The Linuxologist - Latest Comments in Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

bill468667687 — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:10:54 -0000

Windows has grown from the awkward 3.0 days--Linux is still the dork in green polyester. The dweeb that comes up with a properly documented Linux distro will---oh never mind, he won't get any market share either.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Mike — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:42:13 -0000

A good article but there are a couple things I think you are missing.

1.) UI configurability. - Mac and Windows have the ability to look like Mac and Windows, which is partially good from a support perspective because a support person can tell the newbie user to look for the start button. In Linux window managers the possibility for configuration is nearly endless... which is great if you love to tweak the look of your machine and get the "wow" factor from someone looking over your shoulder. If you like the mac interface, customize your linux window manager to mimic the mac interface. If you want it to look like windows, use KDE(sorry, that's an out of date shot at the KDE folks ;) ).

2.) When you say "collaborate" and then in the next section you say "do something new", you realize that the two are somewhat contradictory. Sure there's lots of distributions which seem similar. However, as software decisions are made by the leadership on a project, those who disagree may be more inclined to branch the software on their disagreement in order to prove it's efficacy. Take for instance Compiz and Beryl. Beryl was a branch of Compiz in which the two worked on seemingly similar concepts that they probably could not have done in the same project. Eventually they merged back together, but in the end they benefited from the unfettered ability to try new things. Ubuntu is as welcoming as it is to the new user because it was not under the Debian umbrella. If they were simply committing to Debian, trying to install an Nvidia graphics driver would result in your system telling you that the new driver "taints the kernel" all the time. Don't get me wrong, the Debian folks have, in my opinion, built the strongest distribution for customization and a base for new distributions... but the practicality of their strong free software stance holds back their penetration into the new user market and promotes the idea that you have to be a zealot or a programmer to use Linux.

So, you see, while it may push things forward faster if we all joined hands, picked a "best of breed" and set out to kill the butterfly, it would kill the innovation that is happening all the time in the open source world. And usually, the innovations that are really good end up getting roped into the other distributions anyway. And Linux is already ahead in some things. Ideas are tried and either accepted or discarded far faster in the Linux world than they are anywhere else, which is why Aero and Leopard look so lame in comparison to what Compiz can do.

In the end, it's your computer who should follow your commands, not the other way around. Look at it through this analogy. If you want to jump off a cliff, Windows will prompt you at every step, "Are you sure you want to do this?" A Mac will simply say, "Sorry, I can not allow you to do this." Linux, depending on the distro, might suggest a parachute. Other than that, it assumes you aren't going to do anything you actually don't want to do.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Rami Taibah — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:13:30 -0000

I can't really remember from where I got it. Maybe you should look in deviantart.com

The original designer of the anime girls posted it there...

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

kevin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:29:49 -0000

i want it too.. ^^
hopefully the author replies asap.. ^^

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

SAVET MORM — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:00:25 -0000

Dear Madam and Sir,

I would to reseaching about the Linux for my assignment at school. so i would like you to help me to find the result, i hopefully you could help me, thank you very much.
best regard

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

tuxhugger — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:47:38 -0000

It is not hard to tell that I prefer linux hands down. But I am an applications programmer!!! The vast majority of people want a system so easy a kindergardner can use it. If we can build it that easy to use,Linux would rule the desktop market just like it does in business.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

SyCo — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:48:59 -0000

Rants about Linux are usually due to a lack of Linux experience. Rants about Windows are usually due to a lot of Windows experience.

I still use Windows but because I have to. As a pro photographer Carbonite, APC tools and Adobe are everyday needs for my professional PC. My personal laptop has been Linux for years.

Someone said Windows has easier to install apps, now that made me laugh!!

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

web design company — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:01:43 -0000

Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Kopachris — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:26:47 -0000

Very well done article!

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

macuser — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:09:01 -0000

i guess i am only casually working 14 hours a day. who knew?

