Linux Losing to Windows

[CalcProgrammer1]

I use both Windows and Linux regularly. I think that Windows is more user-friendly, but not by a whole lot. If Linux would just automate some processes and make GUI's for some config files, it'd be fine. I love Ubuntu's interface, and Compiz Fusion beats anything Microsoft ever put out (and the world > Vista, period. Vista is horrible, I'm comparing to 2000 and XP). I wish I could share folders on a network in Ubuntu without editing smb.conf. I wish I could just click to set my monitor config (but no, even with the new Ubuntu thing, editing xorg.conf is the only way it actually works). I wish that it could install programs by double clicking on them, no matter what package type. But it fails at that. That is why the general (generally computer illiterate) public uses Windows.

Even if the configuration text files were editable without use of terminal, it'd make Linux a whole lot better. For instance, in my Ubuntu install, I put an "Edit Samba Config" option under the Administration menu (command "sudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf") so that I don't have to use terminal.

As for gaming, I really wish some companies would move to Linux. All in all, I actually think that Linux has a MUCH better 3d subsystem, as I can run a 3d game in Wine and then have a 3d screensaver come on, and it won't lag a bit. In Windows, I'd get some nice blue screen that says "FATAL ERROR" or something. In Linux, you can even get 3d-in-3d (like Screensavers options on desktop cube) at full speed, something I highly doubt Windows could ever achieve...Vista lags in 3d applications even with just it's basic Aero Glass (yes, Aero Glass is basic compared to Compiz). And all this Compiz 3d stuff runs fine on my old nVidia GeForce4 MX420...probably wouldn't even support basic Vista.

 

[Nitestick]

blame microsoft for anti-competively blocking OpenGL with DirectX if you want to play games on Linux.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Yeah...

DirectX is the "reason" that gaming companies stick to Microsoft. They think that games revolve around the intense graphics of the new DX10 but fail to realize that no one wants Vista in the first place. If game companies would support OpenGL more, then the move to Linux would be simple. I play an old game (Jedi Academy) sometimes (not much of a PC gamer anymore), and I like it because it uses almost all OpenGL and not so much DirectX. I wish more companies would support open standards and not Microsoft...and not Sony either. Proprietary "standards" get nowhere (Sony's Beta tapes, MiniDisc players, MemoryStick cards, UMD discs, and now Blu Ray, as well as Microsoft's DirectX, .NET framework, Visual Studio, and Adobe's Flash and Shockwave are all proprietary formats that could be better if similar open formats were made and used).

 

[Kharn]

^ Agreed, I would love for more open standards to be used.

 

[zmatt]

There has been a very long war between OpenGL and DX going on. And in truth as far as performance they are about the same, but they also work fundamentally differently too. So a game developer would have to learn a foreign api and rewrite their in house 3d engine from scratch to port the game, and thats not very simple. The Doom3 engine was OpenGl and I think the unreal engines are too, but things like the source engine, or the x-ray engine (stalker) etc are dx only and would takes a lot of time and money to port. The only way the game industry could be forced to convert is if there was already a major shift to linux and M$ was all but dead.

 

[Kharn]

Ok I take that point but ID opensource most of there stuff after a few years anyway (Which many aspiring game devs are thankful for). There is numourace games out there using open GL an many many fan made game engens that are open source FIFE is one i follow closely. The bigger games companies are going to take there time though they like MS like to have the yes or know what is done with there tech.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Yeah, that's why id games/engines are usually ported to Linux almost immediately. They already use OpenGL so it must not be incredibly hard to port. If they're so similar, more people need to use open formats, rather than feed Microsoft with more proprietary stuff.

 

[MrCoffee]

Its up to the open source community, if they developed Open GL to be better than DX10 and consistently kept it so, it would only be so long before major gaming companies started to switch to Open GL based engines.
As far as I can tell its only ID that really do anything with developing open GL and thats not going to be enough.

 

[nu2duo]

but see its not the people's fault that they are stupid. The only way that you can beat out windows in the end is if you are far more easier to use. we need to stop insulting the user base and try to improve linux to the point where there is no question which is better.

I agree.

You can't say people are stupid just because they don't learn how to use command line. They aren't lazy either. In this day and age, command line crap shouldn't be something the general public should be using. Leave it for us who like to tinker and fool around w/pc's and os.

Anyway, I would switch to Linux in a heartbeat if more apps(video editing and photo) were as good as win or mac apps.

For many, linux is just to get online for a safer net experience.

 

[Apokalipse]

Yeah...

DirectX is the "reason" that gaming companies stick to Microsoft. They think that games revolve around the intense graphics of the new DX10 but fail to realize that no one wants Vista in the first place. If game companies would support OpenGL more, then the move to Linux would be simple.

exactly.

I'm an XP user, but only because the games I play are mostly DirectX and won't work on Linux.

I refuse to use Vista, because it's just too slow, and buggy.

Yet, Microsoft is trying to force people to DirectX 10, and not allowing it to be used even on XP.

But, there are people reverse-engineering DirectX 10, and hopefully they'll be able to get it running on XP.

Otherwise, the DirectX 10 games that are being made will only be playable on Vista.

But I do think that:
a) either DirectX 10 should be made for other OS's. if it included Linux, that would be great - though Microsoft won't allow that, because then they wouldn't sell as many copies of vista
or
b) OpenGL should be used a lot more