Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
Vista Aero vs. Linux Compiz
Carol Haynes:
even if you polish a turd, its still a turd
-Josh (April 14, 2008, 11:16 AM)
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Have you tried this ?
I too, fail to see what all the fuss is, so let us fanboys happily compute away with an operating system that somehow magically works for us and nobody else.
-Edvard (April 14, 2008, 11:36 AM)
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Fine - I am not saying that Linux doesn't work or that Open Source OSes are bad in principle. The problem is that there isn't the software available that a lot of people need to make Linux a workable option and hardware support is at best patchy.
For example, I use PhotoShop a lot - the GIMP (whilst worthy) is not a viable alternative for me. Similarly for Sony Vegas etc. for video.
If all I wanted to do was to write letters, a bit of spreadsheet stuff, surf the web and send/receive emails then Linux would absolutely be the way i would go - and I would buy a suitable printer and scanner to make it worth my while. Unfortunately I want my expensive computer to do more than that.
Edvard:
For example, I use PhotoShop a lot - the GIMP (whilst worthy) is not a viable alternative for me. Similarly for Sony Vegas etc. for video.
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My point exactly. If those things work for you, please use them. I can't figure out Photoshop or Illustrator for the life of me, but I can't work up enough about it to complain, I'm doing amazing things in Inkscape (amazing to me, anyways), and I know of more than one professional who uses Gimp exclusively and no-one questions the quality of their work. To each his own, I guess.
If all I wanted to do was to write letters, a bit of spreadsheet stuff, surf the web and send/receive emails then Linux would absolutely be the way i would go - and I would buy a suitable printer and scanner to make it worth my while. Unfortunately I want my expensive computer to do more than that.
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Carol, you know as well as I do that Linux can do WAY more than that, and do it well. From other things you wrote, I gather much of your beef with Linux is that there is not a Photoshop version for it, WiFi is still spotty, and it won't recognize your scanner. If I were in your shoes, I certainly would find those things annoying in the least, and those types of things are exactly the "Digital Tipping Point" we're all waiting for.
But don't blame those things on Linux, please.
Blame Adobe (they made a fully capable Adobe Reader for Linux, what's the hold-up with the rest of their offering?).
Blame hardware manufacturers with Microsoft's fingerprints on their bankroll that won't allow them to release a decent API for open source driver developers.
Remember, the folks coding the drivers and interfaces are most of the time flying blind in their spare time, and still they've managed to cobble together a serious contender to the biggest player in the field.
As for documentation and bugfixing, I agree. At least you can email and bug the author about them. Even if it doesn't get fixed, you have had your voice. Try emailing the author of MSOffice's "Ribbon". Oh wait... you can't.
Back On Topic:
Open Source has done more than it's fair share of trying to grab attention, and it has succeeded (you don't get sued because you sat in the corner...). As I just mentioned, what is needed is more support from outside, namely more commercial apps available for Linux. (Games and "Professional" applications are the biggies here...)and Open API's for hardware interfaces.
I can't think of much more, but those are certainly the big ones I can see...
f0dder:
Blame hardware manufacturers with Microsoft's fingerprints on their bankroll that won't allow them to release a decent API for open source driver developers.
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Please, don't blame Microsoft for this. Blame Linus for refusing to do a stable kernel ABI, and the GPL mentality of refusing closed-source stuff. And blame intellectual property, as well as the fear of being ripped off when you've paid millions of dollars for research and development.
Amazingly enough, though, AMD/ATI is opening up their graphics hardware documentation, Intel has already released very comprehensive full 2D/3D documentation for their embedded graphics, and it's rumored that Nvidia might be following suit.
cranioscopical:
even if you polish a turd, its still a turd
-Josh (April 14, 2008, 11:16 AM)
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Have you tried this ?
-Carol Haynes (April 14, 2008, 11:55 AM)
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It's been done before!
Spoilerhttp://goldenstool.org/
:o
Carol Haynes:
Blame Adobe (they made a fully capable Adobe Reader for Linux, what's the hold-up with the rest of their offering?).
Blame hardware manufacturers with Microsoft's fingerprints on their bankroll that won't allow them to release a decent API for open source driver developers.
-Edvard (April 14, 2008, 12:40 PM)
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Actually I have contacted a number of hardware manufacturers (including Linksys, Netgear and Canon) to ask why their hardware doesn't have Linux support. The two common threads in response seem to be first (and most important) money - why should they develop drivers for hardware that would sell in tiny quantieis for Linux - there is simply no return on such investment whereas supporting Windows (and even Mac) has a cash benefit. Secondly the number of competing distros makes developing anything much difficult especially as they all have their own quirks for installation and folder structures etc.
Carol, you know as well as I do that Linux can do WAY more than that, and do it well. From other things you wrote, I gather much of your beef with Linux is that there is not a Photoshop version for it
-Edvard (April 14, 2008, 12:40 PM)
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Not really - although this is a consideration. Photoshop is just an example - I'll stick with it because it makes the point but it equally applies to audio and video authoring software. If users have invested hundreds or even thousands of pounds/dollars in software it is unrealistic to expect them to move to an OS that supports none of that mainstream software and because of that the migration of the larger user base is slow to non-existant.
There are open source alternatives for most software titles but they are usually not as easy to use (the GIMP, for example, has always been impenetrable to me and I have tried to get to grips with it numerous times), usually playing catch up in terms of what they can do and don't produce file formats that are generally accepted in the professional market. At the end of the day the professional world drives the software market - which is why PhotoShop has become the de facto standard in image editing. It is unrealistic to expect Adobe to code products for Linux when there is no market to buy the product. This is also partly the fault of the open source community because most people who use Linux seem to expect that all software to be free and there is no way Adobe is going to spend millions developing a product which they give away for nothing.
As for documentation and bugfixing, I agree. At least you can email and bug the author about them. Even if it doesn't get fixed, you have had your voice. Try emailing the author of MSOffice's "Ribbon". Oh wait... you can't.
-Edvard (April 14, 2008, 12:40 PM)
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Really - how do I email somebody called zog somewhere in the Ukraine ?
Seriously - how would I write to the developers of the GIMP and expect an answer - it just isn't realistic. If it were there would be no development at all as they would be permanently swamped with good ideas from users.
Realistically if this is a criteria you should hope that Linux distros and apps remain a niche geek market - if it ever becomes anything like mainstream there will be major issues about contacting developers as there is in every major software market.
Parting shot and then I'll shut up - if Linux is so perfect (as most Linux worshippers seem to think it is) why can't they even give it away?
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