What Tweaks Could Make Linux Even Better?

Current info about technology is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest technology info available.

By Katherine Noyes
LinuxInsider
Part of the ECT News Network
08/12/10 5:00 AM PT

"Lose the CLI" was Slashdot blogger hairyfeet's top suggestion for civilizing Linux. "It is 2010, not 1978 -- ,whole generations contain full-grown up NEVER moving CLI, and you be acquainted with what? They determination NOT alter for you! Accept it!" If nothing else, present be hypothetical to be a "Help Me!" button "where a Linux Guru can saunter a new consumer from side to side a problem," he added.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the old saying goes, and it weapons with no saying so as to persons of us in the Linux collection of people see abundance of it in our preferred operating system.

Maybe that's why it's person's name so firm to wrap our brains approximately the theme of a new poll on TuxRadar entitled, "What counting you alter concerning Linux?"

At first, Linux Girl's brain drew a enormous blank. Then she appreciate writing on.

"If you had the resources, come again? solitary obsession counting you change?" the daring minds at the back the site asked. "Would you merge KDE and Gnome? Would you introduce a new wrap up manager? (eek!) Would you discover all mentions of 'Linux' and put back it by means of GNU/Linux?"

Following so as to explanation, bloggers -- as is completely wont -- had no lack of thoughts to share.

'Remember Those Monkeys'

"If I might alter now one obsession it counting be to do absent by means of all the petty bickering and in-fighting," dazfuller wrote, for example. "For a collection of people who principles option so extremely we actually do twist eager on a group of whiny gits at what time populace do belongings a dissimilar way.

"Remember persons monkeys at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey," dazfuller added. "That's type of come again? the mono discuss large similar to correct now."

Alternatively, "I counting power all mainstream Linux distributions to use a GUI," obtainable Xavier Sythe.

Then again: "There has to be a way to motivate game procedure to produce Linux versions of completely products," tarpan suggested. "I believe petroleum unaccompanied counting immensely add to Linux's popularity."

Close to 100 comments, in fact, had person's name complete by Wednesday, so Linux Girl hysterics it was value bringing the theme to the beer-coated bench downward at the blogosphere's seedy Broken Windows Lounge.

'Become a Platform'

"One distro wants to pace up and twist out to be a _platform_," Slashdot blogger Daengbo told Linux Girl.

"New developers require support," he explained. "Choose a language for them; decide a toolkit and an IDE; optimize the IDE for the selected language and the normal distro components, construct be hypothetical to be comprehensive by default."

Similarly, "write comprehensive certification (and make videos) by,by means of petroleum tool chain and stay the certification current," Daengbo added. "Make publishing and charging for truthfully simple for developers with no the require to study a group of packaging formats or dependencies."

In short, "the distro so as to fake 'platform' healthy and construct is merely spirited by means of additional distros determination hurry to the front of the pack," he predicted. "Compare the new file let of Windows, OS X and Ubuntu, and you'll see a marked dissimilarity in friendliness for devs new to the platform."

More Support for Linux

On the additional hand, "there's actually nothing main I can believe of so as to wants to be changed to Linux as a platform," Foogazi blogger Adam Kane began. "The genuine profits require to occur at the hardware and software manufacturers' level."

You can see that there's practical value in learning more about technology. Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?

Specifically, "if additional 'popular' software was intended for or ported to Linux, present actually counting be no end to how a great deal additional Linux might grow," Kane explained. "Sure, present are forever alternatives, or emulations of software, but in the end, corporations and businesses desire come again? 'everyone else is using' since of a established path record."

The similar weapons for hardware, he added.

"Linux is intended to hold up no substance which and everything," Kane concluded. "It's the 'anythings' and 'everythings' so as to require to hold up Linux."

'Full Support for Flash'

Similarly, "what counting *I* change? Not a great deal -- I'm a content user," casement Barbara Hudson, a blogger on Slashdot who weapons by "Tom" on the site.

"Now, concerning come again? I counting alter so as to runs atop linux -- that's one more story," Hudson added.

"No. 1 counting be filled hold up for rising flash apps beneath linux," she explained. "We contain Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to thank for presentation us that. Yes, Actionscript sucks; yes, flash is an eyesore -- but it's cross-platform, it's well-liked and it's fewer hassle supposed Java."

'Native Screen Widgets, Please!'

No. 2 on Hudson's list: "a port of the unique BC++ 3.1 ide for rising console apps, and a factual inhabitant (not so as to Kylix Krap) Borland c++/delphi IDE for gui development," she said.

"No. 3 counting be to fix openoffice and firefox so so as to contain use the inhabitant ui, and not completely own customized 'one seem for all platforms' widgets,'" as,at the same time as No. 4 counting be "to fix openoffice so it doesn't get 30 place recognized by the occasion I clack on 'Save As' and at what time I can in fact kind a new folder person's name in."

Finally, "No. 5 counting be to fix the gimp to get rid of the Win95 gray look," Hudson concluded. "Again, use inhabitant monitor widgets, please!"

'A Help Me! Button'

Alternatively, "lose the CLI" was Slashdot blogger hairyfeet's top suggestion. "It is 2010, not 1978 -- ,whole generations contain full-grown up NEVER moving CLI, and you be acquainted with what? They determination NOT alter for you! Accept it!"

If nothing else, present be hypothetical to be a "Help Me!" button "where a Linux Guru can saunter a new consumer from side to side a problem," hairyfeet added. "Until I see a number of genuine attempt to fix petroleum horrible mess, similar to a GUI-based way to contract by means of intended construct and a stable intended ABI so as to intended one to run ability with no contravention semi the hardware drivers, I place by my assertion... Linux is huge for servers and embedded devices and horrible for desktops!"

Then again, "I counting alter the software so as to tends to get absent at the back at what time interfaces change," Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack suggested. "We are huge at taste new, better-performing interfaces but poor at creation certain all name them.

"I can appreciate full-grown compat options enabled in the kernel for 3-year-old software, but I can't appreciate why I require not any for belongings actively maintained," Mack explained.

'GNU/Linux Is a Living Thing'

Blogger Robert Pogson quick maybe the the majority philosophical sight of all.

"GNU/Linux is a livelihood thing," he asserted. "It grows, profits and adapts. I don't require to do no substance which to stay so as to happening, but my existence determination be improved and additional pleasing if I contribute come again? I can to stay the flames going: teaching, installing, debugging, documenting and promoting."

Change is good, Pogson added, "and I welcome it still as I close to retirement.

"Being clever to alter keeps organizations pertinent and enhances survivability," he explained. "The speed of alter existence form senior by means of FLOSS probably income FLOSS determination outlive fewer vibrant understanding of IT, similar to so as to additional OS."

So now you know a little bit about technology. Even if you don't know everything, you've done something worthwhile: you've expanded your knowledge.