Like the future of video isn't streaming. Anyone who thought they could do better than the internet has lost. If Netflix doesn't win then some other company just like it will. Saying "enjoy Netflix while it lasts" is like saying "enjoy AltaVista while it lasts". Sure, it may turn out that it's not the be-all and end-all of video distribution, but then we'll enjoy the next thing. The internet has made sure that there will never be captive audiences again.

This attitude is Exhibit A. The Linux world thinks it's better, but it very obviously isn't. The hubris prevents any improvement. The guys in the back aren't slower, they're a lap ahead. Yes, even Windows is actually better in many ways. Being free and open doesn't make Linux better. That's just one aspect, and one that many people don't particularly care about.

I could make a long list of things in Linux that need to be scrapped and redone or massively improved or just implemented in the first place. I don't because it's pointless. Nobody is going to listen. It's always the stupid users who don't properly appreciate Linux. Wontfix. Linux doesn't have a marketing problem. The problem is the stupidity of intelligent people.

*sigh* Yeah, sure, Linux Mint is what I'm using. Linux is never going to be competitive on the desktop unless the developers stop blaming the users. The users are right: Linux sucks on the desktop, and in many other ways too, but there it doesn't matter as much. I already explained that Linux UIs are pretty, but other operating systems win because of usability - and you show me a graphics demo?

I really really want it to be a desktop OS, but it's not ready, not even if the user is an experienced computer aficionado like me. There are just too many places where the gritty innards of the machine are visible through the cracks. Some of the problems are due to the culture clashes between free software and hardware manufacturers, but many problems are just shoddy and incomplete execution of grand plans. At times I wonder if Linux developers realize that they would often be better off just imitating what already works on other platforms, rather than half-assedly implementing their own "hugely superior" vision. User interfaces in particular are pretty on Linux, but usable on other platforms, and usability always wins.