4 ms·

Idk, sounds like the year of Linux on the desktop is closer than it has ever been. :) But you should really look at Chromebooks/ChromeOS for one glimpse of wha

by kbaker 13y ago

Idk, sounds like the year of Linux on the desktop is closer than it has ever been. :) But you should really look at Chromebooks/ChromeOS for one glimpse of what a consumer-friendly, non-MS system would really look like. Right now it is the #1 selling laptop on Amazon, and reviews are pretty positive. If I was a shareholder in MSFT, I would seriously be worried for the future of the whole Windows platform, mobile and desktop.

300bps 13y ago
I started using Slackware Linux in 1997. If I had a nickel for everytime someone declared the Linux desktop is imminent since then I'd have more money than Bill Gates.
- kibibu 13y ago
  I'm not convinced it's been declared 1,340,000,000,000 times, but I get your point
- stormbrew 13y ago
  If they said it before and they were wrong, surely that means they will be wrong forever!
  - jlgaddis 13y ago
    If they continue to say it every year, they will eventually be correct, right?
- venomsnake 13y ago
  Next year is always the year of the Linux desktop. But I begin seeing worries in people where MS is pushing the OS (mostly privacy concerns) and is seems running windows in a hypervisor with VGA card passed trough is becoming more and more popular.
  - mynameisvlad 13y ago
    > and is seems running windows in a hypervisor with VGA card passed trough is becoming more and more popular. I know absolutely nobody who does this.
    - BinaryBrainz 13y ago
      I'm guessing that he's being a bit sarcastic since this would be an extremely hodgepodged setup, but I have thought about doing something like this for a home server/personal computer setup. My thoughts where to have something like a rackmounted server machine in my basement with multiple storage drives, oodles of RAM, CPU, and a video card with it all running under an ESX (or whatever) install. Over the hypervisor I could then have running a headless NAS OS (e.g. UnRAID or FreeNAS) for my backups/media/etc and then a full-blown gaming PC running Windows with the GPU being virtually attached to it. Then (oh there's more) I could run all of my keyboard, video, mouse, and USB cables for the virtual gaming PC up through my house to where my desk is located. I figure that with this setup I could consolidate a several physical computers (gaming pc, NAS, etc) into one workhorse computer which would save space and possibly some electricity.
      - venomsnake 13y ago
        Sarcastic - no - for a few tech savvy friends of mine the only thing that really keeps them on non virtualized windows is gaming. So any solution that offers them that - from high performance vm driver to vga passtrough is ok. The desire to sandbox windows is real.
    - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
      I do something similar but only because of some Windows only educrapware that was foisted upon me. Well, and LabView.
throwawaykf02 13y ago
Most Windows Phones were #1 best sellers on Amazon too. Look at where their market share is right now.
Moto7451 13y ago
If we allow Android/Linux as a member of "Linux on the Desktop" I whole heartedly agree. I'm not sold on the GNU/Linux variant. System 76 does a great job of making "just works" Linux hardware but they're not exactly a big player. Android and iOS have the advantage that they don't have to work like Windows. Even OS X suffers "this doesn't work like my Windows did" from switchers. Mobile OSes can work like Android/iOS + their own unique flavor and have some leeway that desktop OSes aren't afforded. UI/UX for modern touch devices lacks the expectations that 18 years of mostly consistent Windows UI/UXhas built for the "traditional" Linux desktop.

by kbaker 13y ago

300bps 13y ago

I started using Slackware Linux in 1997. If I had a nickel for everytime someone declared the Linux desktop is imminent since then I'd have more money than Bill Gates.

kibibu 13y ago
I'm not convinced it's been declared 1,340,000,000,000 times, but I get your point
stormbrew 13y ago
If they said it before and they were wrong, surely that means they will be wrong forever!
- jlgaddis 13y ago
  If they continue to say it every year, they will eventually be correct, right?
venomsnake 13y ago
Next year is always the year of the Linux desktop. But I begin seeing worries in people where MS is pushing the OS (mostly privacy concerns) and is seems running windows in a hypervisor with VGA card passed trough is becoming more and more popular.
- mynameisvlad 13y ago
  > and is seems running windows in a hypervisor with VGA card passed trough is becoming more and more popular. I know absolutely nobody who does this.
  - BinaryBrainz 13y ago
    I'm guessing that he's being a bit sarcastic since this would be an extremely hodgepodged setup, but I have thought about doing something like this for a home server/personal computer setup. My thoughts where to have something like a rackmounted server machine in my basement with multiple storage drives, oodles of RAM, CPU, and a video card with it all running under an ESX (or whatever) install. Over the hypervisor I could then have running a headless NAS OS (e.g. UnRAID or FreeNAS) for my backups/media/etc and then a full-blown gaming PC running Windows with the GPU being virtually attached to it. Then (oh there's more) I could run all of my keyboard, video, mouse, and USB cables for the virtual gaming PC up through my house to where my desk is located. I figure that with this setup I could consolidate a several physical computers (gaming pc, NAS, etc) into one workhorse computer which would save space and possibly some electricity.
    - venomsnake 13y ago
      Sarcastic - no - for a few tech savvy friends of mine the only thing that really keeps them on non virtualized windows is gaming. So any solution that offers them that - from high performance vm driver to vga passtrough is ok. The desire to sandbox windows is real.
  - fnordfnordfnord 13y ago
    I do something similar but only because of some Windows only educrapware that was foisted upon me. Well, and LabView.

throwawaykf02 13y ago

Most Windows Phones were #1 best sellers on Amazon too. Look at where their market share is right now.

Moto7451 13y ago

If we allow Android/Linux as a member of "Linux on the Desktop" I whole heartedly agree. I'm not sold on the GNU/Linux variant. System 76 does a great job of making "just works" Linux hardware but they're not exactly a big player. Android and iOS have the advantage that they don't have to work like Windows. Even OS X suffers "this doesn't work like my Windows did" from switchers. Mobile OSes can work like Android/iOS + their own unique flavor and have some leeway that desktop OSes aren't afforded. UI/UX for modern touch devices lacks the expectations that 18 years of mostly consistent Windows UI/UXhas built for the "traditional" Linux desktop.