Comment 118 for bug 563878

In response to #116:

Microsoft charges you $200 and up for a full version of Windows 7, they do not run an X-server environment but rather have direct input and cooperation with the drivers and their respective manufacturers. They don't run a X server because they have full on mutual cooperation from hardware vendors. Linux on the other hand (at this point in time) is not granted full on access to the code by the vendors for their drivers. All open source linux drivers are reverse engineered and being that windows holds the lions share of the market and has the most money, and most games are written to run in windows using their mutual windows and hardware vendors directx API and drivers, this is going to have problems no matter what. All all video card hardware is designed to use DirectX, thats where the games and entertainment money is, all use of Open GL and X-Server functionality is an afterthought at best and often times not even addressed at all (ATI until recently).

They do not write Linux drivers well, nor do they care to try very hard, because:

1. No money in games for linux. No gamers money, no need for the expensive gaming hardware with 1 gig of gddr3 memory.

2. In their minds (business men) there is no protection for their intellectual property if the drivers and firmware are freely shared.

3. Microsoft wouldn't like their API technology freely shared with a free and faster alternative OS. And that again besides illegal, would cut into microsoft market and money.

The drivers for the hardware vendors like ATI and Nvidia are closed source. Meaning they do not share code openly and freely with anyone they do not have a deal with. Linux by its very nature will not make any such deal because it goes against the very principles it adheres to. And even if they would they couldn't. Microsoft wouldn't allow it and further the costs would make linux no longer free. The only reason we get any proprietary drivers from ATI and Nvidia is by their good graces and only as an appeasement to satisfy their customers wanting to use linux. They don't write drivers for big servers and infrastructure appliances running a linux kernel, they don't want or need a fancy new video card to run a game. SO any and all 3d functionality is a waste. They write those drivers for the people who play the games, games written to run in windows. And when they feel like it they throw the linux people a bone.

Ubuntu had NO way to know ahead of time about an issue with a closed source driver. To say it was their fault because windows doesn't have an issue with a driver written to run hardware specifically designed to their OS, is an unfair claim to say the least.

As far as Ubuntu not looking professional, they manage to take a bit of an unstable branch of Debian (not a very desktop centric Disto at all) and not only make it as stable as any other distro if not more so, but at the same time manage to make it as user friendly to an average person as any distro ever. They do this and make it attractive to look at, package it nicely, make it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find and get a copy, and at the same time maintain several different styles of desktops, and different versions supporting all kinds of hardware, all of this and it costs us nothing to use...

Microsoft with infinite resources and money, with hardware vendors all making their products specifically for them, writing their code specifically for them, and how many architectures do they support?.. And how much does it cost??? Professional??????

A professional deals with what he has to and makes the most of what he has to work with, and if they can even make it work well enough to get a user base then they are the professionals. Microsoft releases a new OS every 5-8 years, or whenever they want to usurp more of the market. And you don't get a choice in how it works or how it runs, and very little choice in how it looks.

Frankly if you install linux to impress your friends then you must have had enough knowledge to snazz it up somewhat. The best thing about linux as far aesthetics is the fact it is completely customizable. Want it to look like your wife's Apple ipads interface? Well there is most likely a package for that and best of all its free of charge. Have a problem? Well there are places like this with all kinds of people all willing to take the time to help you and again its free of charge for a personal user. And most likely some person smarter than I will write a patch for this little blemish very soon and that too will be free of charge.

Sorry if this got long and turned into a rant, but I always root for the underdog, and ya can't get anymore of an underdog than linux.