4 ms·

In my workplace, I'd say that about 20% of the developers run Linux, 40% run MacOS, and 40% run Windows (the Windows users generally ssh or vnc into a Linux com

by nathanb 16y ago

In my workplace, I'd say that about 20% of the developers run Linux, 40% run MacOS, and 40% run Windows (the Windows users generally ssh or vnc into a Linux compute server to do builds and stuff). I also run it on my netbook (an Eee PC from Asus), and somewhere along the line someone decided that desktop Linux was alive enough to make the Broadcom wireless chip work in Linux. I think this is actually the first time I've installed Linux on a laptop and had it just work. I'm not saying that Linux is about to take over the market or anything silly like that, but proclaiming the death of Linux on the desktop is just as foolhardy as proclaiming its resurgence.

kenjackson 16y ago
but proclaiming the death of Linux on the desktop is just as foolhardy as proclaiming its resurgence. Really? Linux has never been alive on the desktop. I worked in a lab that 100% Debian Linux in 1996, and it was dead then. But honestly if it makes you feel better if I say that Windows, OSX, Linux, BeOS, AmigaOS, and NeXT are all in the running on the desktop... sure.
- rbanffy 16y ago
  > Really? Linux has never been alive on the desktop. For some values of "alive" and some values of "desktop". And it doesn't make me feel better. It only makes me feel sorry for those who work in very boring Windows-only workplaces. That's really heart breaking, specially for a web developer like me.
  - kenjackson 16y ago
    Where desktop is a computer that is on your desk (or under) and where alive is at least 5% marketshare.
    - rbanffy 16y ago
      There is a computer on my desk, but my e-mail is processed elsewhere, just like my paycheck, my corporate purchases, my calendar, my project management tools, my collaboration suite and a lot of the software I develop. My desktop computer hosts a browser, a text editor, an application server (more or less identical to the one that runs my applications - on a more or less identical OS) and, on occasion, an IDE and its own replica of another set of servers. If I weren't developing software, whatever is on my desk wouldn't be relevant, as long as it could host a browser. I can also tell you, for the traffic I get on my blog, that Linux is very well alive in the web development world. I am sure my posts won't attract the average VB6, corporate-drone, shirt-and-tie Windows developer, but, honestly, who cares? The worthy among them will evolve into something, given time. I don't care for those who don't.
      - kenjackson 16y ago
        Well then Linux is already the most dominant OS ever! Discussion over, because clearly I have nothing to trump your web logs. And lord knows that anyone who uses Windows is hardly human and the fact that we let them live is a testament to our lord Linus. But if you do wish to kill some of them tonight, no one could blame you. Right?
        rbanffy 16y ago
        Even VB6 programmers are people, Ken. And yes. Linux is pretty much alive and well in a lot of places. Face it: most of the world couldn't care less with what OS and browser they use to get to Gmail or Facebook. They don't buy OSs. Dell buys OSs for them.

by nathanb 16y ago

kenjackson 16y ago

but proclaiming the death of Linux on the desktop is just as foolhardy as proclaiming its resurgence. Really? Linux has never been alive on the desktop. I worked in a lab that 100% Debian Linux in 1996, and it was dead then. But honestly if it makes you feel better if I say that Windows, OSX, Linux, BeOS, AmigaOS, and NeXT are all in the running on the desktop... sure.

rbanffy 16y ago
> Really? Linux has never been alive on the desktop. For some values of "alive" and some values of "desktop". And it doesn't make me feel better. It only makes me feel sorry for those who work in very boring Windows-only workplaces. That's really heart breaking, specially for a web developer like me.
- kenjackson 16y ago
  Where desktop is a computer that is on your desk (or under) and where alive is at least 5% marketshare.
  - rbanffy 16y ago
    There is a computer on my desk, but my e-mail is processed elsewhere, just like my paycheck, my corporate purchases, my calendar, my project management tools, my collaboration suite and a lot of the software I develop. My desktop computer hosts a browser, a text editor, an application server (more or less identical to the one that runs my applications - on a more or less identical OS) and, on occasion, an IDE and its own replica of another set of servers. If I weren't developing software, whatever is on my desk wouldn't be relevant, as long as it could host a browser. I can also tell you, for the traffic I get on my blog, that Linux is very well alive in the web development world. I am sure my posts won't attract the average VB6, corporate-drone, shirt-and-tie Windows developer, but, honestly, who cares? The worthy among them will evolve into something, given time. I don't care for those who don't.
    - kenjackson 16y ago
      Well then Linux is already the most dominant OS ever! Discussion over, because clearly I have nothing to trump your web logs. And lord knows that anyone who uses Windows is hardly human and the fact that we let them live is a testament to our lord Linus. But if you do wish to kill some of them tonight, no one could blame you. Right?
      - rbanffy 16y ago
        Even VB6 programmers are people, Ken. And yes. Linux is pretty much alive and well in a lot of places. Face it: most of the world couldn't care less with what OS and browser they use to get to Gmail or Facebook. They don't buy OSs. Dell buys OSs for them.