[ale] Linux bashed by Apple?

[Jay Lozier]

On 08/30/2012 09:03 AM, Byron Jeff wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 08:41:10AM -0400, Rich Faulkner wrote:
>>    I think the idea with "too many competing technologies" is just fine.  Do we
>>    want a monopoly?  I for one do not.  That is what Microsoft has regarding
>>    their hold on consumer's concerning their desktop.  I for one prefer choice
>>    and change at a developer's whim.  Why?  Innovation and the freedom to
>>    innovate and invent.  Not all ideas will be useful and I for one do not have
>>    to change just because a developer did.
>>    My machines run Ubuntu 11.04.  Why?  Because it is the last version of
>>    Ubuntu that offers Gnome2 OOB (that I am aware of) and it suits my needs.  I
>>    turn-off notifications on major releases of the OS and do not do migrations
>>    just because it's April or October.  I use what I use because it suits my
>>    needs.  No discomfort or dissatisfaction here...
> BTW this is exactly what Miguel discusses in his piece. The bottom line is
> embodied in the saying "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." The
> dichotomy between the Linux developer community, which certainly does not
> consists of little minds, and the general user population, which views most
> technology as an appliance, are almost exclusively so.
>
>>    The idea behind free software is that we are free to innovate and make a
>>    better product because of it.  Take that away and we're nothing more than
>>    another Apple or Microsoft.  YMMV but to each their own.  I for one do find
>>    frustration in the recent convolutions of the DE market; but who says I have
>>    to embrace their change?  I roll my own and like it that way...so to this I
>>    say (IMHO); compete and bring new technologies to bear in the free market of
>>    GNU/Linux.
> The point is in that divided market, that no single consistent UI will ever
> emerge. It'll always be a churn of desktops and distributions with no hope
> of a consistent out of the box experience.
>
> So at the end of the day, there's lots of innovation. However, without a
> consistent theme, there's little hope of getting enough market share to
> move developers for the masses to start to contribute.
>
> I'm not saying that it's good or bad. I'm just saying that it's not
> possible to have it both ways. I too would rather have the flexibility to
> choose.
>
> BAJ
IMHO the greatest strength and weakness of Linux is the ability of
developers (and users to a lesser extent) to develop/adapt a distro to
suit their needs. This leads naturally to fragmentation around several
reasonable design philosophies and allows for the development of
specialized niche distros. Apple and MS have each selected their own
design philosophy. With Linux people are allowed to explore different
ideas. Some are more adventuresome and others more conservative. The
"holy wars" between distros and about desktops is as artifact that no
one philosophy is best for all users.

For example, I installed Ubuntu 12.04 on the Swambo's laptop. She did
not like Unity but loves Cinnamon after installing 3 others for her to
test. Switching desktops was easy with Ubuntu (and of course other
distros) but impossible with Apple or Windows. Compare this with the
chatter about the Windows 8 interface and the inability of users to
switch to a more comfortable/usable interface for their needs.

What is often forgotten is that any computer is fundamentally a tool to
do something useful for the user. The OS needs to allow the user to do
what they want in a manner that the user finds comfortable. The freedom
in Linux allows this but at a cost; most users like my wife will need
help in determining which distro(s) is(are) best for them.

--
Jay Lozier
jslozier at gmail.com