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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
byMikkeles ( 698461 ) writes:
'...is it time to concentrate on consolidation and standardisation in GNU/Linux in general, and the desktop in particular?'
Good luck.
bybonch ( 38532 ) writes:
That part in the summary amused me:
[I]s it time to concentrate on consolidation and standardisation in GNU/Linux in general, and the desktop in particular?"
It was time ten years ago when Linux was first gaining real momentum in that area. I remember posting Slashdot comments about it and getting told Linux was about "choice" and that if I didn't like it, I should contribute code. Ten years later, even Google is bashing Linux for it. I bet nothing will change even now.
Linux is a server OS, only used on th
byosu-neko ( 2604 ) writes:
Linux is a server OS, only used on the desktop by enthusiasts.
I would hope that all desktop OS's are used by enthusiasts. People who run Ubuntu should do so because that's what they like. People who run Mac OS X should do so because that's what they like. People who run Windows should do so because that's what they like. If people are running an OS for some other reason, then we have problems...
Accept it, because the kind of standardized APIs that are needed are not going to happen with the attitudes that this community has.
Indeed. If we were to reject that attitude and simply standardize around a single way because it's best if everyone runs the same, we'd all run Windows. There's no logica
byBodrius ( 191265 ) writes:
I would hope that all desktop OS's are used by enthusiasts.... If people are running an OS for some other reason, then we have problems...
Er... Why is that a problem again?
Why can't billions of people use computers and technology to improve their lives *without* making their OS choice a matter of philosophy or identity? If they choose for more pragmatic reasons (requirements, price/value, simplicity), why is that a 'problem'?
Most people have only a few things in their life that really matter to them to the point you can call them 'enthusiasts'.
Most people use stamps without collecting them, drive cars without obsessing over engine models, drink wine without knowing merlot from cabernet, enjoy music without playing any instruments, use electricity without having the least idea about their house wiring... There are enthusiasts for everything, but as a matter of practicality (and probably mental health) humans have to pick the few things on which they invest their time and energy.
Fortunately, most enthusiast communities are not so arrogant that they assume everyone must share their interests and obsessions - as some kind of political or religious choice. They're the better for it.
Those who demand their pet interests to be *important* to everyone else demonstrate not just arrogance, but a selfishness that is most likely self-defeating.
Technology has continuously improved the standards of living of billions of people - but the greatest values of each advancement are only reached when they are so omnipresent and require so little training they're taken for granted. Billions of lives are saved/extended when electricity is in every building, when every child is vaccinated, etc. Computers are not different.
As a geek, I would like more people to become tech enthusiasts and share the same interests. But I'd also hope we recognize, considering the richness of the human experience, most people will (and should) care a lot less about the OS on their laptop than about most things in their daily life.
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byjakykong ( 1474957 ) writes:
I don't personally care what OS people choose to run (unless, of course, it's my job to fix it). However, one thing I *do* care about -- and it's worth caring about for a lot more reasons than just being an enthusiast -- is the *ability* to run open source software.
I mean, for example, if the fritz chip became common practice, so you need to have your operating system cryptographically signed or what have you. Or, hardware vendors that refuse adamantly to release specs for their hardware. I don't even care
bydrinkypoo ( 153816 ) writes:
Why can't billions of people use computers and technology to improve their lives *without* making their OS choice a matter of philosophy or identity?
Because people are defined by their action. When you pay the Microsoft tax, you fuel Microsoft's plans for world domination. This is only somewhat tongue-in-cheek when you consider the effect Microsoft has on markets worldwide. In a world which works mostly on the basis of capitalism, there is no more important decision you can make than where you spend your money.
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