Linux Desktop Summit Re: [SGVLUG] Hello from San Diego

[David Lawyer]

Besides not supporting some "Windows" hardware, Linux per se doesn't
run most of the applications which are made for Windows (unless you
use an emulator).  So this is another disadvantage of Linux.

Sure, this isn't the fault of Linux; it's due to the entrenched
monopoly of Microsoft.

On Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 09:54:00AM -0700, Michael Proctor-Smith wrote:
> 
> First of there is a problem with drivers for new hardware, this is not
> linux's fault it is the hardware manufactures fault, they do not see a
> large enough market to write the drivers themselves and they do not
> "get it" that all they would have to do it release some hardware specs
> and throw around a couple of examples of the hardware to get the
> drivers written for them for free.

A law could be passed requiring all hardware manufacturers to disclose
their interface.  Then anyone could write a Linux driver for it.  But
would they?  There's a lot of little-used hardware out there, much of
it quite old.  So who is going to bother to write drivers for this
stuff even if the interface is public?  The obvious solution is to
just port the Window-drivers to Linux using the source code.  But
hardware Cos. are reluctant to release the Window's source code for
good reason.

Suppose you are an innovative hardware Co. and come out with a new
product (chip ?) and then provide source code for it's Window's driver.
Then another Co. comes out with a clone (or quasi-clone) of your
product and saves a lot of money by porting your source code to their
hardware.  Due to lower expenses, they can undercut your prices and
gain market share.  This could result in a financial loss for you
rather than any profit.  So you don't want to open-source your driver.

But what about letting any Linux developer port your source code to
Linux, provided the developer signs a (gasp) non disclosure agreement?
That way, your product can be used for Linux, and other hardware
competitors can't get their hands on the source code.

Should there be a law requiring this?  Another point is that
cooperation among competitors can increase  efficiency.  For example,
if the hardware competitors share the source code they'll avoid some
duplication of effort.  So suppose that Co. A comes out with a new
piece of hardware and a driver for it.  The Co. B makes a clone and
uses A's driver (gets the source) after paying A half their
development costs for the driver.  Then a third Co. could enter the
fray and pay both A and B 1/6 of the costs.  You would need to insure
that the code is not obfuscated and clearly commented.

Also, Dustin mentioned "We will bury you" by Khrushchev, the former
head of the USSR.  The "bury" was mistranslated ?? since it also has a
figurative meaning in Russian but not in English.  Khrushchev (the
shah is a single Russian letter as is Kh --it's only a short 6-letter
name) explained that he meant it in the figurative sense and I think
one needs to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And back to Desktop Linux: What about a command-line desktop like I
use from a dumb terminal?  This seems to work good and the text is
much clearer than what one gets from a color monitor.  Monochrome has
better resolution since there are no color dots on the screen.  But
people coming from Windows are not used to a command-line Interface.

Still another problem with Linux is the inherent inefficiency of X
Windows on old PCs as compared to say Windows 3.1.  On a 486 PC with 4
MB of memory, Windows 3.1 runs fast.  But try X on this, or Windows
XP.  They won't run.  

One advantage of Linux on the desktop is the possibility of running
the latest version on old hardware.  With Windows, one has to run an
old version (like Windows 3.1).  I say "possibility" since there are
some bugs to fix (as I previously mentioned) to get the latest kernel
to boot fast on a Pentium 1.

So Linux (or the hardware) isn't ready for a major desktop market.
But one argument to tell people interested in trying Linux is that
while there may be more work configuring things, etc., the users
learns more about computers in the process and can fine tune the PC
via configuration files etc.

			David Lawyer