Is Linux Ready For Prime Time?

[slavik]

This article I think was a very good example of how far Linux has come, however calling it 90% ready for prime time is to me complete ignorance.
Sure it's 90% ready for prime time to a guy with eleven degrees in IT and stuff. But what about granny Joe who wants a first PC to search for knitting online? Linux is still too technical for Joe average, without a shade of a doubt.

Try plugging in your cheap Belkin USB Wireless adapter in your Linux box and we'll see how prime time it is. Yeah I tried the very same, not a pleasant experience.

Linux HAS come a huge far way, but it's not 90% ready for Joe's primetime. All technical details need to be totally removed or hidden. Any hint of a text prompt needs to go, and the fanboys need to burn. Then maybe it's ready.


I'd also like to leave you with one last word to explain why Linux is far from ready for prime time:
Gaming.

Thank you.

The following is my opinion on how people think:
Whenever a device doesn't work (or doesn't have support) under Windows, the manufacturer gets blamed. Whenever a device doesn't work under Linux, the developers of Linux get blamed. Linux has been 100% ready for primetime for the past 5 years ... The problem why Linux is not as ready (and easy) as we like it to be is because there are certain hardware manufacturers (Broadcomm, Texas Instruments, MANY others) do not provide any specifications or documentations of their devices. Not only do they try to keep their devices secret, they do not want to write a driver themselves.

As for hiding the terminal, if you ever studied computer science, then you would know the idea of picking a right tool to get the job done. Take a look at this new innovative interface: http://ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han&flashEnabled=1 and then tell me that this is the only interface that computers should use ... I am sure those who play FPS games will not like that interface (since you block the screen with your hands when doing anything).

And if all terminal access is removed and you HAVE to have a GUI running, what will the researchers use for their heavily computational tasks? It will be an OS that will allow you to not have GUI at all.

EDIT: Take a look at Beryl. Even though Beryl is beta, it is leaps and bounds ahead of what Microsoft or Apple are putting out.