Posted on 09/10/2014 4:18:30 AM PDT by ShadowAce
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bkm
Unfortunately, the “There are no good software titles for Linux” is less of a myth than this article suggests. While the other points made are fairly legit, and indeed Linux will work with a wider range of hardware (particularly older stuff) than the latest Windows iterations will, there is still a lag in “good” software for power users, to wit:
MS Office is not a minor sidenote. Lots of people use it, especially for professional situations. While LibreOffice is fine for writing that Christmas newsletter, or typing your English paper, it’s mediocre for writing and formatting documents that other people have to view. For better or worse, MS is still one of the bigger dogs on the block, so their implementation of document formatting still matters. MS is also lazy about conforming to standards, so even though LibreOffice does things “by the book”, they still won’t display or print right when opened in MS Office, and that’s a problem. Further, while the LibreOffice applications are at least somewhat compatible with their MS Office counterparts, there is no good replacement for MS Project as of yet.
On the leisure side, even with the introduction of Steam for Linux, gaming (the other big category for “good” software) still lags behind the offerings for the MS world. Fortunately, the presence of Steam indicates that this will not be the case forever. Linux does a better job of staying out of the way of the software it runs, so games for *nix-like environments are a good bet for the future.
My home computer has been Linux based for the past 10 years. In the next several weeks I will probably be starting a build of a new/replacement for the 9 year old Dell. I’m currently using. As in, assemble the components and install onto bare iron. It will be the latest Linux Mint distro ( KDE ). Just think, a system never touched by windows. ... ;-)
yeah—my last two laptops have been ordered without an OS, and have never been touched by Windows either.
Geek Squad thought I was crazy when I said I wasn’t going to ask them to put an OS on the hdd after the old one failed. I got a clean hdd and installed Ubuntu myself. It was so easy and so fast, nothing like Windows.
Bookmark.
Really? Seriously? There is absolutely no doubt that software makers, especially game makers ignore the Linux market. To pretend that you cannot think of "anything" is to not see any trees in the forest. The lack of good software, like the latest games, for Linux is maybe the biggest glaring problem holding the OS back.
I use Ubuntu, it is my only OS.
To be honest, the only way I see the market share of visibility gaining traction in the physical marketplace is for existing PC repair techs to take up Linux support and begin recommending it to their clients.
Either a groan or sigh would be useful here. I don't think repair shop is the front line for new OS proselytizing. It wouldn't hurt but thinking that it should be the main way to get Linux out there is, honestly, weird.
Linux affection-ado’s must learn to embrace their preferences but please don’t expect the world to adopt their culture.
However, don't offer up lies disguised as excuses for not doing so. Merely saying you prefer Windows is acceptable.
Might anyone know if there is Linux software similar to Replay Media Catcher to capture almost any internet video or audio?
There are Firefox extensions that can do that, but I started using Pale Moon and haven’t seen one that works.
“Really? Seriously? There is absolutely no doubt that software makers, especially game makers ignore the Linux market.”
I guess it depends on which software makers you’re talking about.
One of the reasons I switched to Linux was because I was tired of proprietary software companies dictating what I could and could not do. I certainly don’t miss that. Open source equivalents do sometimes lack certain features of their proprietary counterparts, but they often include additional features of their own to make up for that.
For instance, while Linux may not have the variety of proprietary software that Windows does, every respectable distribution comes with comprehensive, easily extensible software repositories that don’t require you to sign up for a user account. You also get a package management system.
Lack of proprietary software isn’t holding Linux back. In fact, there’s nothing to hold back: it has already won. Linux powers Android, the world’s most popular smartphone OS. It runs on most of the world’s top supercomputers and many servers. It’s used in embedded devices ranging from Wi-Fi routers to automated vacuums like the Neato XV-25.
A better question might be what is holding Windows and OS X back from achieving such comprehensive market dominance. Aside from the desktop market, Linux has won.
The best use of Linux has always been and continues to be on the server. Install Ubuntu 14.04 and a minimal window manager and you will have a system to browse the web and organize files pretty well (and fast) but not much else. For many people adding Windows to that inside a VM might make sense because it can be snapshotted to stay virus free.
Wow!
Your successful linux examples are a primitive kernel running a JVM and two headless servers. Windows does a whole lot more than that but lately MS has reversed course and simplified (or dumbed down) both the kernel and their GUI.
I always thought X Windows or Linux AT(After Thought) was the real show stopper.
But for anyone interested in the subject, here's an excellent analysis discussing the REAL several hundred NON-MYTHs as to why Linux is unsuitable for the average home user and it's very like to remain that way:
http://linuxfonts.narod.ru/why.linux.is.not.ready.for.the.desktop.current.html
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