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What went wrong with Linux on the Desktop
Renegade:
BOOM~!
But we missed the big picture. We alienated every third party developer in the process.
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NAILED IT!
More good points in there, but that's really the major one. You have to attract developers to your platform. The number of developers on a platform determines the success of the platform. Our first big lesson there was Atari vs. Intellivision. Atari had more people developing for it, so it had more games, so it had more customers. Nothing has changed in the platform wars. The rules are still the same. This is why Microsoft bought a little known web browser company's product - they understood that the web was a platform.
I've gone off in the past with my blabbering and ranting about the "Linux mindset" (or whatever), and this has always been at the core of my complaints. I posted in the Developer's Corner a while back about how horrible it was to try and create a distribution package (installer) for Linux. God... Still haven't figured out anything sane. Maybe I should just write one...
Miguel is a minor diety. He has contributed so much to computing. I've spoke with him before, and he's really an extremely friendly and helpful person. If you drop in the MonoTouch/Mono for Android IRC you'll see him regularly. And if you participate, chances are that at some point when you'll be talking to Miguel. I have a lot of respect for him.
However, I don't think that Linux is beyond salvation. If people in the Linux community would listen to stuff like this, there could be change there and a greater focus on attracting developers to the platform. Linux has the potential to destroy Windows and OS X. It just isn't being taken advantage of at the moment.
In the movie "Megamind", Megamind has some keen insight... --> The difference between a villain and a super-villain is "PRESENTATION!"
Apple understands this much better than just about any company out there.
For the record... "command line" or "terminal" is as sexy as a gorged boar vomiting up rotten potatoes and sludge. And you still need to use the terminal on OS X... god... I was so disappointed when I got my Mac... I really thought that they had some better degree of polish... But that only exists for doing the simplest of tasks. :(
Still... Apple has some decent presentation. Animation on an iPhone/iPad/iMac is pretty damn good. It certainly beats Windows or Android.
Typically, when I look at Windows vs. Mac applications, the Windows applications are FAR FAR FAR ahead of the Mac ones. Much better functionality. What I've found is that the Mac takes forever to do anything at all, and forces you to take your time more as you are so limited. Windows lets you run full steam ahead. As a result, software on a Mac tends to have a degree of polish because if you're spending that much time on it, a bit more doesn't matter. (I'm guessing here -- but from what I've seen, this looks about right.)
I'm still rooting for Linux though. And still tied to Windows... dying to get off it...
I hope Miguel is being overly pessimistic. I really don't want to live in a world of walled gardens. :(
Renegade:
From the comments:
In other words, "It's the apps, stupid."
If you build an environment that's expensive and painful for application developers then you won't have many decent apps. Should be common sense, really.
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+1
What I think is funny is that backward compatibility doesn't have to be uninnovative. Figuring out a way to combine an old API with a new one and not breaking anything can be very ambitious and innovative. While none come to mind offhand, I know there have been a few rewrites of system components in Windows so that they are backward compatible and retain legacy behavior.
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There, I've seen things like:
methodname
methodname2
I think hackers and/or developers embracing OSX reveals the singular truth about their interest in Linux: It was always driven by a kneejerk hatred of Microsoft. There is nothing on earth less open than an Apple system.
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Pretty much. :(
Hatred for Microsoft: Haven't seen that with people who contribute.
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Interesting. Dunno.
Thank you Miguel. I have been saying this for years. Packages are one of the biggest problems on Linux. I should be able to go to a website, download a piece of software and have it work.
I install an operating system to use applications.
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Again, nailing it.
From Miguel:
I have never received a payment from Microsoft or Apple. If anything, I keep giving both money for their products.
No religious/hard-line/extremist group likes introspective criticism or anything that contradicts their long held beliefs. So the only possible explanation that you guys can muster is "how much does Microsoft pay you".
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sri:
I am not sure how it is now. Some 7 or 8 years ago when I tried Linux (don't remember which distro) desktop OS, I had to copy and paste 3 or 4 lines of code to eject the CD tray. I stopped using it from that day onwards.
40hz:
I am not sure how it is now. Some 7 or 8 years ago when I tried Linux (don't remember which distro) desktop OS, I had to copy and paste 3 or 4 lines of code to eject the CD tray. I stopped using it from that day onwards.
-sri (August 30, 2012, 01:41 PM)
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Ancient history. That nonsense has all long since been fixed.
Most of it anyway. ;) :)
TaoPhoenix:
There's some big elephants in the room here.
Is no one going to mention how MS (and maybe Apple) worked hard to make sure that Windows was the only platform that ran the industrial *enterprise software*? Notice I'm not saying "apps" as in "app store cute little thingies". From what I hear the gaming envionment is similar.
A platform needs "anchors", it's the same way the best malls are built. Sure you can get those little strip malls that kinda sit there and be useful, but the really good ones are anchored by 1-4 big ticket stores that really pull momentum. I don't really hear a lot of high powered raving about "Macs". I hear "App Store" = Mobile small useful widgets. Oh, I'm sorry, that used to be called Shareware except now you don't get to try it for free!
If everyone is going to "unify", Canonical is raising controversy by trying to position themselves as the "Linux-but-don't-tell-anyone" OS.
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