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What went wrong with Linux on the Desktop

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barney:
I've whined since day one (1) about Linux documentation and the inability of the developers to create clear documentation for new/intermediate users.  'Twould seem that I've been complaining about a splinter w/o ever bearing the whole cross.

'Tis to be hoped that enough involved folk will read Miguel's diatribe (?) and adjust accordingly ... won't be holding my breath, but I can [forlornly, mayhap] hope.

barney:
Gonna be weird. At least for people who used to do what I used to do. :'( ;D
-40hz (August 30, 2012, 05:56 PM)
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Yep ... same boat.  But can't help but think there's always going to be a non-enterprise market, and OS will matter there.  A lot of Mom'n'Pop shops simply won't be able to afford the SaaS overhead.  How do you think Quicken or Peachtree products got to be so popular?  Really big players don't use 'em, they tend to roll their own, at least the ones I know do.

Methinks there'll always be a small to mid-range market.  MS and Apple are always going to be selling to that market.  To my mind, that's an area where Linux could be made to shine.  I'm not talking about servers, *nix owns that arena.  But desktop small-shop businesses are always going to be there, regardless the political/business climate.  I've always thought that area to be a prime target for *nix developers:  unfortunately, they don't pay much attention to my thimks  :( :o :P.

mahesh2k:
I don't pay attention to such moan lisa rants. I personally found no bitter experience on linux for 6 months of full switching. I can't imagine my time with OSX and Windows for 6 months without suckin at all. OSx and Win are crap for me, that's all. :p
-mahesh2k (August 30, 2012, 03:42 PM)
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Then you rule.
I 50% gave up on Linux because I can only retain tech details for like 3-6 months, maybe a year if I am lucky, and my last company never used them so it became one too many projects to keep in my feeble head. :/
-TaoPhoenix (August 30, 2012, 03:53 PM)
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The reason switch was simple is because I stopped paying attention to desktop app development (which is hard for many windows developers) and focused on web development. As you know linux and apple has lots of tools and support and community documentation for web development, it becomes easy on that front. Also stopped hopping for desktop apps like I used to do on windows. Instead of consuming I have taken direction towards producing in web development. I am taking work specifically in web development niche. I have less apps on ubuntu setup and that is why I am doing fine with unity as well.

TaoPhoenix:
I'd like to (daydream?) that Linux-On-Desktop has "exactly two chances left". Of course, the problem with EXACTLY two chances is that if you ruin both of them, you're hosed forever, even if there is Wailing and Gnashing Of Teeth for years to come. Well, let's call it Two-And-A-Half Chances. (Movie Puns, go to the Humor Thread!)

The Half Chance is of course Windows 8. With a UI so divisive, rather than learn "Unusable crap" that happens to be from Microsoft, why not learn "Unusable crap" (notice the quotes! In my style it means context!) from Linux.

The first Big Chance is if China ever gets a grip and quits trying to lock down the internet, they could China-ize Linux into some distro and powerbomb the world with $200 machines with X Chinese distro that becomes the new lowest common denominator. Sweatshops, and the works. Suddenly even Canonical might have to get a grip if some Chinese consortium floods the market with 17 times their production. Then it will be the new DOS, and because the source is deliberately "not agressively copyright protected" (Go China! It's your distro, and if you Officially Don't Care, off it goes!) then it will be "that fourth platform businesses need to support".

The other Big Chance is if Microsoft somehow makes 8 too many mistakes and implodes and doesn't get a bailout. In a Post Microsoft World, sure Apple will be having fun with their cute mobile market, but that gaping PHB "no one ever got fired for recommending Microsoft" hole will have to be filled, and I don't quite think Apple has that locked, not yet. So then there is room for about a 4 year shakedown on the best Successor to Microsoft, and some distro of Linux might be able to pull that off.

Tuxman:
Now why do you want to have Linux on the desktop with all the other choices available?

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