Saturday, January 15, 2011

Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: android and the future of Linux

That's not quite what I meant. I have a friend with a Samsung Galaxy
smartphone. Everyone he shows it to is crazy over it. He is a Linux desktop
user, but his friends aren't. So his Android phone is their introduction to
Linux. I don't see a transfer to them want ing to try desktop Linux, but you
never know. It may have planted a seed that will germinate later.

I don't own a cell phone of any kind and don't want one, anti-social as I
am. ;) However, tablets and e-book readers interest me. Android is big in
small devices, at least after CES. However, it is fragmented. There are so
many versions out there. I wonder where we are headed and if Android
fragmentation is going to be aproblem. Is it here to stay? I suspect so.
Will it continue to grow? I suspect so. I think that smart phones and other
devices such as tablets are starting to erode the base of netbooks. I see
that trend continuing. Desktop computers themselves are going as well, being
supplanted by laptops. My local Staples has 25 different laptops and 3
desktop computers. Three or four years ago that was the reverse.

According to stats that I have read Desktop Linux relative to all desktop
operating systems is not declining and is in fact bigger than most people
believe. Microsoft would have us believe that it is under 1%, however,
independed sources place desktop Linux ahead of OS/X/ and over 10% world
wide. It is a far cry from what most people think. It is relatively smaller
in the US which is why people tend to believe what Microsoft says publicly.
There is very little Linux profile outside of Android or servers. Internal
memos leaked from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer's announcement that Linux is a
greater threat than Apple appear to back up what the independent sources
show. Now, 10% is still small and for that reason we have not seen a
breakthrough that most users want, but if you look for small changes then
you can see consistent growth.

Intel, AMD, Broadcom and a host of other companies have joined the Linux
Foundation in the past year. That means more support for Linux and that the
OEMs are starting to take us seriously. I am not sure though that in the
long run desktop computing is doomed and that embedded OS and cloud
computing is where the future lies. That has been said for a long time, but
people are choosing to use lots of small devices and spend less time desktop
computing. This has led RMS and others to rail against the dangers of cloud
computing, but is anybody listening?

For me, I will always be a desktop computer user as I have been all my adult
life. I like the power of the desktop computer and the control of my data
where I can manage it, but I feel that I am in the minority. Most people
have way more toys than I have. I own a computer, a netbook, a streaming
media player and an e-reader. I have never owned a cell phone nor a gaming
console, or been tempted. So as I consider a tablet or a colour e-reader, I
am leaning toward having some of the things that I read about such as apps
that are found in other devices, so that I can get my feet wet.

My biggest problem with cell phones is not what you might think. It is not
technological but political. I don't like contracts and the headaches they
present. You need a degree in economics to understand whether a contract or
pay as you go is best. I also don't like the privacy issues that cell phones
have, nor the fact that they are treated differently from land phones.
Governments can trace your calls or listen in without a court order. I am
no master crimial, but am a freedom advocate. The technology as compelling
as it is is not enough to entice me to cross the lines that I have mentally
drawn. A tablet or e-reader with Android and apps that allow me to do some
email and read periodicals is enough for me for now. Perhaps I will loosen
up in time, but i don't like what I see now happening. At least RMS and I
agree on that much. :)

Roy

Using Kubuntu 10.10, 64-bit
Location: Canada


On 15 January 2011 06:56, Paul <pfrederick1@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> --- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com <LINUX_Newbies%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Roy <linuxcanuck@...> wrote:
> >
> > Android just passed iPhone in the US and has been the leader in the
> > rest of the world for some time. I almost bought an Android e-reader
> > and still might. What are your experiences with Android? Does the
> > version matter much? If so, what should I be looking at? Should I wait
> > till gingerbread comes out as everyone suggests?
> >
> > I have met a number of people who are wowed by the Samsung Galaxy
> > (smartphone) and it is the first time they have considered Linux as an
> > OS. Is the Android likely to encourage people to try Linux on the
> > desktop? I would want something that would show off Android's
> > capabilities, but not be too expensive. I don't really want a tablet,
> > but more an e-reader as I already own a netbook. But something witht,
> > colour, wifi for email and some apps would be nice since I don't own a
> > cell phone. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
> >
> > Roy
> >
> > Using Kubuntu 10.10, 64-bit
> > Location: Canada
> >
>
> With so many more compelling alternatives Linux has been steadily been
> losing desktop marketshare recently. I cannot envision a realistic scenario
> that will reverse the trend either. I do not think anyone can point to one
> thing and say it is the cause but it seems several factors have come
> together to cause an overall effect. Phones being one of those factors. So
> no, the phone is taking potential users away, not bringing them to the
> desktop, at least not a Linux desktop.
>
> You got by this long without a cell phone so why not just go the distance?
> It is how I've been rationalizing it myself. I swear nothing is more
> annoying than rude people using cell phones in public! Why don't they all
> just wear signs saying no, you don't matter to me. It'd be so much cheaper
> than the monthly bills wouldn't it?
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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