Remote desktop vs. remote display [LWN.net]

Remote desktop vs. remote display

Posted Feb 17, 2013 19:10 UTC (Sun) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: Remote desktop vs. remote display by Cyberax
Parent article: LCA: The ways of Wayland

So yes, I'm pessimistic. It doesn't seem like Linux is capable of catching up with classic desktop computers.

Actually it looks like it can be quite capable. It's like with mobile: huge number of companies spent huge amount of time and money trying to make Linux which does not suck on mobile (have you noticed what folks which created Wayland worked for when iPhone arrived?) and in the end it was achieved and Linux even dominates it… only it was done by different guys in different place using different set of tools.

And now it looks like desktop story starts repeating itself: as I already wrote bestselling laptop on Amazon right now, today is Linux-based. But somehow I think if history will indeed repeat itself and 70% (or even 90%) of desktop will be occupied by Linux — we'll hear the same unhappy voices who will bitterly complain that it's "wrong" Linux and their "perfect" Linux is unfairly deprived of drivers and marketshare.

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Remote desktop vs. remote display

Posted Feb 17, 2013 19:56 UTC (Sun) by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523) [Link]

Chromebooks (which are really nice) are not really in the 'classic desktop' range. They are in a new niche (let's say 'netbooks done right').

Maybe they can grow into 'classic desktop' tasks in future, though.

Remote desktop vs. remote display

Posted Feb 17, 2013 20:51 UTC (Sun) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

Maybe they can grow into 'classic desktop' tasks in future, though.

That's what I'm talking about. In about 2-3 years they'll get the ability to write and execute code on device and in 5-7 years they can be self-hosting. That's not 100% guarantee but that can happen. If that'll happen then Linux will win on desktop like it won on mobile, but somehow I doubt people who explain how "X.Org is a pearl of Linux world" will be satisfied by this outcome.