used in so many ways about which the community doesn't know. If one "Googles," one is using Linux. Same with best animation movies. All the major physics labs use it. Linux might not receive notoriety, but it certainly is used. As for desktop use, in home or office, one only has to go to Europe or Asia to see how that's playing.<br /><br />Linux is here to stay. It doesn't really matter who it stays with. I love it, I use it, I trust it. And I'm 72 years old.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-46845647107457122502012-09-09T10:48:44.780-07:002012-09-09T10:48:44.780-07:00Modifying udev rules is simple for someone who kno...Modifying udev rules is simple for someone who knows how Linux device management works under the hood. It is NOT simple at all for most users and is not a real solution to syncing Apple devices. For most users Dany Veilleux is correct: if a readily available GUI app that makes syncing the devices simple is not available that is going to be a showstopper for Apple IOS users. That generally won't be an issue for Android devices which are already running Linux.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-56685061627933399392012-09-09T10:45:52.844-07:002012-09-09T10:45:52.844-07:00I had to laugh, Caitlyn. I remember the insecuriti...I had to laugh, Caitlyn. I remember the insecurities of people reluctant to try any Linux Desktop distro. Yet they have a tablet with Android! It seems that a majority of users really don't understand PCs and how to measure pros and cons. They leave it to IT professionals. I often wondered who would professionally utilize all of MS Office or Open Office capabilities? I am glad that you are out there trying to educate some companies with valuable consulting. I feel the OS isn't as important, as long as the client is happier! By the way..... Android for PCs may change some perspectives.<br />Great post!Olpharts Bungalowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10182562047279888817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-50967024762791809882012-09-09T10:45:43.838-07:002012-09-09T10:45:43.838-07:00Dear Anonymous:
A single piece of anecdotal evide...Dear Anonymous:<br /><br />A single piece of anecdotal evidence or a small set of anecdotal examples is commonly referred to as statistically insignificant in "real science".<br /><br />If you two want to throw stones at each other take it somewhere else. Further personal attack comments will simply be deleted.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-10341840176923583122012-09-09T10:39:02.408-07:002012-09-09T10:39:02.408-07:00Its actually very easy to use smart phones on linu...Its actually very easy to use smart phones on linux, just write down the udev rules. Septimusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-7860272997271430332012-09-09T09:56:55.299-07:002012-09-09T09:56:55.299-07:00Dear Loser,
A collection of "Anecdotal Evide...Dear Loser,<br /><br />A collection of "Anecdotal Evidence" is commonly referred to as Observational Data, and is the foundation of all real science.<br /><br />No wonder you think you're a loser.<br /><br />Better luck next time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-58923899018797910262012-09-09T08:41:54.511-07:002012-09-09T08:41:54.511-07:00Libre Office and Open Office are not 100% compatib...Libre Office and Open Office are not 100% compatible with Word. That's true. It's also true that newer versions of Word haven't exactly been fully compatible with older versions. In many if not most cases close is going to be close enough.<br /><br />When you mention Project and Visio, in many businesses those are not used or are used by a relatively small number of people. The FOSS alternatives are there but they only offer a subset of the functionality of the Microsoft products. Whether that subset is good enough or not really depends on how the business uses the products. In the case I mentioned those are not going to be an issue but for some business it clealry would be.<br /><br />Regarding the VPN client issue some companies (like Cisco) do have ready to go Linux clients. I haven't used the Nortel product but obviously you would take what's in subversion and create a ready to go package for your business and automate deployment. In larger enterprises I've done work for a Red Hat Satellite Server tied to a corporate repository is a good answer for that situation. When you say "not acceptable for business purposes" I don't think the source of the code being in subversion is a compelling argument simply because software rollouts generally need to be staged through a local repository in any case in order to have proper version control and enterprise software standards.<br /><br />On the personal side (which my article doesn't address) yes, if you insist on using Apple products you are going to be in proprietary lock in land forever. If you want a specific game, well... Steam will answer a lot of those concerns but it may not answer yours. That issue isn't going away. Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-17957134915995061732012-09-09T08:30:56.639-07:002012-09-09T08:30:56.639-07:00Live USB sticks are fine for demos but performance...Live USB sticks are fine for demos but performance compared to a real installation to a hard drive is generally poor. Also, most home users aren't going to try various versions of Linux. They want things to "just work". For the home market the only thing that really will make Linux take off in a meaningful way are preloaded systems which are readily available in stores. It worked for netbooks and it can work on a larger scale.<br /><br />My article was largely about business/enterprise use and there your suggestion simply doesn't make sense. For a business to consider Linux you have to present a ready-to-go, ready to roll out solution that matches the use model of that business, not an a la carte menu of choices. That's where the pilot project I mention in the article will be important. If it looks meets that department's needs it will be considered. If not then I will not get a second chance.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599829348521871950.post-82471785425115301242012-09-09T08:27:00.926-07:002012-09-09T08:27:00.926-07:00You've probably read recently about Steam comi...You've probably read recently about Steam coming to Linux. That, finally, may be your answer to gaming.<br /><br />Having said that, this article is about Linux in the enterprise/corporate world so your comment, while valid for home users, has little to do with what I wrote.Caitlyn Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066943172339740116noreply@blogger.com