--- "W. Wayne Liauh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> My two cents (from someone who has been using Linux > desktops since the late 90's): > > <since JDS stayed behind the expectations.> > > JDS never took off b/c imho it "was" based on a > platform (GPL/Linux) that was, on hindsight, never > suitable for a desktop OS. A desktop involves as > much hardware as it does software. GPL was > developed strictly from the point of view of > software. Essentially all the GPL demigods fail to > recognize that while software can be protected by > copyrights, hardware cannot. For a hardware > company, once you "open source" your little secret, > you are instantly reduced to nothing. Your > shareholders will never allow you to do that, and if > you do, there is a potential for criminal > liabilities. (If you are from Linux background, > treat my last statement as FUD.) > Most desktop hardware manufacturers also don't have > the resources to write drivers for Linux. > > I don't know how many respected participants of this > forum have used the proprietary nVidia drivers in > Linux. You need this proprietary driver for even > some of the mundane functionalities such as > dual-head, TV-out, STR, etc.--the native (i.e., > open-sourced) "nv" driver simply won't cut it. > Since the nVidia driver cannot be included in the > kernel, every time you update the kernel, you will > lose your graphics (this can be a shocking > experience to a lot of desktop users) until you > recompile the link interface. > > I don't have enough experience with Solaris to make > any comment that can be taken seriously. However, > as I mentioned in a previous thread, I have noticed > that JDS (more particularly StarOffice 7) behaves > much better (faster, more polished) on Solaris 10 > than GNOME on Fedora Core ( 1 through 4). I > understand that this comparison may not be fair > since Sun might have jointly developed the graphic > driver with nVidia (under an NDA). However, isn't > lack of cooperation (b/t kernel developers and > hardware makers) one of the most critical weaknesses > of Linux? OTOH, this can, indeed, be one of the > strongest arguments for Solaris to be accepted as > the platform for opensourced desktops. > > > <Better take a look at KDE.> > > My experience with KDE, vis-a-vis GNOME, is that KDE > has more bells and whistles but not as stable as > GNOME, especially after GNOME 2.6. More recently, I > have been using GNOME (on Fedora Core 3 and 4) > exclusively because of its integration with iiimf. > I will be willing to consider KDE if iiimf is > similarly integrated. > This message posted from opensolaris.org I like this message enough to comment on a few things. 1. KDE >=v3.3.x is pretty stable on Solaris. Has been for quite some time. 2. Totem uses the Nvidia driver for the TV-out feature. I was building the latest source just recently and there it was. Goes to show you that we better keep those DVD players in mind!!!! 3. GNOME is a good desktop and although you have to add the optional 'eye candy' and clean up a few things to get it looking spiffy. JDS is proof of that. Both desktops are going to attract different people like when people buy cars. Not one glove fits all customers all of the time. Note: GNOME is just a lot more work in the building and packaging of the GNOME base platform and desktop sources. That is its drawback and benefit - depending how you look at it. Once you understand how to build GNOME and automate the process, it is like building a car or the space shuttle (ok, maybe not). Just takes a little time and axle grease. KDE and GNOME are just preferences like Window XP or Mac OSX. Each will have its loyal followers. Each person will have their rants and raves. The key thing is the user can run GNOME and CDE apps using KDE as their desktop or KDE/CDE apps under GNOME/JDS if they want. That should be something we strive for in the future of OpenSolaris and Solaris... Ken Mays @ EarthLink, Inc. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list [email protected]
