7 ms·

Sigh. So why doesn't the Linux community just man-up, and start backing Linux-oriented hardware manufacturers? This pansy whiny attitude from the Linux commun

Sigh. So why doesn't the Linux community just man-up, and start backing Linux-oriented hardware manufacturers? This pansy whiny attitude from the Linux community got tiresome 10 years ago. Today, it's just absurd. Please just quit whining, and quit trying to "make Microsoft our bitch", and start supporting hardware companies that are already on your side, and completely ignore Microsoft and hardware companies that bow to them.

wmf 15y ago
If they try and fail, they'll have no one to blame but themselves; if they don't try then they can keep shifting the blame. I suspect that Shuttleworth is aware of Kay's wisdom about building your own hardware, but the market is probably not there.
marshray 15y ago
Because economies of scale mean that commodity hardware is vastly less expensive and more available than special-purpose hardware. The number of people who set out to run specifically Linux on a tablet is vanishingly small. I say this as one of them.
- astrodust 15y ago
  The commodity components used to assemble a tablet are vastly less expensive than they would be if not used by so many other manufacturers. Where's the Raspberry Pi of tablets?
  - wmf 15y ago
    There are a ton of craptablets based on Rockchip SoCs. Even so, a craptablet running "real Linux" would probably cost more than the equivalent Android version.
    - astrodust 15y ago
      The demoscene people do some really amazing work with some very basic hardware, so why can't that kind of talent be applied to making a really ripping Linux tablet?
- recoiledsnake 15y ago
  Make Apple open up the iPad then. makes sense rather than windows tablets which are barely out.
  - kiloaper 15y ago
    We don't have to "make" Apple do anything. There are already people porting Linux and Android on their hardware. See http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Main_Page http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Main_Page
mcantelon 15y ago
Whining about whining: how meta.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
rbanffy 15y ago
> So why doesn't the Linux community just man-up, and start backing Linux-oriented hardware manufacturers? We do. The problem is this increases their sales by 1% in notebooks and desktops. There just isn't that many people who want to run Linux on their computers. Microsoft will cleverly induce hardware makers to build those single-purpose locked down tablets to force some market share for a solution they know can't compete on a level playfield. And they'll do so by threatening to increase the exto^H^H^H^Hlicensing fees on patents Android "violates". Watch for those increases after they acquire what's left of Nokia.
- wavephorm 15y ago
  There just isn't that many people who want to run Linux on their computers. Yes there is. I know lots of people who run Linux on their desktop. And I bet there's probably even more people that would be interested in a Linux tablet. The argument that Linux is this totally obscure precious little snowflake just doesn't work anymore.
  - bitwize 15y ago
    But it is totally obscure, and will remain so until it stops sucking on the desktop.
    - drivebyacct2 15y ago
      For varying definitions of "totally", "obscure" and "sucking". In my opinion, Mac and Windows "suck" compared to my Linux desktop, but I'm not going to assert that as fact.
    - wavephorm 15y ago
      1-2% of a global desktop computing market is small in percentage, but ENORMOUS in total numbers. We're talking about many, many millions of users. And that's just desktop. The potential size of a Linux tablet market is really quite big. But none of that matters if Linux enthusiasts only want to buy a Windows tablet, and reformat it with a free version of Linux that barely works on that hardware.

wmf 15y ago

If they try and fail, they'll have no one to blame but themselves; if they don't try then they can keep shifting the blame. I suspect that Shuttleworth is aware of Kay's wisdom about building your own hardware, but the market is probably not there.

marshray 15y ago

Because economies of scale mean that commodity hardware is vastly less expensive and more available than special-purpose hardware. The number of people who set out to run specifically Linux on a tablet is vanishingly small. I say this as one of them.

astrodust 15y ago
The commodity components used to assemble a tablet are vastly less expensive than they would be if not used by so many other manufacturers. Where's the Raspberry Pi of tablets?
- wmf 15y ago
  There are a ton of craptablets based on Rockchip SoCs. Even so, a craptablet running "real Linux" would probably cost more than the equivalent Android version.
  - astrodust 15y ago
    The demoscene people do some really amazing work with some very basic hardware, so why can't that kind of talent be applied to making a really ripping Linux tablet?
recoiledsnake 15y ago
Make Apple open up the iPad then. makes sense rather than windows tablets which are barely out.
- kiloaper 15y ago
  We don't have to "make" Apple do anything. There are already people porting Linux and Android on their hardware. See http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Main_Page http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Main_Page

mcantelon 15y ago

Whining about whining: how meta.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

rbanffy 15y ago

> So why doesn't the Linux community just man-up, and start backing Linux-oriented hardware manufacturers? We do. The problem is this increases their sales by 1% in notebooks and desktops. There just isn't that many people who want to run Linux on their computers. Microsoft will cleverly induce hardware makers to build those single-purpose locked down tablets to force some market share for a solution they know can't compete on a level playfield. And they'll do so by threatening to increase the exto^H^H^H^Hlicensing fees on patents Android "violates". Watch for those increases after they acquire what's left of Nokia.

wavephorm 15y ago
There just isn't that many people who want to run Linux on their computers. Yes there is. I know lots of people who run Linux on their desktop. And I bet there's probably even more people that would be interested in a Linux tablet. The argument that Linux is this totally obscure precious little snowflake just doesn't work anymore.
- bitwize 15y ago
  But it is totally obscure, and will remain so until it stops sucking on the desktop.
  - drivebyacct2 15y ago
    For varying definitions of "totally", "obscure" and "sucking". In my opinion, Mac and Windows "suck" compared to my Linux desktop, but I'm not going to assert that as fact.
  - wavephorm 15y ago
    1-2% of a global desktop computing market is small in percentage, but ENORMOUS in total numbers. We're talking about many, many millions of users. And that's just desktop. The potential size of a Linux tablet market is really quite big. But none of that matters if Linux enthusiasts only want to buy a Windows tablet, and reformat it with a free version of Linux that barely works on that hardware.