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Commercial Linux (InfoWorld)
InfoWorld gives
some suggestions on how to turn Linux into a successful desktop
product. "Don't pull anything out of the OS to reduce
intimidation. Don't rip out any capabilities for fear that a timid user
will stumble over them and think Linux is some kind of Frankenstein.
Instead, vendors should make the system's most-used capabilities more
accessible and guide customers through the process of deciding what they
need to learn at each stage of development and deployment."
(Log in to post comments)
Commercial Linux (InfoWorld) Posted Apr 5, 2004 16:13 UTC (Mon) by heunique (guest, #728) [Link] Ok, here's a tip - license some codecs and yes, include some binary drivers (after signing agreements ofcourse!)Seriously people, With windows XP, I get the latest drivers either from MS (through Windows Update) or from the hardware/software vendor. I get MP3, WAV, WMV*,MPEG codecs support, I get 3D acceleration, etc.. With Redhat I got *NO* mp3/wmv/etc/mpeg support, no 3D drivers (try high end graphics ATI cards or NVidia cards), and no newer drivers - and I'm talking about the COMMERCIAL package (not Fedora) and I'm puzzled - why wouldn't Redhat license those codecs/drivers and give them to me as part of the package? How come a basic RHWS which costs $179 doesn't have what a Windows XP ($129) has? Yes, I know I can just edit APT/YUM and add the necessary package (although it's illegal!), but think about those home users who don't know crap about package repositories... Just food for thought..
Commercial Linux (InfoWorld) Posted Apr 5, 2004 16:43 UTC (Mon) by penguinwarrior (guest, #20672) [Link] use Mepis linux based on Debian... easy install, with MP3, ati, nvidia, etc, etc and no crashes, firewall, a proper web-browser....etc, etc.stop using an operating system from the past and get into the future.
But is it legal? Posted Apr 5, 2004 18:58 UTC (Mon) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link] How about the legal side of the story? Also, doesn't "no crashes" mean "no custom kernel" as well? I'll rather use "an operating system from the past" which allows me to do kernel development.
Commercial Linux (InfoWorld) Posted Apr 8, 2004 9:21 UTC (Thu) by kreutzm (subscriber, #4700) [Link] Sorry, I fail to see your point. If the future is GNU (which I would notword this exculsivly) then you should *reject* binary drivers and rather buy products which do not need them or even better which have free drivers supported by that company. So either: The Future is Linux (and you don't care about the GNU philosophy)
Commercial Linux (InfoWorld) Posted Apr 5, 2004 18:13 UTC (Mon) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link] Red Hat could license MP3, certainly. But some of the video codecs they probably could not license for any price, as the vendors aren't selling (as it would threaten their relations with Microsoft or Apple). In any case, Red Hat isn't in that business (of providing a semi-proprietary Linux distro to end desktop users). Try someone else who is, say Xandros.
Binary drivers Posted Apr 5, 2004 18:28 UTC (Mon) by andrel (subscriber, #5166) [Link] Binary drivers present two problems. First, they have a reputation for reducing system stability--and because they are binary only Redhat and other distro vendors can't fix them, hence they don't want to support them. Openness is the core strength of Linux; when you give it up you get all the blue-screen problems Windows has with crappy binary drivers, but don't gain any of Windows's strengths.Second, because the kernel is licensed under the GPL there are legal problems with distributing binary drivers together with the kernel. Linus's statements on this issue are nuanced--he is okay with drivers that are obviously not derivative works, but it is not clear the video drivers meet that high standard. Because he is not the only copyright holder, by his own design, he doesn't have the final word. The other kernel authors can also sue, and some of them are on record as being opposed to binary drivers of any form.
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