Back to trolling Navin Dhanuka?
On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 4:47 PM, Navin Dhanuka email@geek007.com wrote:
Hi,
No body uses just the Kernel i.e. Linux. People use OpenOffice, PHP, Python, Ruby, MySQL and Apache. And various other system tools and utilities.
Most of the stuff on the web is Linux is not true but yes it is either GPL or Creative Commons or BSD license.
Current server market share GNU/Linux 32%, BSD 1%, unknown (solaris, IBM Z and other nixies) 32%, Microsoft 33%
In the super computing field GNU/Linux is 90%+
Its true that OpenBSD is far superior than Linux, but you need to be a good
hacker (potential to learn more) to be able to use it. Its true that all web stuff like Wordpress & even FaceBook is made using OpenSource & GPL PHP. Even Twitter is made using Ruby On Rails (again OpenSource MIT License)
Open Source Rocks!!! For what is open source read all the license at http://www.opensource.org Free Software is not Open Source and is not even successful.
That is a statement of pure ignorance. Just stop using gcc and you will be back to the stone ages.
When the people who wanted to business using GPL code came together they realised that they cannot call their work Free Software and hence they coined the word Open Source.
When people who wanted to misappropriate gpl software they came together and begin to call it open source, so as to divert squeamish questions about the four freedoms guaranteed in the GPL. The upshot is that although the linux kernel has orders of magnitude more installs than any other kernel, (and is utterly dependent on core GNU tools viz gcc and friends, before it can do anything at all), it continues to be dogged by binary blobs and lockins as exemplified by Android.
This is particularly visible in projects of great importance to India like the AAkash tablet.
These 2 approaches are distinctly different though both have the dot-2-dot
same source code & binaries.
No they dont. Binary blobs form part of many binaries which are actually in violation of the GPL. Harald Welte a kernel contributor has successfully sued companies like Linksys (a CISCO company) and Dlink for GPL violations.
ALL of the above is fine for starting a flamewar and trolling, but provides nothing to the ops question on Desktops.
Desktop sales have dropped for the second year running, and would be obsolete in the near future. Intel architecture would also see a stupendous drop. AMD has fired the first salvo with 64bit ARM quadcore motherboards. Prices are anticipated to be tremendously cheaper. Since M$ does not have even a rudimentary prescence on nonX86 architectures, Linux + android/Mozilla/somethingortheother would replace Microsoft.
For the average desktop user, the primary concern is to be able to use office tools, browse, use multimedia and attach several peripherals, like printers, scanners, phones and cameras. GNU/Linux distros like Ubuntu and Fedora now work transparently. They also perform way better than M$ bloatware.
Gaming continues to remain a problem due to binary blobs in 3d GPU video cards and non disclosure of specfications by GPU manufacturers. However in a major change, NVIDIA has opened the specs and APIS for drivers to it's 192 core GPU expected to be launched shortly.
So not much seems to be needed at the moment. GNU/Linux is doing just fine.