Ubuntu on Windows

Posted Mar 31, 2016 10:53 UTC (Thu) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: Ubuntu on Windows by khim
Parent article: Ubuntu on Windows

Oops. Commented the wrong message. So you essentially agree with me, just don't go far enough. We are thinking along the same lines only you think that Linux desktop may be an accidental casualty while I think that it's prime target of that move. Not a big difference, really: to hurt Linux desktop with that plan Microsoft does not need to do anything obviously nefarious. It just need to NOT do some suicidal moves. REALLY hard to argue about that in any kind of court. Well played, Satya!

Ubuntu on Windows

Posted Mar 31, 2016 21:32 UTC (Thu) by raven667 (subscriber, #5198) [Link] (3 responses)

I doubt they are doing this because they are terrified of the Linux desktop and are trying to harm it, they are doing it because MS is trying to re-join the rest of the tech industry so as to not be left behind in a little Win32 backwater. Clearly based on the number and scope of work that's been done over the last year or two, there is a HUGE amount of pent up demand within MS and with their customers for transparency and compatibility, look at the MS Github for C# or MSSQL for Linux, that Ballmer must have been suppressing while Nadella is allowing the MS developers to run with.

Ubuntu on Windows

Posted Apr 1, 2016 18:34 UTC (Fri) by callegar (guest, #16148) [Link] (2 responses)

Obviously, you are right from the point of view of MS. I was looking at it from the point of view of Linux distros. I think that at the same time "MS is trying to re-join the rest of the tech industry", they may end destroying even those niche spaces where Linux on the desktop has succeeded so far, by providing a good *nix experience on top of Win10. To MS it may change almost nothing (+1 % of desktop installations). To Linux distros it may change a lot (e.g., -80% of desktop installations, including a large amount of laptops, and all convertible tablets and standard tablets - i.e., all machines where Linux requires some effort due to hardware drivers). If you consider that the largest cost for distros is to have the desktop stuff working and nicely integrated, this may end up affecting distros quite significantly.

Ubuntu on Windows

Posted Apr 1, 2016 19:09 UTC (Fri) by raven667 (subscriber, #5198) [Link] (1 responses)

I dunno, the critical mass needed for sustainable development of the Linux desktop is pretty small, and something already achieved. I don't think the XFCE or GNOME developers are just going to quit because of anything MS does, otherwise they would have quit long ago. There are plenty of tools within the Linux ecosystem that continue to be maintained and used because there is a critical mass of developers who keep them going, like EMACS. Heck, FVWM still seems to exist and make releases, they have a Github page now.

I think there will still be enough people who want to build desktops that desktop distros and applications will still exist, even if a number of Ubuntu users head off to Windows land.

Ubuntu on Windows

Posted Apr 1, 2016 22:47 UTC (Fri) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

I dunno, the critical mass needed for sustainable development of the Linux desktop is pretty small, and something already achieved.

Really? Is that why it's constantly in half-broken state?

I don't think the XFCE or GNOME developers are just going to quit because of anything MS does, otherwise they would have quit long ago.

Probably not core developers. But as users will go away so will do contributors, too. And if nobody would care about desktop then sooner of later support for the hardware will disappear, too.

Today Linux desktop rides on coattails of it's Linux-on-server adoption. If people will stop caring about desktop completely... not even for development of stuff for servers... look on FreeBSD (or is it DragonFly BSD? who cares, really). How well desktop apps work there?

This wouldn't happen in one day, of course. Such things take time. But in next 10 or 20 years... who knows?