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

davidbrits (davidbrits) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:53:44 -0000

Thinking about this blog post form Hehe2 http://tinyurl.com/5lualu

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Durand — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:41:38 -0000

I don't think you need to use the command line to install drivers. I'm unsure because I've never had to install a driver manually though I guess I am on a desktop. If hardware manufacturers stuck to standards, people wouldn't be having these problems. Dell desktops and laptops seem to work pretty well with linux so I guess thats testament to linux working :S

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Durand — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:34:23 -0000

Ubuntu and Windows aren't that similar...Windows doesn't give you an operating system that works the moment you install it. With windows, you need to download/buy the majority of programs that you would use on a daily basis. Ubuntu comes with an Office suite, Music Player, IM, Email Client, Video player, and a ton of drivers. Windows doesn't.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Shane — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:52:50 -0000

@RobotFriendly: So whats your point? They still pick the hardware if not manufacture it, which is what I meant in the first place, I just did not convey it properly. It still means they have to get the OSX working on only limited hardware.
I am aware of all those links you sent me and let me tell you that I have tried installing OSX on non MAC systems and eeePC and Pystar have to try very very very hard to get it working on their hardware. Other companies like Pystar can put MACS on their systems coz they have a whole staff dedicated to figuring out how to get OSX working. I was wondering if you have tried putting OSX on a Dell of your choice at home. I have and it sucks and I am a Programmer and despite my trouble shooting efforts that lasted for over a month it was all in vain.
The point of my post is not whether another company can install OSX on their system. Of course they can. They will probably need to hire kernel hackers to do that (maybe not) but the point is whether a DIY person like myself can install OSX at home.
Linux provides me with that freedom OSX doesn't, its that simple. Next time try installing OSX on a custom built system of your choice and then get back to me.
I think you need to enlighten yourself before you reply to other people's posts..

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

daengbo — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:53:15 -0000

Ian needs to read "The Mythical Man-Month" by Fred Brooks. It's required reading for software project managers. The summary? Throwing more people at a problem doesn't solve it faster: in fact, the project slows down.

Small teams work better and produce more than large teams. There's a reason Vista was years late to the market and eventually lost every interesting feature that was promised when it was started.

Lots of small projects working to standards is a good thing. The Linux community has Freedesktop.org to create the specifications.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

daengbo — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:44:07 -0000

Most people think the biodiversity in the Amazon rain forest is a good thing and say that it should be saved, whether they do anything about it or not. Why is biodiversity important? Evolutionary changes are tried and can become successful without putting all the eggs in one basket and risking the extinction of ALL life.

Free and Open Source Software is an ecosystem of great diversity. That's its strength.

You are proposing to replace the rain forest with a pine farm.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

vvv — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:07:38 -0000

Macs are for casual users who don't really do much with their computer.
Windows is for the average user, a little more involved but not that experienced.
Linux is for people who can actually effectively use a computer, and who like all the customizing and interaction.
It's really no use comparing them. They all exist for differrent groups of people, and for now, the people are okay with that.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Rokurosv — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:29:24 -0000

Well I agree with some of the point made by the author, since we're very similar. The first OS I used was Win95, and I was a kid so I was blowned away with all the stuff you could do in it. Later on I discovered Linux.

The main thing that bugged me was some of the community, people that thought that the user should do everything by themselves, cause that was the way to go. I'm happy to see that changing with distros like Ubuntu.
The number of distros is amazing, but also frightening for the new user. I'm happy that there's a distro for every user. I'm used to Debian/Ubuntu/Mint, but others might like SUSE or Fedora or Gentoo, etc. but this confuses people, especially cause when you buy a computer, usually, you get an OS already installed in it. I might be wrong, but the only distro I know that comes installed in a PC is Ubuntu.
I beleive that Linux will only get more popular as time passes, cause some distros are addressing key issues like easy of install, compatibilty, but it still has a long way to go to.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Shane — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:44:04 -0000

1) Thats right use whats best for your needs even if that means spending in excess of $2000. Its no wonder USA is in such a financial mess. Linux = MAC + Windoze. So why use anything to the right of the equation. Everything has a learning curve, even robots do. We are only human.

2) No one is worrying about anyone else. Just shedding some light on the ignorant ones.

