Desktop Linux – Will It Ever Stick?
Submitted by srlinuxx on Fri, 11/07/2008 - 15:56.
About seven years ago, I tried to free myself from the oppression and misery of running Windows ME by installing Linux on my PC. Ever installed the Linux operating system? It’s not for the faint of heart. So, when it was recently reported that Linux-based netbooks are being returned at a rate four-times higher than their Windows-based brethren, I can’t say I was surprised.
To lop a few hundred dollars off of the final ticket price, it makes sense that these lightweight, stripped-down laptops like the MSI Wind and ASUS Eee PC would offer an option for Linux instead of Microsoft’s pricey operating system. But, does Joe Windows know what he’s getting into with Linux?
This week, I installed Ubuntu on my Macbook Pro to get a taste of what today’s desktop Linux experience is like, and I can see why those return rates might be so high.
The first reason would be the perceived lack of software.
Even CnR never caught on ? But cloud computing will ? Soon ?
The problem is that people gave up on Linux too soon, before distros perfected the package installations.
Once kudzu, anaconda and other installers separated from the kernels(hotplugged USB devices), dependency issues will be addressed. Old ideas about why you should mount any device before you can use it will be obsoleted. Each time you click on any device, it should be mounted and running with its drivers. Hotplug of USB devices solved this nasty problem.
Repositories of packages are but temporary solutions for cheap distros. Manufacturers of netbooks with more at stake, will install the killer apps for you, by Hal and Dbus(download and install binary codes ready to run)? Not synaptic and apt-get?
Years ago, thinstation of New Zealand had an iso file that installs all the packages for you. You can use text editor to change any file names you want. But they are gone by the wayside.
So, Linux will change, when one Linux lover redesigns the hardware to fit Linux codes?