4 ms·

If that were true, Linux on the desktop would have already won and this decision wouldn't be controversial. I think what's preventing this is that making a prod

by ynniv 9y ago

If that were true, Linux on the desktop would have already won and this decision wouldn't be controversial. I think what's preventing this is that making a productive desktop operating system is more difficult than we think.

bluGill 9y ago
No. Linux on the desktop has some specific list of pros/cons. Windows can be better by enough, even if inertia is the only advantage.
- ynniv 9y ago
  Isn't that my argument?
  - bluGill 9y ago
    You seem to be arguing that is enough to make windows not a commodity.
thanatropism 9y ago
The desktop matters less and less. The only computer I own at home (other than ipad/iphone) is a Chromebook. But I lease a cheap VPS that lets me do "computer stuff" otherwise.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- flarg 9y ago
  Not at all; if you want to consume a lot and create a little then your thesis is right, but the desktop is king for creators. There are a slew of very mature Windows only software out there serving many fields of endeavour for which there are no competitors in either FOSS or other OSs.
  - sanderjd 9y ago
    > There are a slew of very mature Windows only software out there serving many fields of endeavour for which there are no competitors in either FOSS or other OSs. Can you list some? That sort of software is my favorite genre and I'm always interested to hear about different ones.
    - flarg 9y ago
      Apologies for the delay in replying. I use MS Project and an add-on called SSI Tools daily, both essential for CPM based project management. Also MS Outlook plus Clear Context for PIM and communications functionality. There's also MindManager which is a highly functional mind mapper plus a couple of plug ins for it.
  - thanatropism 9y ago
    Eh. Creator software comes in two tiers. Dilettante tier (e.g. lower-end Photoshop) is actively ditching desktop altogether, while higher-end (think of Color, the motion picture colorizing system) either run on Macs or on such dedicated machines that they might run Wintel but are not "desktops" anymore. (Then there's scientific software -- Stata and Matlab and that stuff. But ten years ago Matlab, like gagh, was best served in higher-end minicomputers and now everything is Python and can be ran on a cheap VPS or on AWS.) Besides the sheer gobsmacking convenience, there's also the fact that it's way more fun for bean-counters to have higher OPEX in exchange of lower CAPEX. It really kicks the llama's ass.

by ynniv 9y ago

bluGill 9y ago

No. Linux on the desktop has some specific list of pros/cons. Windows can be better by enough, even if inertia is the only advantage.

ynniv 9y ago
Isn't that my argument?
- bluGill 9y ago
  You seem to be arguing that is enough to make windows not a commodity.

thanatropism 9y ago

The desktop matters less and less. The only computer I own at home (other than ipad/iphone) is a Chromebook. But I lease a cheap VPS that lets me do "computer stuff" otherwise.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
flarg 9y ago
Not at all; if you want to consume a lot and create a little then your thesis is right, but the desktop is king for creators. There are a slew of very mature Windows only software out there serving many fields of endeavour for which there are no competitors in either FOSS or other OSs.
- sanderjd 9y ago
  > There are a slew of very mature Windows only software out there serving many fields of endeavour for which there are no competitors in either FOSS or other OSs. Can you list some? That sort of software is my favorite genre and I'm always interested to hear about different ones.
  - flarg 9y ago
    Apologies for the delay in replying. I use MS Project and an add-on called SSI Tools daily, both essential for CPM based project management. Also MS Outlook plus Clear Context for PIM and communications functionality. There's also MindManager which is a highly functional mind mapper plus a couple of plug ins for it.
- thanatropism 9y ago
  Eh. Creator software comes in two tiers. Dilettante tier (e.g. lower-end Photoshop) is actively ditching desktop altogether, while higher-end (think of Color, the motion picture colorizing system) either run on Macs or on such dedicated machines that they might run Wintel but are not "desktops" anymore. (Then there's scientific software -- Stata and Matlab and that stuff. But ten years ago Matlab, like gagh, was best served in higher-end minicomputers and now everything is Python and can be ran on a cheap VPS or on AWS.) Besides the sheer gobsmacking convenience, there's also the fact that it's way more fun for bean-counters to have higher OPEX in exchange of lower CAPEX. It really kicks the llama's ass.