Desktop Linux (fwd)

[Brian Chabot]

Jon maddog Hall wrote:

> You are right that Linux will fail on most at-home desktops in 2004-2005
> because of a lack of "cool" software.

I, for one am VERY happy to see Sierra porting Unreal Tournament to 
Linux.  Open Source it's not, but the UT2004 demo runs amazingly well on 
my Mandrake system.  That's one example of cool software being ported 
already.

Everything I need to do I can do in Linux.  It took a little work to get 
the video card to work right (nVidia's problem, really) and the VPN to 
my job was slow getting started, but once set up the only things I found 
lacking are game and some proprietary multimedia support.  (And 3D VR 
type stuff... but that's a whole other issue...)

> It will also fail because the normal "support line" of at-home desktops
> (the church, the club, the nextdoor neighbor) will not be there in 2004-2005
> because it is not being used at work in 2002-2003.

I've already gotten one roommate and another friend into using Linux and 
I tend to be their primary support line.  The friends/neighbors/etc. 
support is starting.

Most of the reasons I get are that people just don't want to change from 
whatever their computer came with, no matter what the benefits.  One 
thing that will really improve the desktop market is to simply sell 
computers with Linux pre-installed.

> Make no mistake about it.  Vendors do not port or not port their software
> due to the difficulty of the port.  They port it due to the perceived volume
> growth in new desktops.

Exactly.  One thing I make a point of doing whenever I can is to write a 
simple, respectful email to many of the software companies I see as 
"cool" asking them if they plan a port to Linux and explaining to them 
that as soon as they do, I'll purchase their product.  I don't expect to 
get much response but at least I'm one more person asking for it.

> I think that Linux will start to see that growth in 2004/2005, and I think that
> the ISVs are already porting.

That's great.  Now if we could get a few big name computer manufacturers 
to offer Linux as a desktop choice, things would move much faster.



Brian
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