Linux Thread

[frankenfart]

Originally Posted by z-user

Check distrowatch

Linux mint the #1 linux OS
Ubuntu is #3

I'm not sure if they actually ranked distros, but this is completely based on opinion. I'm sure there are tons of people who would rather have Ubuntu just because it's simple and easy and other who like mint because it's more lightweight.

For me, I like arch the most. There's nothing you don't want, and much more customizable than almost anything else out there.

[meklu]

Originally Posted by frankenfart

I'm not sure if they actually ranked distros, but this is completely based on opinion. I'm sure there are tons of people who would rather have Ubuntu just because it's simple and easy and other who like mint because it's more lightweight.

Ubuntu has a more widely recognized name and brand than Linux Mint amongst non-techies. Besides that, no new user is likely to ever even have heard of a "DistroWatch", let alone Linux Mint. I don't really see how the distro question should affect anything when it comes to Valve's plans.

For me, I like arch the most. There's nothing you don't want, and much more customizable than almost anything else out there.

I only have Arch on a pendrive. On my desktop I have Gentoo, but will probably put Arch on a school provided laptop once we get such things this year. Compiling stuff on a secondary machine? No thanks.

[frankenfart]

Originally Posted by meklu

Ubuntu has a more widely recognized name and brand than Linux Mint amongst non-techies. Besides that, no new user is likely to ever even have heard of a "DistroWatch", let alone Linux Mint. I don't really see how the distro question should affect anything when it comes to Valve's plans.




I only have Arch on a pendrive. On my desktop I have Gentoo, but will probably put Arch on a school provided laptop once we get such things this year. Compiling stuff on a secondary machine? No thanks.

Is Valve planning to only start their release with Ubuntu (and lock others out somehow) or can everyone else just install the packages regardless of distribution?

[flibitijibibo]

Odds are it'll just be a bin installer that can be executed on any distro. Possibly even MojoSetup, if they don't want to create their own installer.

[der_pwner]

Originally Posted by frankenfart

Is Valve planning to only start their release with Ubuntu (and lock others out somehow) or can everyone else just install the packages regardless of distribution?

They aim for compability with Ubuntu. If you try it on another distrubution and it works, good for you.

[frankenfart]

Originally Posted by flibitijibibo

Odds are it'll just be a bin installer that can be executed on any distro. Possibly even MojoSetup, if they don't want to create their own installer.

Great! Everything I read about the subject keeps saying that it's coming to Ubuntu and they wanted to release it first for Ubuntu so I was wondering what they planned to do.

[Sir_Brizz]

Originally Posted by KiteX3

I disagree. If you use KDE and expect Windows' interface, you're just setting yourself up for disorientation when something doesn't work exactly as it does in Windows, which is worse than finding differences you're expecting. Furthermore, the sheer complexity of KDE can be overwhelming -- I know I couldn't set up every little minutia of a KDE desktop, even after using a customized GNOME 2 desktop for over a year, so I expect that most users coming from Windows' rigidly defined interface would be entirely overwhelmed.

The default installation of KDE, though, operates in much the same Windows does and there is really nothing wrong with that. The overall UI is different enough to make you expect things to not work exactly the same, but the UX rules are defined in similar ways making it a much nicer fit.

Unity is terrible. They are going to the wrong direction trying to make Gnome Shell more user friendly.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by z-user

Check distrowatch

Linux mint the #1 linux OS
Ubuntu is #3

Ugh, that ranking refers to the number of hits per day the distrowatch subpages get. That is not an accurate way to gauge popularity. For instance, if a distro is expecting a new release, more people will be visiting the page on distrowatch around the release, where as at the same time another distro will not be expecting a release for months, and so won't get as many hits. Doesn't matter how many users each distro has, or anything of that nature. Could be distro 2 has 50,000 users, and distro #1 has half that number.

Originally Posted by KiteX3

I disagree. If you use KDE and expect Windows' interface, you're just setting yourself up for disorientation when something doesn't work exactly as it does in Windows, which is worse than finding differences you're expecting. Furthermore, the sheer complexity of KDE can be overwhelming -- I know I couldn't set up every little minutia of a KDE desktop, even after using a customized GNOME 2 desktop for over a year, so I expect that most users coming from Windows' rigidly defined interface would be entirely overwhelmed.

Unity is different enough to make you expect changes and improvements, without being entirely dissimilar to either Windows or OS X in form and function, making it as suitable as KDE for a new user -- if they're willing to learn their interface now, rather than having to do so later when they're already preoccupied.

