K
kingrob
Guest
I'll never ever forget my first Ubuntu install.
The installation picked up every piece of hardware on my notebook correctly and I was surfing the web 3 minutes after the install. Was simply unreal.
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Ready for Linux?
- Thread starter rpm
- Start date
I'll never ever forget my first Ubuntu install.
The installation picked up every piece of hardware on my notebook correctly and I was surfing the web 3 minutes after the install. Was simply unreal.
Let me make some things clear before I get flamed by the Linux diehards ...
1> I hate M$ and Windoze
2> This discussion is about desktops and not servers!
Every year we hear the same old song about how it's the year for Linux and that there's amazing things coming from the developers and community but lets be honest, not much has changed in market share. The majority of people are still willing to pay for or hack the latest MS Windows or pay a premium for Apple hardware and have OSX. So if Linux DESKTOP is soooo great, which I think it is for what it is, then why does nothing change? Yet every time/year this topic gets raised then it is the hardcore Linux guys i.e. server developers/super users that are first to get their flame guns out???
Latest OS Market share:
Windows 92%
Mac 5%
Linux 1% :erm:
Other 2%
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8&sample=35
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems
1> I hate M$ and Windoze
2> This discussion is about desktops and not servers!
Every year we hear the same old song about how it's the year for Linux and that there's amazing things coming from the developers and community but lets be honest, not much has changed in market share. The majority of people are still willing to pay for or hack the latest MS Windows or pay a premium for Apple hardware and have OSX. So if Linux DESKTOP is soooo great, which I think it is for what it is, then why does nothing change? Yet every time/year this topic gets raised then it is the hardcore Linux guys i.e. server developers/super users that are first to get their flame guns out???
Latest OS Market share:
Windows 92%
Mac 5%
Linux 1% :erm:
Other 2%
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8&sample=35
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems
Year of Linux? No problem really.
To me, it's never been a problem that this or any year should be the year of Linux. In fact, it would probably be better that Linux let Windoze keep the lion's share. What Linux probably needs is a desktop share of about 5% to 10% to encourage hardware vendors to provide Linux drivers and for software developers to consider coming up with some Linux versions.
At the moment though, there is enough software for the majority of users. A lot of users are still ignorant of Linux.
What the Linux community should actually do is to let the younger generation know of the existence of Linux as an alternative to Windoze. This is my experience. About 70% to 80% of teenage students who have seen and tried Linux Mint on my notebook ask me where to download the install and even ask me to help them install it on their computers.
These youngsters have no need for MS Office or Internet Explorer. Most of them are actually using Firefox in Windoze and Openoffice is more than they'll ever need, not to mention being able to use cloud services like Google Docs. However, they are fed up with the viruses as well as their parents' complaints that they are infecting the computer or causing all the bloat and making Windoze crawl at a snail's pace. These youngsters are those not into sophisticated gaming. They use Facebook and play online games almost exclusively. With Pidgin, they don't care about using MSN Messenger.
A big, or even the most important, part of Linux's future lies with the young, like when the previous generation grew up with Windoze. Many of them, now in their late 20's or 30's, refuse to switch or even try. Case in point - the parents of these kids who want to use Linux. I think it's something to do with the comfort zone of being in a familiar environment - viruses, bloat, blue screens notwithstanding.
Though his son is not into gaming, one parent wants to get him a new PC so that the son doesn't introduce viruses into his Windoze notebook which he uses for critical things like banking and stocks trading - lol.
So, get the kids going on Linux and when they reach adulthood, 5% or 10% should and would be the ideal market share of the desktop for Linux.
To me, it's never been a problem that this or any year should be the year of Linux. In fact, it would probably be better that Linux let Windoze keep the lion's share. What Linux probably needs is a desktop share of about 5% to 10% to encourage hardware vendors to provide Linux drivers and for software developers to consider coming up with some Linux versions.
At the moment though, there is enough software for the majority of users. A lot of users are still ignorant of Linux.
What the Linux community should actually do is to let the younger generation know of the existence of Linux as an alternative to Windoze. This is my experience. About 70% to 80% of teenage students who have seen and tried Linux Mint on my notebook ask me where to download the install and even ask me to help them install it on their computers.
These youngsters have no need for MS Office or Internet Explorer. Most of them are actually using Firefox in Windoze and Openoffice is more than they'll ever need, not to mention being able to use cloud services like Google Docs. However, they are fed up with the viruses as well as their parents' complaints that they are infecting the computer or causing all the bloat and making Windoze crawl at a snail's pace. These youngsters are those not into sophisticated gaming. They use Facebook and play online games almost exclusively. With Pidgin, they don't care about using MSN Messenger.
