Pete Zaitcev ([info]zaitcev) wrote,
@ 2008-04-17 10:11:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:linux

Jon Corbet on Red Hat and Desktop

Seen at LWN today (no permalink — what the heck?):

Red Hat's desktop team has posted an item saying that the company has no plans to offer a "traditional desktop product" anytime soon.

Say what? The referenced item says:

[W]e have no plans to create a traditional desktop product for the consumer market in the foreseeable future.

Umm... RHEL desktop is doing quite well, all we're saying we're not committed to selling it at Best Buy. Not sure how this debacle has happened. Jon was probably short on coffee.


(Post a new comment)


[info]k001
2008-04-17 07:29 pm UTC (link)
[W]e have no plans to create a traditional desktop product for the consumer market in the foreseeable future.


Looks like I read it as well recently, and for me it also looked like RH do not want to invest too much into desktop[, rather concentrating on server].

Now then you explain it it is more clear. But such messaging needs to be clear enough to be interpreted without a need to use the bold typeface ;) This one is not clear enough, really.

Although I agree Mr. Corbet is way subjective at times.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]ajaxxx
2008-04-17 07:43 pm UTC (link)
It also says "traditional desktop product". Windows 95 isn't interesting; why would we want to do that? We have not ruled out doing non-traditional consumer products.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]nicubunulj
2008-04-18 01:39 pm UTC (link)
Because many people start their Linux experience with a Win95-like desktop, and currently Ubuntu rules this market segment. Later when those guys will move on server-Linux will chose something familiar and here is a big chance this wont' be RHEL.
I understand the traditional desktop is a money pit and JBoss is much more lucrative (more bang for the buck), and I also understand the need for a company be financially healthy (to be able to hire all those hackers), but guess what? I am also an user of a traditional Linux desktop, running Fedora, and I can easily see its rough edges.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]jgreely
2008-04-17 09:09 pm UTC (link)
I thought the slashdot headline was even more amusing: "Red Hat Avoids Desktop Linux, Says Too Tough".

-j

(Reply to this)


[info]k001
2008-04-18 01:26 am UTC (link)
And the others follow...

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/144749/red_hat_skips_consumer_linux_desktop.html
http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/08/04/17/1334251.shtml

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]k001
2008-04-18 02:04 am UTC (link)
http://www.linux.org.ru/view-message.jsp?msgid=2670260 (and 300+ comments "от красноглазых")

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]zaitcev
2008-04-18 02:11 am UTC (link)
I laughed, thanks.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]zaitcev
2008-04-18 02:25 am UTC (link)
BTW, what's the "redeye[ness]" and "4.2"?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]k001
2008-04-18 09:11 am UTC (link)
Ну, «красноглазыми линуксоидами» (иногда ещё "пионэрами") называют (презрительно-пренебрежительно) не очень технически грамотных, но весьма фанатичных людей, которые слишком субъективно и чересчур рьяно поддерживают Линукс. Как пример — на какую-нибудь новость типа «вышло ядро 2.6.25» пишут комментарий «ну всё, теперь венде капец» (венда == MS Windows).

4.2 я сам точно не знаю что, но, судя по всему, когда ты постишь новость на linux.org.ru и модератор её не принимает, у него есть список причин, где пунктом 4.2 идёт что-то вроде «Это уже не новость / Это повтор» и т.п. То есть, 4.2 — это «баян», говоря рунетным сленгом — что-то, что уже давно не новость.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
fwiw, permalink
[info]mattdm_org
2008-04-18 03:57 am UTC (link)
http://lwn.net/Articles/278363/

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: fwiw, permalink
[info]zaitcev
2008-04-18 04:19 am UTC (link)
How did you find it?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: fwiw, permalink
[info]mattdm_org
2008-04-18 11:09 am UTC (link)
It's not intuitive, but the "comments" link takes you to the permanent page.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: fwiw, permalink
[info]zaitcev
2008-04-18 05:11 pm UTC (link)
Thanks, I forgot about it. I always have comments off in preferences at LWN.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]anton_solovyev
2008-04-18 06:17 am UTC (link)
Well it's not like they have a choice. I have been using nothing but various Redhats as my only desktop for 8 years now, and I have to admit: it not anywehere near usable as a desktop. Just take the suspend/resume thing as an example, 8 years gone by and it is just as broke or worse as in 2000. Docking/undocking support is nonexistent, it's not there at all. Give me a break. Desktop is indeed harder and OSS failed. The summary on Slashdot was correct.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]jgreely
2008-04-19 01:11 am UTC (link)
No, it would only be correct if the article had said 1) "we're avoiding desktop linux", 2) "because it's too tough". Instead, it says 1) "we're not currently interested in the consumer desktop market", 2) "because we're a public company with a realistic business model".

There are plenty of technical problems that keep people from embracing desktop linux, but I think its near-term future can be summed up by the number of people who looked at the Asus EEE and asked, "wow, can I get Windows on that?". No matter how many people swear that Ubuntu can cure cancer, end world hunger, and smite the unbelievers, the real hurdle is that most consumers would rather have Windows. And MS Office.

[personally, my EEE runs Fedora 8, even though I have a free XP license I could use. Next time I'm in Japan, I'll probably pick up the larger EEE with a Japanese keyboard, and keep the supplied Windows install.]

-j

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Create an Account
Forgot your login?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…