Comment I disagree! (Score 1) 450
Let me start by saying that I am an avid Linux fan, and prefer it when dealing with servers from a reliability standpoint however..
Linux will never have a measurable market share of the desktop, unless Microsoft releases a Linux based Windows. Linus is correct in his reasoning. The other reasons why?
100+ distributions
KDE vs Gnome
Support for newer hardware is too slow or buggy
I'll give you an example. Over the past year I built a media center PC. My intentions were to purchase hardware that would be compatible with both Linux and Windows. The first thing I wanted to try was MythTV, because a friend of mine had a setup that looked great, and it accomplished all of what I needed it to do. From a distribution that was supposed to work right out of the box, it DIDN'T work at all with the TV tuner, and it wouldn't do the resolution I wanted. Not only that, but the remote control setup was a whole different set of issues. What did work? XP Media center edition, immediately. I was able to watch and record TV in less than an hour.
Another example? My HP Laptop. Linux installs and performs great, except wireless, which is an absolute key feature. Yes, I could fix it with an NDISWRAPPER, but again, Windows just worked.
I do consider myself a highly technical person, and I know that if I did mess with it enough, I would have got it to work. If i didn't have a newborn baby at the time, I would be running MythTV right now.
I'm not saying Linux is junk, because there are many nice things about it, just not for the average desktop, unless it looks like windows. :)
Linux will never have a measurable market share of the desktop, unless Microsoft releases a Linux based Windows. Linus is correct in his reasoning. The other reasons why?
100+ distributions
KDE vs Gnome
Support for newer hardware is too slow or buggy
I'll give you an example. Over the past year I built a media center PC. My intentions were to purchase hardware that would be compatible with both Linux and Windows. The first thing I wanted to try was MythTV, because a friend of mine had a setup that looked great, and it accomplished all of what I needed it to do. From a distribution that was supposed to work right out of the box, it DIDN'T work at all with the TV tuner, and it wouldn't do the resolution I wanted. Not only that, but the remote control setup was a whole different set of issues. What did work? XP Media center edition, immediately. I was able to watch and record TV in less than an hour.
Another example? My HP Laptop. Linux installs and performs great, except wireless, which is an absolute key feature. Yes, I could fix it with an NDISWRAPPER, but again, Windows just worked.
I do consider myself a highly technical person, and I know that if I did mess with it enough, I would have got it to work. If i didn't have a newborn baby at the time, I would be running MythTV right now.
I'm not saying Linux is junk, because there are many nice things about it, just not for the average desktop, unless it looks like windows.
