The future of Linux and Ubuntu Linux

[MttFrog13]

Do you see Linux being the OS of the future? I certainly see it at least playing a more direct role in the world of mainstream operating systems. I would compare the nature of Linux to Firefox in that it might take a while for it to catch on, but as more and more users start to see it is a very good OS, and it gains a bigger community of enthusiasts, more software developers will take it into consideration and make it more of a standard. Linux is able to be both easy to use, and highly technical and customizable at the same time. I think if more applications ran on Linux, it would take a bigger portion of the market share.

I think Linux and Ubuntu as an OS couldn't improve anywhere that the developers already aren't. I ran gutsy gibbon for a week and declared it to be better than Windows Vista at least to me. An OS should be all about accessibility to your programs and features and Ubuntu does this best. This is why I consider Linux to be the greatest OS ever created. With things such as openoffice.org and Photoshop express, it looks like there is a good possibility of Linux being able to bring many of the mainstream applications from windows and mac to Linux.

Even if Ubuntu doesn't win the market at anytime, at least its gaining popularity will bring more ideas and competition into the arena of computer operating systems. I don't currently have Ubuntu installed anymore because i am waiting until 8.1 comes out so i can install it with Wubi.

Just a rant, what do you guys think?

[Swimmer]

Here is what I am going to predict.. 

June 30, 2008 is the last day that you will be able to legally buy a computer that ships with Windows XP from the factory.  Based one what I have seen with Vista and the experiences that I have had with it in the lab... Microsoft better be pushing Windows 7, the next version of the OS, really fast!  The scheduled release date of Windows 7 is 2010.  Meaning that there will most likely be a gap between XP ending its shelf life for system builders, Jan 31 2009, and windows 7 shipping.  The difference in date is OEM vs. System Builder licensing.

So back to the question.. What do I think..

Personally I think that Ubuntu 8.4 is going to be pretty amazing..  I have been running 7.10 for quite a while now on my eeePC and love it.  The sad thing is that my eeePC has like a 1/4 of the power of most of the laptops running Vista and it still can run Compiz Fusion, which IMO is better than Aero.  Also if you notice the release schedule for a bunch of the consumer distributions, openSuSE, Fedora, Ubuntu..  They are all shipping the next version either in April or June.  Meaning that they are positioning themselves for the loss of XP from the big system builders.  Which could make some one really consider Linux or OS X as a possible solution over a Vista machine. 

However, I don't see Linux as the OS of the future right away.  It is making huge headway in the business world because of the scalability and the cost compared to Windows to run as far as servers go.  I think it is going to take a generation being started on or forced to use Linux before we make the huge switch.  From what I remember my family didn't move to 95 until I was already in school that had windows 95.  What needs to happen is have a few sys admins for schools that have balls make the move to Linux as the OS for their clients. Add that to the slower convergence of new hardware to support on Linux... I have a Dell D830 with the dual dock..  The laptop has an x3100 graphics card, which is currently supported by Linux.  However, the x3100 has been black listed by Compiz fusion and running dual screens is out of the question because of the way that X configures the card though the docking station.  So until Linux can do everything hardware wise..

Well I will get off the soap box for now.. 

[mudmanc4]

Thanks for the insight Swimmer, as always your expertise is appreciated.

[MttFrog13]

btw swimmer, is there a way to install ubuntu 7.1 with Wubi? I have wubi 8.04 that will only install to 8.1. Would i have to use Wubi 7.04 and then upgrade to 7.1?

[Swimmer]

I have never used Wubi..  But I took a look at Ubuntu's project page and here is what I found:

Upgrading from 7.04 to 7.10

Upgrading from 7.04 to 7.10 is NOT supported, due to the fundamental differences between 7.04 and 7.10. The best route is to uninstall and install Wubi-8.04 (you can save the old installation files and access them from 8.04) or [WWW] move your 7.04 installation to a dedicated partition via LVPM, then [WWW] upgrade using the standard upgrade-manager tool.

[MttFrog13]

oh thanks. I installed ubuntu 8.04 and couldn't get my video card to work for some reason so thats why i asked. thanks tho.

[ninjageek]

I just think to many people fear lynix. They are afraid of it being to geeky. Lynix has come a long way in turning itself into a more user friendly format. Has more of a windows feel to it. I see more people getting fed up with microsoft and giving it a shot.

[Swimmer]

I just think to many people fear lynix. They are afraid of it being to geeky. Lynix has come a long way in turning itself into a more user friendly format. Has more of a windows feel to it. I see more people getting fed up with microsoft and giving it a shot.

I dont know if it is fear so much as stubbornness...  A little side note... I have an eeePC and have been running various versions of Linux for about the past 3-4 years for the most part..  My mom wanted a laptop that was small, portable, and able to do just the basic stuff..  I bought an eee right after the holiday season just because I thought it would be a sweet toy to mess with.  Well it turned out that it was one of the best purchases that I have ever made and now my mom has one also..  The ironic thing is that she was really afraid to try Linux at first.. However, the way that Asus, the manufacture, has designed the default OS... She absolutely loves the eee and uses it all of the time. 

So I think it is more of a lack of exposure and a little bit of fear...  Had I not purchased my eee for her to see.. I know that she never would have gone with it.  Did I mention that she had never even heard/used Linux prior to using the eee..  She was even able to figure out how to store a 128bit WEP key all by herself. 

There is another post on the forums about Microsoft pushing the shelf life of XP to 2010 because currently Vista can not perform in the light weight market.  No one expected for the eee PC to catch on or do as well as it has.  I remember my freshman year of college, 4 years ago, I wanted a fully spec'd desktop replacement laptop to use.  Now, I have lugged a Dell 8600 and my Dell Latitude D830, which I got though this forum, to class everyday.  When I got the eee I left my Dell on the docking station and took the eee to class..  The thought that a person in IT would be carrying around a 900MHz Celeron based PC instead of a $2000 Core Duo is something that the hardware and software manufactures never saw coming... But guess who was in the right position... the Linux developers.