3) I for one am enjoying the fact that Linux just works.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

paniq — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:57:18 -0000

I'm giving him some of his own poison. His comments haven't been quite constructive either. "Every time I hear a new version of KDE is out, I laugh"? That's disrespectful for the countless people who work on this project in their free time.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Willy G — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:05:14 -0000

Ubuntu is so popular because believe it or not, it behaves like Windows. aagh it hurts saying that but think about it is true, it installs what you think you need and allows you to find what ever else you might need. The difference, Ubuntu's choices available are free.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Willy G — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:55:04 -0000

Arrogance at its best. and the reason someone with a job that does not involve coding tends to keep away from Linux. don't be territorial if someone has a point recognize it. Decide that you will try something different but recognize the point. I think that maybe a basis for logic which you are familiar with as a coder.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Willy G — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:26:09 -0000

I haven't read every response to the article but I did read the article itself. I agree with the writer, can learn from the competition. in war the US learnt rocket technology from the Germans and beat them in WW2, the Brazilians learnt football from the English and now dominate the world, the question is what can linux learn form the competition to exploit, tweak and make our own? but not as suggested to do the same thing as the competitor.
Debates like this is not about killing the free and open spirit. debates like this should be about making this thing useful to the people who might want a free software especially the poor from LCD's and emerging markets of the world. If we ensure that the GPL is not watered down in newer revisions, and don't seek to protect commercial work (for which protection already exist) then there is no fear of the free and open concept dying.
One of the point I disagree with is that we should focus on "ONE" thing, now choice is good always good. Nevertheless, the point of selecting a few and them focusing on them has a whole lot of merit. To this end someone like Linus Tovald whom I consider the "GODFATHER" of Linux with his presence and respect should be allowed to select 5-10 (non-commercial backed) distros and use them and the focus for consolidating developmental efforts using a 5-7 year cycle. The end result would be 5-10 solid, stable distros in addition to the SuSe and RedHat/Fedora etc that would continue. If the GPL is not watered down then anyone can pickup where they left off or start to branch from one of these new distros as usual.
I love Linux but and became a watcher because a friend of mine rescued a virus damaged Thesis from my diskette with linux and that same day say him map his entire drive with just a few clicks of the mouse back in 1988 something that took windows another 6 years to do (and not as well). the big problem is that my resources prevent me from having a machine for just Linux, my time prevents me from fooling around to learn enough to be cool with a dual boot and in any case the is not very comfortable even though she sees lots of positives. Where am I after all this time? Just a Linux watcher & partially because everybody is busy "re-inventing their version of the wheel"
i don't think this post was an attack but a reality check. The Linux community must stop being insular and see the potential that is there.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

RobotFriendly — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:22:05 -0000

"Driver support by the various hardware companies, on the other hand, sucks"

Point taken - doesn't make the situation any less than what it is though, which falls somewhere between inconvenient and downright infuriating depending on the hardware. If any OS, be it Linux, Windows or OS X wants to be end user friendly and convenient, then installing drivers via apt-get in a terminal won't cut it. If you do not want your beloved OS to be user friendly for the masses, then by all means continue fighting the good fight of command line installs.

The stance that "stupid users should just stop being stupid and learn the terminal!" just isn't going to cut it. These are the types of issues that need to be addressed by the Linux community as a whole if Linux is truly going to become a mainstream desktop OS, which if you read my entire comment, I really want to see happen. Personally I am more than comfortable using a command line when I need to, but it doesn't mean I want to and it doesn't take away the convenience of having a disk that comes w/ your new hardware that you put in the drive, click 2-5 times and call it a day. Maybe that means exerting more effort to get more hardware manufacturers on board to provide drivers for 'IX like they do for the other major OS's, I don't know. I do know that there will always be issues and room for improvement on any platform, even Linux.

Re: Lessons Linux Should Learn From Windows and Mac

Amund — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:14:46 -0000

It might be possible to learn few things by looking at how Os X and Windows are working, but it is dangerous to try to do things the same way as the competitors.
It is more important to empesize how Linux is unique, and what Linux do in different ways than the others.
I think one important reason why people love Linux on the desktops, is that they work efficient on this platform. There are a lot of tasks that you can do with few keystrokes on Linux, and you can do what you want in fractions of a seconds, instead of using much time on clicking around and getting confused. Linux should try to do what Linux do much better than the others.
I love Kde3, where there are a lot of shortcuts and smart ways to work. In the file dialog, i can just use any protocol to access files on remote hosts. To use scp, i write fish://username@host/folder, and you can quickly navigate around with name complation of the folders.
I am just shocked by kde4. Here, some of the real smart things that makes it possible to work fast, are just removed. Instead there are a lot of trendy graphical interfaces. I guess kde has totally lost the target group of users.

Those people that wish fancy grapical interface etc, they don't need Linux. They can use OS X.

Linux should not learn from the others. Linux should learn from the smart things that are done in the Linux-community. The others should have a lot of things to learn from Linux.