A big, or even the most important, part of Linux's future lies with the young, like when the previous generation grew up with Windoze. Many of them, now in their late 20's or 30's, refuse to switch or even try. Case in point - the parents of these kids who want to use Linux. I think it's something to do with the comfort zone of being in a familiar environment - viruses, bloat, blue screens notwithstanding.
Though his son is not into gaming, one parent wants to get him a new PC so that the son doesn't introduce viruses into his Windoze notebook which he uses for critical things like banking and stocks trading - lol.
So, get the kids going on Linux and when they reach adulthood, 5% or 10% should and would be the ideal market share of the desktop for Linux.
How many of those Win desktops are dualboots? :erm:
killadoob
Honorary Master
How of those linux desktops are dual boot? How many people run mac os and windows? Loads of linux guys need windows for gaming and certain apps, same applies to mac.
So that 92% market share for windows may be more like 96 or 98%
How do they measure market share accurately i wonder?
They can't. It's all just educated guess work.
That is most likely the case for gaming. For productivity, the scale may be tipping in the other direction. Perhaps the popularity of OS X on the desktop will help the OpenGL cause. Not that you're interested in that, you were merely trying to derail my question, which was rhetorical in any case.
killadoob
Honorary Master
So how many people who use linux dual boot? I would imagine quite a large portion of linux users have windows
. I also think windows 7 has hurt linux because it is a pretty solid OS and even some linux faithful have said they now only use windows 7. Sadly linux falls short due to the lack of support by game and software developers, mac osx fills this gap rather well. So in my mind the only need for linux is generally for very basic stuff. Productivity still remains a mac and windows thing for most people. Obviously linux has a use to some people but for most mac and windows offers far more than linux.So how many people who use linux dual boot? I would imagine quite a large portion of linux users have windows
I think we've already established that this is true for most Linux users who like gaming on the PC
.Good for them. My view is that people should use whatever makes them productive.
I normally advise people with an interest in gaming to dual-boot. I've played some older games with wine but with newer games you don't want the performance overhead that comes with it when your graphics card is only just up to the job. As I said, I hope OS X helps by making OpenGL more mainstream for game development. It's bad for everyone when one platform dominates, be it with hardware or software.
Well that's your opinion as a Windows user, and you're welcome to it. The reverse is true for Linux users
.
Smiley_lauf
Expert Member
Well I mostly use Windows 7 now--some applications like (statistical software are only available for Windows), and I do not like dual booting to Windows just for that. I keep my Ubuntu as a hobby and also to open contents from other people's memory sticks to avoid viruses--I scan it in Ubuntu and then when I am happy with it, I open in Windows. Linux is still half-baked in my opinion. Windows 7 has changed the competition drastically.
Having said that, I think, Google Chrome OS (Debian based) may also bring in new level of competition and usability--I am looking forward to that day.
Having said that, I think, Google Chrome OS (Debian based) may also bring in new level of competition and usability--I am looking forward to that day.
Like R you mean? http://www.r-project.org/
I have no problem with that. IMO Windows is still bloated, slow and unusable for research. I have installed and used Windows 7 and I can see the attraction for XP users. Especially those wanting to go 64 bit like I did on GNU/Linux about 4 years ago already.
Smiley_lauf
Expert Member
r-project is way to complicated for me; I use software from my University--they do not licence linux products. Also I prefer Office over OpenOffice because it comes with a really easy to use bibliographic software. Openoffice and other Open biblio software just do not cut it for me.
The half backed part are small things like--window size for e.g. the user authentication window that pops up when root privileges are required are not the same size--each application has a different size; why?
Bloatware: have you seen OpenSuse lately? a hundred and one apps to do the same thing. Menu is so bloated. Ubuntu is beginning to address these issues slowly but surely--all items are now succinctly identifiable and bloat apps are beginning to disappear (but still huge work to be done here).
Do not get me wrong--Linux has come a long way since its inception in early 90's (GUI-based), and is making headway in the desktop market. But, as long as manufacturers and developers do not develop apps for linux in a unified manner, the road is going be very long.
The half backed part are small things like--window size for e.g. the user authentication window that pops up when root privileges are required are not the same size--each application has a different size; why?
Bloatware: have you seen OpenSuse lately? a hundred and one apps to do the same thing. Menu is so bloated. Ubuntu is beginning to address these issues slowly but surely--all items are now succinctly identifiable and bloat apps are beginning to disappear (but still huge work to be done here).
Do not get me wrong--Linux has come a long way since its inception in early 90's (GUI-based), and is making headway in the desktop market. But, as long as manufacturers and developers do not develop apps for linux in a unified manner, the road is going be very long.
SilverNodashi
Expert Member
I was born for UNIX. And Linux... well, Linux is just another easy to use toy