ISVs providing Linux downloads [LWN.net]

ISVs providing Linux downloads

Posted Sep 12, 2012 9:44 UTC (Wed) by robert_s (subscriber, #42402)
In reply to: ISVs providing Linux downloads by drag
Parent article: Meeks: Linux on the (consumer) Desktop

"In a ideal world if you want to use Firefox you get it from Mozilla. If you want to use Chrome you get it from Google. If you want to use Gnome you get it from Gnome project, and if you want to use KDE you get it from KDE project."

Wow huge nonsense. You must love running around the web collecting things just to get a functional system.

If we're talking about an ideal world the user should just want - a web browser - and have - a web browser. And if we're talking about 90% of users, 90% of users don't care what web browser they use (nor should they, in all fairness to them, it's just a pity the most common default on computers across the world is such a bucket of crap). A distribution serves a purpose to give a sane face of a simple, usable machine - and if possible hide all the self-advertising, nonsense, and bizarre ideas of how a system should work that "Applications" typically have.

And especially so in a world where "Application" vendors are trying increasingly aggressive tactics to get their stuff on your machine one way or another.

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ISVs providing Linux downloads

Posted Sep 12, 2012 14:34 UTC (Wed) by pboddie (subscriber, #50784) [Link]

At last, someone speaks up for the average user instead of the craze-chasing gadget surfers who can install anything they like (well, apart from a replacement for the locked down base system, that is) for the matter-of-weeks ownership honeymoon period of their new, mobile, "desktop-killing" device before they then seek to replace it with an even newer one "because it has better software".

Where Meeks is right (or is right in terms of emphasis, at least - I only skimmed the article) is that the revenue opportunities for selling reliable, durable, boring-but-works products are limited in this day and age. Everyone would rather sell you flimsy stuff, the same stuff over and over again, or stuff you don't need but can be persuaded to want.

But people actually do want stuff that does the job unless they want to show off. Sadly, the big money is to be made in people showing off.