Will Ubuntu Take Windows 7 In Speed War?
The Ubuntu development community spent much of the last year losing a lot of momentum, as Microsoft gave birth to its Windows 7 operating system and its latest releases of the Linux OS failed to overly impress. It was bound to happen. After several solid years against the Windows platform, while the marketplace ate up and spit out Windows Vista in a fit of disgust, Microsoft finally began drawing a good amount of praise with Windows 7.
Meanwhile, some users began criticizing last year's Ubuntu release, version 9.10 "Karmic Koala," and took issue with items ranging from compatibility with flash-based Web sites like Facebook and Hulu, to boot time.
But among the many differences between Microsoft and the Ubuntu community is speed. While it took more than three (painful) years between the launch of Windows Vista and the launch of Windows 7, the Ubuntu folks are already in full stride toward the next desktop release of the Linux-based desktop OS, version 10.04 -- code-named "Lucid Lynx." (A Lynx is a breed of quick, flexible wildcat.) Lynx, due for launch in April, is known as an "LTS" release (for long-term stable.) We examined its Alpha version 1, which is still pretty much a rough cut, to try to get some sense of what's to come.
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re: Speed War
I (and a zillion other window users) couldn't care less how fast Unoobtu boots.
Until it can RUN Quickbooks and Autocad and Photoshop and CorelDraw and Microsoft Office and the 17 lab-specific window apps that control/manage/monitor our test equipment - it's a hobbyist OS and will never replace Windows OS on the desktop.
All these years, and the fanboys still think it's about the OS. It's NOT. It's ALL ABOUT THE APPS.
or even better
Instead of running said MS software, which is not 'better' software, merely more widely distributed, improve the efforts on native Linux apps that serve the same need.
As far as I am concerned, Linux, the OS, is already 'ready' for everyday use in any environment.
A great many of the native apps that are packaged into default installations/liveCD's, etc... are NOT ready and people easily confuse that with Linux as an OS as being not 'ready'.
Native Linux software developers really need to start focusing on putting out software that people want to use and are confident the apps will be capable.
To me, the biggest problem with Linux app development is this so called 'competition' with MS and even Apple. Forget about competing, just do what needs to be done to make your apps the best they can be.
In the end, by focusing on quality, your 'competition', will be taken up as being won anyway.
Big Bear
re: even better
I got a kink in my neck reading that paragraph. If Microsoft products aren't better - then why do the native Linux Apps need improving?
I agree, as an OS, Linux is "there". It's easy to install, it run's stable, can be made secure, and has the tools to monitor/manage it (ok, they're not centralized tools - so that's a bit of a problem - but it's getting better).
As to native apps being "As Good" as their windows equivalent, well..... when I can finally stop laughing...... I'll type that's not even close to being true.
Some day (and that day is NOT today, next week, next month, and probably not next year) they might be good enough for hobby/home/tech users.
They are not even CLOSE (not even a smidgen) to being ready to replace Windows Apps in the Business/Enterprise world.
There are numerous short comings - ranging from stupid naming schemes (yes, that actually does matter in the corporate world) to incredibly bad UI, stability, security, lack of features, disjointed navigation, ugly graphics, lack of documentation, and lack of anything but community support (i.e. did you try rebooting quality advice), to name the first 9 that comes to mind.
Lack of AD/GP integration and lack of centralized patch/update control are the two most important missing features (you try going around to 12,000 desktops).
So kudos to Linux to being a "real" OS, but lets not try to fool anyone (include ourselves) that the native Linux Apps are equivalent to their Windows Overlords.
So I stand by my statement - ITS THE APPS NOT THE OS THAT COUNTS.
not so sure about that
You can dog Linux native apps all day long, I have my own personal experiences as well as the input from a variation of levels of users that lets me know Linux native apps are much better than you give them credit for.
Windows apps are fraught with bugs, hence the onslaught of updates that spews forth from Microsoft. They are nowhere near the perfect beast you might like them to be. They have a public record of crashing not only themselves, but can and will take the whole OS down with it. That's not so great. Just being popular and having more copies of it distributed only means it is popular, not better.
It is well documented MS used their money and market share to bully and otherwise force competitive software out of the market. Having the money to sustain patent suits and other thinly veiled law suits as well as abuse OEM contracts does not make Windows software better, only what is most availble.
I did agree with you before and I still do that the apps at this point in time are the most critical. Without solid, usable apps that people want to use (and yes, some of the naming schemes could improve, can't deny that)
Also, I stand firm in my opinion that Linux developers should not be using MS apps as a baseline or measuring stick to build against. It is this short sighted approach I believe that keeps Linux software from being the best it can be.
Big Bear