Will Linux fade away like netscape navigator?

[CocaCola5]

Besides a few headlines on Linux supercomputer somewhere it seems like you hardly hear about it anymore like two years ago. Has Linux reached its peak and will fade away like Netscape or will TiVo and PS2 come to the rescue?

 

[lucidguy]

Linux may go through peaks and valleys of popularity, but it will never fade away. The GPL ensures this on the legal front, and the enthusiastic Linux programming community ensures this on the technological front.

In fact, with IBM's recent billion dollar commitment to Linux research, with Mozilla finally rivaling IE in usability, stability and speed (0.9.1 is out, with 1.0 coming Real Soon Now), with Ogg Vorbis at RC1 (and 1.0 coming Real Soon Now), with the recent corporate support for the OpenOffice and Gnome projects, Linux has never been stronger as a viable desktop operating system. Linux has always been a very strong server operating system, and with Microsoft's hard-sell tactics on Windows 2000 and Windows XP, more and more businesses are turning to Linux as a cost-saving measure, ensuring stability, reliability, configurability, and backwards and future compatibility.

Jim Allchin, Craig Mundie and Steve Ballmer's Big Lie campaign (which blew up in their face terribly) shows how desperate Microsoft is in trying to combat Linux. (They called Linux unAmerican, an enemy of intellectual property, and a cancer.) Microsoft is scared. They have finally faced a competitor they cannot underprice, buy or sue.

In the words of Gandhi: "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win."

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Well said.

 

[DAM]

damn lucid great post, i would give you a ten if you had a rating enabled.



Coca: i think youre comparing apples to organges, netscape was just a browser (internet, email, newsgroup) while linux as a whole is a million times more than netscape ever was. And the number one reason that linux will not fade out, is cause all the independent support that it has from people who are not in it from the money.





dam()

 

[cparker]

No it won't disappear for a while. Neither will Windows. But either or both might morph into something totally different in 10 years. What fun!

 

[67gt500]

considerin i refuse to continue participating in MS' licensing games, i'm in the process of converting two different clients entirely over to nix solutions and will perhaps do more in the upcoming year.

I've even found a decent solution to OWA. So to MS I say FO. And to linux I say have my children because you certainly will feed them someday.

 

[lucidguy]

OWA?

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm waiting for Hurd to become popular. Linus bothers me. A majority of Linux
users are assholes, and think they're better than everyone. They trash newbies
a lot.

I hope Hurd will take second string. That was the Slashdot moron-horde won't
mess it up... lol

 

[67gt500]

owa= outlook web access





A majority of Linux users are assholes, and think they're better than everyone. They trash newbies a lot.

hahaha I agree with you on that.

 

[lucidguy]

<< A majority of Linux users are assholes, and think they're better than everyone. >>



A majority of Linux users ARE better than everyone. Their IQ's are 20 to 50 points higher than society's average. Do you know another community that consistently prefers math and programming over going clubbing, going out to movies, or sex?

EDIT: I realized that it's probably debatable as to whether intelligence is the only valid metric for judging a person's superiority over another. Most programmers, in fact, most mathematicians and scientists would agree with this metric. On the other hand, one could also rate people on the basis of beauty, verbal skills, creativity, wealth, sexual skills, and a bunch of other things. So if you don't like my opinion here, let me know, and I'll return what you paid me for it.

 

[67gt500]

i'd like to point out lucid that as a sysadmin and programmer in pursuit of a bus degree I find excessive mathematics and physics to be a terrible bore. In fact the only reason I decided against a CS pursuit was the excessive physics and mathematics requirements.

Whether this be detrimental to future IQ scores I really don't care. While some may consider coding in 15 different languages over a beer stained tee shirt in a run down shack to be some sort of accomplishment, the ability to write a fluent letter, engage other functional members of society, maintaining a healthy body/lifestyle, and hell, balance a checkbook are some things that these famed individuals are incapable of.

And I fail to see how linux is a prerequisite to intelligence. While it is a more complex operating system than windows, surely a person who began computing with unix would find it much simpler than an MS alternative.

 

[TravisBickle]

&quot;A majority of Linux users ARE better than everyone. Their IQ's are 20 to 50 points higher than society's average. Do you know another community that consistently prefers math and programming over going clubbing, going out to movies, or sex?&quot;

yep, they're called schizoids, people who don't give a damn about social fun or other people. it's a personality disorder and nothing to be proud of.
Lucidguy, you just made an arrogant comment. people are not visiting the forum for your punishing genius, however you see it.
but onto a more worthy topic, has anyone seen how much paper a SUSE distribution comes with? for the price you're getting a lot of software and documentation. that speaks value, but on the other hand there are hundreds of pages on configuration and basic apps. is this stuff we really need to read- because if it is, it makes me more willing to stick with windows because I never needed to read a manual for that. a lot of people say the same. I've never used SUSE so I'm curious about that question.

 

[ToBeMe]

<< consistently prefers math and programming over going clubbing, going out to movies, or sex? >>



And this is a good thing because?????? By your view one may also lump these people into a group which displays severe socialogical/persona disorders! Hmmm......that would lump them in with a group highly suseptable to chronic deppression and unacceptable social skills.........NOT a good thing! LOL!


<< A majority of Linux users ARE better than everyone >>



I'd love to see a point by point list making this a valid statement! LOL!

