What do you expect from Linux in 2005?


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don't forget:

modular xorg

gtk will get hw accel through cairo (2.8+)

further work on hal

wine/cedega/codeweavers will have much improved support for win32

mono will have full .net 1.0 support and probably 1.1 support as well with partial 2.0 support

on terms of distros i expect to see that the gui utilities will become better and there will be more integration, composite (xorg) will be used by default for some nice eyecandy, alsa will have better dmix support and support hw mixing on more cards and more and more games being offered on mac, win32 and linux

I think Linux is going to give MS a bigger run for their money... either in a big way or a small way. With the 10,000 + viruses released in 2004, you can bet lots of people are getting tired of endless patches and compromised systems. And with the release of really easy to use distros like Ubuntu, as well as newer Open Source browsers like Firefox, people will be more exposed to the Open Source community and be less scared to jump into the Linux pool. :yes:

Just my 2 cents.

Barney

I think we are going to see a continued accelleration of the current uptake trend on Linux. The server market has Linux gaining share at twice market rate, and I think that with Munich and other governments and organizations putting Linux on a significant portion of the desktops, that they will find and 'iron out' the wrinkles to Linux desktop adaptation (making other conversions even easier).

I don't predict any huge landslides this year, but watching Linux become more of a mainstream option than an outsider will be a great thing.

By the way, for the person above, the next version of Gnome will be 2.10 not 3. This is because version 3 will break compatablity with version 2 Gnome applications, as did version 2 with version 1 Gnome applications.

Anyway, I'm excited about X.Org, and a more modular approach to things and faster development. I'm also excited about where the kernel is going, and how it's showing its maturity.

I don't think 2.7 will be out until late in the year, if at all, so I'd be looking at apps to drive much of the interest.

Codeweavers runs about 35 critical apps now, and in 2005 they are saying they will have Office 2003 ready to roll. That will be HUGE. That's the nail in the coffin for Windows, as far as I am concerned.

I think people are underestimating Open Office 2.0. The latest betas, despite some bugs, have me thinking "wow, that's really slick". Lots of features, and XML makes it more portable. Anyone ever use Gobe Productive? Open Office is starting to remind me of that: and integrated suite of tools to produce documents of all types. That's a very good thing.

I also think that this is the year that Open Source will have an identiy crisis this year. As more and more apps are ported to Windows (I just saw inkscape and Gnumeric for windows!), there will be some soul searching as to whether OSS should be platform agnostic or specific. Should be an interesting debate.

whut i expect from linux is to take down M$..... :crazy:

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Doubt that will happen in 2005 :rolleyes: or 2006, or 2007... maybe in 2020 :laugh:

I agree that Linux is better then Windows (i.e. stability, dependability, etc.), however, most home users would never want to switch to it.

Edited by Hurmoth

I hope to have all my friend's and family, and even my school to be converted to linux. I expect to have much fun with GNOME 2.10.x, I can't wait for the new X.org, I wan't to figure out how to install linux on my refrigerator. I'm hoping to learn more and more each second. I wan't more game developers to at the very least have a version of their game available for the linux OS. I expect linux to be installed on the next version of the xbox in less time than it took to install it onto the first xbox. I expect to learn at least a bit of a programing language or two so I can start moding linux the right way.

I know it might sound like a lot to ask for, but it's really not.

I'd just liek to see a slightly smaller learning curve. I have tried to switch a few times but its learning curve combined with really no support for DreamweaverMX and Visual basic(not that i would expect it to support VB at all) make it just common sense for me to use Windows right now.

How ever I am looking forward to how it will change in 2005.

I'd just liek to see a slightly smaller learning curve. I have tried to switch a few times but its learning curve combined with really no support for DreamweaverMX and Visual basic(not that i would expect it to support VB at all) make it just common sense for me to use Windows right now.

How ever I am looking forward to how it will change in 2005.

585199708[/snapback]

Erm how can you expect linux to support a windows application like dreamweaver WTF? you on drugs man?

But hey why dont you just run wine?

I think Linux is going to give MS a bigger run for their money... either in a big way or a small way. With the 10,000 + viruses released in 2004, you can bet lots of people are getting tired of endless patches and compromised systems.  And with the release of really easy to use distros like Ubuntu, as well as newer Open Source browsers like Firefox,  people will be more exposed to the Open Source community and be less scared to jump into the Linux pool.  :yes:

Just my 2 cents.

Barney

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Hey it says 100,000 on the frontpage of neowin :rofl:

Erm how can you expect linux to support a windows application like dreamweaver WTF? you on drugs man?

But hey why dont you just run wine?

585204696[/snapback]

No, I think DarkMindsProject has a point. A typical user has his "comfort" apps. Some may even offer features that an Open Source app doesn't quite have. Sure, wine can do some pretty impressive things, but it is not a "real" solution. The real solution is to have these apps supported in Linux.

This is the chicken & the egg dilemma. Vendors are hesitant to support an OS that has such a small market share (and, therefore, profit potential). And users are hesitant to use an OS that doesn't run the apps that they perceive as 'needed'. Linux started as a tiny pebble shift on top of a computing mountain. It has started to pick up speed (and larger rocks!) and could soon gain enough momentum to become a rock slide, then an avalanche.

Linux is at the point where it can meet the needs of a much broader range of users than it ever has in the past. And there is little that can stop it (certainly not SCO's lawsuit, and even Microsoft seems to lack power over this). Things will improve, but there will not be a sudden "This is IT!". It will sneak in everywhere and just start to get more and more attention.

I'd like to see a more Consistant GUI, Maybe a blend of Gnome and Kde... a swifter move to GUI based Configs over CLI.

Among all things I'd like to see:

1. AOL for Linux - Not that I use AOL, but I think it has a great potential for expanding the Linux Desktop Market. AOL is currently offering Antivirus for customer, what if they offered a lower cost Linux computer with a 3 year AOL dial up comitment? like a linspire Desktop with AOL, no virus, all the chatty goodness Grandma needs... it could be huge

2. A move to a less Unix "looking" filesystem, while a longshot, for Desktop usuage var, bin, etc are fairly confusing... a Programs, Library, tools, Files, type of lable would be helpfull.

Other then that... continue making me happy :)

I think I'll see more GUI apps with no option for using the CLI with GUI apps, which pains me. We'll see even easier installing and more of a shift from compiling even more so. Probably a new windows manager will pop up in popularity. We'll also see more games with linux binaries I bet.

My biggest hope is that I see more people become at least educated about Linux and not have some big misconception about it being what its not (ie. you must compile everything, it has a desktop?, that the biggest problem with hardware isn't the OS, its the vendor).

Who knows? Maybe ReactOS will hit some sort of stable version.

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