I've migrated a lot of stuff at my work over to Linux, and because of that, others have tried using linux here as well. In my experience, most people have more difficulty with Unity, because it is too different from Windows. The other day, someone was trying to find something in Unity, and it took them 20 minutes before they got fed up and had me help them, and they were just wanting to find what files were listed on a hard drive!

Yes, if you expect something too much, it can be a problem, but so can being too different, because then what you want is in the last place you'll think it will be.

Originally Posted by alexThunder

I guess this is much more important for Valve than the UI (although it sucks pretty hard).

Most of the problems devs have is not with the app store. It is more to do with lack of OpenGL support in some versions, require secure UFI boot (meaning, only "authorized" operating systems can be installed, and guess who holds the keys, sure isn't you the user), all Metro apps being full screen only. One of the complaints that does involve the app store, is if you want to make a metro app, in order to install it, you HAVE to sell it through the Windows App Store. Which means paying microsoft to certify it, and all that good stuff. That means the average guy, wanting to make an app to give out, isn't possible (unless he's rich and generous).

Originally Posted by Sir_Brizz

The default installation of KDE, though, operates in much the same Windows does and there is really nothing wrong with that. The overall UI is different enough to make you expect things to not work exactly the same, but the UX rules are defined in similar ways making it a much nicer fit.

Unity is terrible. They are going to the wrong direction trying to make Gnome Shell more user friendly.

That's been generally my experience. While it isn't just like windows, the switch isn't even as jarring as going from the XP interface to the Vista/Win7 (and very very less jarring than the Win8 change). Things may not be exactly where it is in Windows, but things are similar enough that anyone who has the sort of thought pattern for using Windows, can figure it out fairly quickly.

[ElderSnake]

The key thing I think is to not make people expect KDE is just like Windows.

It has the pretty bling and similar type transparency effects but otherwise is sufficiently different enough, though I suppose some may find the default menu system to be similar.

KDE is in fact far more powerful than the Windows shell but you just have to learn your way around it and learn to harness it, although I think the KDE guys have improved that aspect.

Upgraded to KDE 4.9 the other day and couldn't believe how much more snappy it felt and smooth. The speed and sleekness makes me forget we're running on the ancient Xorg sometimes

[flibitijibibo]

KDE being similar to Windows might soon work in its favor, though. KDE for Windows 8 seems to be getting a good amount of attention from where I'm sitting, and that might be another good gateway program to move your environment over to actual Linux-KDE.

Also, it's nice to see Wayland actually picking up. SDL2's Wayland support is apparently good enough to run dhewm3 with it.

[Sir_Brizz]

Originally Posted by ElderSnake

The key thing I think is to not make people expect KDE is just like Windows.

It has the pretty bling and similar type transparency effects but otherwise is sufficiently different enough, though I suppose some may find the default menu system to be similar.

KDE is in fact far more powerful than the Windows shell but you just have to learn your way around it and learn to harness it, although I think the KDE guys have improved that aspect.

Upgraded to KDE 4.9 the other day and couldn't believe how much more snappy it felt and smooth. The speed and sleekness makes me forget we're running on the ancient Xorg sometimes

I totally agree in every way, I just think the default settings are a good starting point for Windows users trying out Linux. I've never understood why the Gnome project garnered so much support, I've never seen Gnome as a great replacement for Windows.

I also love how with every KDE version, things just get tighter and more polished and more smooth. It's awesome.

[Cheeseness]

Here's a summary of the SIGGRAPH BOF talk that appears to be more detailed than the Phoronix article linked earlier (I haven't had a chance to read it yet though):

http://www.forceflow.be/2012/08/09/v...l-anniversary/

[Dukat863]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Ugh, that ranking refers to the number of hits per day the distrowatch subpages get. That is not an accurate way to gauge popularity. For instance, if a distro is expecting a new release, more people will be visiting the page on distrowatch around the release, where as at the same time another distro will not be expecting a release for months, and so won't get as many hits. Doesn't matter how many users each distro has, or anything of that nature. Could be distro 2 has 50,000 users, and distro #1 has half that number.

That's why we should all use this.
I registered my Fedora machine there.

[TheSagetEffect]

Originally Posted by z-user

Check distrowatch

Linux mint the #1 linux OS
Ubuntu is #3

There's no sure-fire way to tell which distro is the most popular.

[TheSagetEffect]

Anyways, I don't get why people keep getting all over Ubuntu for the Unity interface. For starters, it isn't that terrible if you like a minimalistic environment that's easy to hide. Secondly, it is very easy to change your desktop environment to GNOME 3, KDE, and even Cinnamon (Mint), although the latter isn't well supported by the Ubuntu community.