 

[Sunner]

Lucidguy, I strongly disagree.

Im a Linux user, use it both at work and at home, but I absolutely HATE maths.

Using *NIX or being a sysadmin(I fit both) doesnt make one anything, cept a *NIX user and/or a sysadmin.
And frankly, I think the true nerds, you know the ones that would rather sit at home compiling the latest kernel or whatever, instead of having a beer with their friends(if they have any), or dating a chic or whatever, they are true losers.

I mean really, a person who prefers maths over sex... no comment should be needed.

Me, I love Linux, but I also love going out every weekend, drinking craploads of beer, listening to heavy metal, etc, being a Linux user and having a social life can mix you know

[edit]Replace &quot;loser&quot; eith &quot;in need of help&quot;, bad choice of words on my part[/edit]

 

[rbV5]

<< I realized that it's probably debatable as to whether intelligence is the only valid metric for judging a person's superiority over another. Most programmers, in fact, most mathematicians and scientists would agree with this metric. >>



Well I dont have to come out of a cow's butt to know BS when I smell it. Replace &quot;intelligence&quot; with &quot;skin color&quot;, or &quot;faith&quot; or whatever you want to pick....most people of even moderate intelligence(OK, even your examples included) realize that people are not &quot;superior&quot; to other people regardless of how you want to label them. My boss thought he was my &quot;superior&quot; at one time as well(I set him straight). He is not, and you most certainly are not.

 

[Elledan]

<< And frankly, I think the true nerds, you know the ones that would rather sit at home compiling the latest kernel or whatever, instead of having a beer with their friends(if they have any), or dating a chic or whatever, they are true losers. >>


Ghee, thanks for the compliment...

I don't like beer/alcohol, nor do I like going out with friends. I've no interest in dating a girl. I avoid parties like the plague.

It are just personal preferences. Who are you to judge about who is a loser and who isn't based on what you like?

 

[Sunner]

Sorry to say, but yes thats my oppinion.

A person who doesnt enjoy any of that has misunderstood life somewhere along the way.
Im not saying you must like beer or bars or anything, but if you despise all social aspects of life, then yes, I think you are a loser.
Or on a second though, not a loser, but rather in need of help.

 

[Elledan]

I don't despise social 'stuff', but I prefer to work alone.

I'm more like an Einzelg&auml;nger, someone who prefers to be on his own, independent from anyone else.

 

[Sunner]

Working alone is one thing, I can understand that, heck pretty often I like to be alone when I work too.

What I mean was the kind of people who would actually rather be spending their private time playing with computers rather than doing something with their friends.
People who never socialize in short.

 

[Elledan]

<< People who never socialize in short. >>


You should have said that immediately

In that case, I no longer fit your description and am thus not a loser

 

[murdock2525]

<< I'm waiting for Hurd to become popular. Linus bothers me. A majority of Linux
users are assholes, and think they're better than everyone. They trash newbies
a lot.

I hope Hurd will take second string. That was the Slashdot moron-horde won't
mess it up... lol >>



Who the hell is this guy ??? I LIKE HIM !!! Good job son !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[loosbrew]

what people do in thier own time doesnt make them a loser or not. its a matter of how they think of themselves and everyone else. if i choose to sit at home 24/7 and just muck around with my PC, and im happy with myself, i am not a loser. but if i think i am a better person than everyone else because of it, thats a different story. its good to have a social life, only if you plan on being social in your life time. its not a bad thing to hone those skills. i hate partys. i hate going out with friends. i hate beer. i dont have many friends, only one that really matters to me(Jenn ) and i live with her. i also dont spend every last minute in front of my PC as well.

loosbrew

 

[BreakApart]

OK! Back to the original topic please... lol...

lucidguy your first post was excellent-(the rest are kinda well...whoa)

One point missed here, Linux has an entire community behind it, programming, fixing, tweaking, and expanding it. So the idea of it being abandoned/sold/or buried is highly unlikely. Plan for it to be around for another 5+ years easy. From everything i have ever read/heard only (1) company thinks Linux will die soon... Guess which one that would be?


Netscape didn't really die until it was purchased by AOL. Once the original programmers left the Netscape project-(about 2 years ago), that's when it began it's slow painful death... Without the original passion and creative thinking behind it, Nescape began to fade.

 

[Shudder]

So by that rationale, as long as AOL doesn't purchase the rights to Linux, everything will be fine

True.. very true.

There'll ALWAYS be the people who like to march to a different beat. Who go against the masses, who hate corporate rule, and who like an OS they can fully configure and know exactly what's being compiled. And if they don't like it and are savvy enough, they can change it themselves instead of submitting a request on deaf ears.

My only gripe with linux is some stupid packaging problems and compiling problems if you don't have x or y library that you need. RPM is a step in the right direction I suppose, but it needs to be as simple as a usual simple setup.exe like in Windows before people will embrace it fully.

I'm learning though

 

[Elledan]

Shudder,

Yes, Linux has still a long way to go, but since Linux is developed by its 'customers', every request will of course be discusses and if good enough, implemented.
That's the power of Open Source: it places the control over the software in the hands of the users of the software.

I think it's quite satisfying to see MS twisting in agony now Linux is becoming a real alternative to the Windows Desktop OS