With the stupidly slow release cycles of IE, Microsoft will always play catch up with the "real" browsers.

Google Chrome had Web Audio API implemented in version 10. That was release in 2011. Google in the meantime has shipped *25 versions* of Chrome. Same goes for Firefox, which had Web Audio implemented for even longer than Chrome, but used a different API. They've been on the same API since Firefox 25, which was released in October of last year. Since then, Mozilla has shipped another 4 versions of Firefox.

Microsoft in the meantime was only able to announce they were going to have Web Audio in their next major release. That's because since October last year (when IE11 came out), they have released a staggering *zero* versions of IE. While the rest of the world was moving forward, they were just shipping security updates. They just can't keep up like this. Every time they release a major version they're sorta on the same page again as the competition, but it's a matter of a few months and they're so way behind again it's impossible to ever compete in a serious way.

Microsoft still hasn't learned their lesson from IE6 as IE is still holding the web back. Get your act together, Microsoft. Stop slowing everyone down.

These kinds op optimisations in Javascript compilation will barely speed up real-world web page performance anyway. The slowness is all in the DOM, the overhead introduced by compiling & running Javascript is already near negligible.

Well apparently Valve found some, didn't they?

If I were complaining about missile guidance systems or CPU building you might have had a point. But to answer your question, no you're not an idiot for not knowing how to add to the Linux code base. I didn't say that and I didn't imply that, the only one calling names is you. I just find it ironic that you feel you are in a position to say other people are idiots while showing you do not have any knowledge or skills on the subject at hand yourself.

And yet you are calling me the idiot.

I'm just saying Linux can be whatever the public wants it to be, not that you personally have to code all of the features you can think of. The case is really simple: Valve needed a feature, so they created it and now that's part of Linux and everyone can enjoy it. If you or Valve want something changed in the way Windows or Mac OS X work, they have to approach Microsoft or Apple and chances are they tell you to go jump in a lake. But on Linux, you can just get started and make it happen. How is that not just great?

So Linux might not be there yet for your personal needs. Too bad for you. But instead of being angry or sad about it, you could also celebrate the fact that Linux is open to anyone and therefore adapts to whatever people are asking for. So chances are it will feed your needs in the future. Especially for gamers, with all the weight Valve is putting behind Linux, I think there are great times ahead for people looking to get rid of Windows for their gaming needs.

That's probably true, things only really change when someone brings a lot of dollars to the table. That's what Mark Shuttleworth did with Ubuntu, Google did with Android and Valve is doing now with SteamOS.

But that's really what I was trying to say at the start of this thread: the fact anyone can step in and add to the platform is what I think is cool about Linux. So having a real impact in businessland may cost some money, but it's not like that's going to Linus Torvald's personal bank account. Linux is open for everyone and not charging a dime. So why are people giving it a hard time?

I'm not the one saying Adobe should release Photoshop for Linux. I'm just saying the *only* reason why Photoshop isn't available for Linux is because Adobe doesn't want it to be on Linux. That may well be the result of some business calculation, or politics, or something personal or whatever, but certainly not because Linux is in some way not suitable for running an application like Photoshop.

I'm just saying if people want Photoshop on Linux, you should talk to Adobe, not Linus Torvalds or Mark Shuttleworth.

Yet we have interstate roads and the internet, just like we have threaded shader compilation on Linux now.

If someone wants to create a feature for Linux, one can. That is the freedom Linux provides. If nobody is willing to take on something, then apparently it isn't such an issue.

I really don't get why people are giving Linux so much hate for empowering it's user base in this way. If you have a complaint about Windows or Mac OS X, Microsoft and Apple tell you to go fuck yourself. But if you want Linux to have something it doesn't have already, you can just go ahead and build it.

I think that's cool.

So how come Autodesk is able to ship Maya for Linux? Or MathWorks has no trouble releasing Matlab for Linux?

You're talking like it's impossible to create software for Linux. Clearly this is not the case, as there are numerous applications available for Linux and have been for years, in all sorts of forms and business models.

The lack of Photoshop and MS Office is not really because of any technical reason. The reality is that Adobe and Microsoft don't want their products available on Linux.

I think the lack of these applications on Linux has a lot more to do with politics and business strategy than Linux being a bad platform somehow for developing applications like Excel or Photoshop for.

It's not that these applications have some intrinsic connection with Windows either, as both of these products are available for Mac OS X.

I meant precompiling in the sense of compiling them during loading, so they can be used during gameplay.

So hurray to Valve for fixing this and hurray to Linux for letting them, right?

And that's just the desktop. On phones, OpenGL wins all. On tablets, OpenGL wins all. On consoles, DirectX is only relevant for the Xbox, the rest runs OpenGL.

The sphere of influence Microsoft has on the computing industry as a whole has been shrinking with each passing year for at least a decade now. The diminishing relevance of DirectX is yet another proof of this.

How is it Linux fault that Microsoft doesn't provide Office or Adobe doesn't provide Photoshop for it?