Korvinus's Blog

Well as the title says, the problem with Linux imo is half the community are pushing for it to replace Windows. Linux is a good alternative to Windows, but there is plenty of space for both to exist in unison.

It's the same with programs, a lot of linux users you see or talk to are not happy with thing's being done in Wine and will only use the "native" projects as it's seen to help the "cause". What gets to me is the "cause" they are pushing is also Linuxs biggest drawback. Wine isn't the best, it would be better to be native, but until companys see that it's an alternative they wont even make one. In some cases Wine helps by making the transission to Linux less of a problem, Other times it can be seen as holding it back.

Being able to see past the whole "cause" thing is a better place to be than stuck fighting for the next 20 years for a change that aslong as the "cause" exists will never come about. I'll agree the business practices shown and the way things are "locked" in isn't good. But sometimes to beat a problem you have to first accept the neutral position and allow the project/product to do the talking.

Linux is a damn strong OS and has a lot of things going for it, in a lot of markets, but it will never be a desktop replacement for Windows aslong as people have the mindset they do now. You will not erradicate Windows, you wont replace Windows, but should we really want to?. The problem as I see it is Linux has been making the same mistakes for years, they are trying to get rid of Windows.

While I personally don't like MS that much, I do see they have a place actually a big place. They have driven the the PC into the homes of millions with the advertising and marketing. The same in a sense with Apple. As for the developers and the marketing for programs, well Linux needs to prove itself as a viable market for the products. Even if Linux only has a 1% market share on desktops we have to prove that the 1% is a lucritive choose, that as users we understand that products don't always come for free. I think the whole issue is partly stemmed from what Linux is seen as "A free operating system" the problem is the take on the "free" part, some like myself take it in the right way, Linux is free as in "Freedom" to choose, modify, distribute. It is not free as in a product being free, it can be charged for, Redhat and Novell have proven for years that it can be a big hit aswell. Linux just needs the marketing to back it up. As far as the desktop goes, Ubuntu has done a lot to drive it to manufacturers, but others need to back them up for Linux to have a massive effect. The reason I say Ubuntu is because they have the backing of Canonical and are probably at the moment the most known Linux distrobution on the Desktop.

Linux has already shown how powerful it can be, It is the base for the strongest mobile phone platform around at the present. Linux as a desktop though has a long way to come and a huge mindset in a large portion of the community to change before it sees "Casual Home Users" seeing it as a alternative to Windows. Stop pushing linux as a replacement (there is way to many Distros to choose from for it to ever be a replacement) and accept it as an alternative to Windows. Ubuntu is the biggest linux distro even though it hasn't been around as long as some of them, the reason for this in my eyes is Ubuntu unlike the others doesn't try to replace Windows, but rather co-exist with it in the environment. It shows itself as an "alternative" and not a "replacement".

People are still to stuck in the "You get what you pay for" mode. That's where Linux has to change the outlook and the community with it's constant infighting and "We must replace Windows!" outlook isn't doing anything to help Linux as a whole.

Just to add to this.. I use Linux daily, I don't have a Windows install at all for anything and try to get most things to work in Linux, I'm not always successful, but I normally post on the forums for things I enjoy using and push for Linux support (especially if they already do a Mac edition).

Well this is really getting tiresome now.. I've spent so much time the last week or so reading up on Linux and getting my games to work. Then you visit an online "games" store and see titles with "PC/MAC".. but the problem is the game isn't actually for the PC as a platform, its for the Windows OS on the PC platform. I really think this whole tying the actual saying "PC" to "Microsoft" is a bad thing in general.

Imo it's the same thing they tried to do with browsers at the start making IE basically tied to what people saw as "internet". I just wish game's manufacturers and even OS manufacturers would look at what they are doing. They are basically making it seem like you have no choice but to run Windows as that is the "PC".

Yes this is just a rant really, but it pisses me off seeing as the PC as a platform has more than one OS, no matter the "usage" share of them. Microsoft do well to bundle the software with everything they possibly can and then advertise in such a manner that they tie words together. "Microsoft" isn't actually known as that to most people. Microsoft is "Windows", the PC Platform has now became "Windows" aswell.

People say about games consoles but they are seperate. The console is the platform, be it Xbox360, PS3, Wii, they can only run games made for the respective OS on that console. The PC on the other hand isn't locked to one OS. The PC is just a Personal Computer it is a platform but not in the way the consoles are.

You have at least 3 major operating systems (with very different approaches)that are all available on the PC not just the one that costs you or is pre-installed.

Well what can i say, i really like the "Ibis Inspire" theme for Opera. So after i decided to try Opera on Linux again after not installing it for age's due to some QT prob's, I finally got around to doing a theme i think fits the "Ibis Inspired" Opera quite well



It's still kind of a work in progress, i redid the Emerald theme and also the Metacity color scheme and controls to try and mimic Opera's selection coloring.

The AWN theme at the mo is an early version of Avalon Dark i made a while ago. I prob will change it to have a red-ish tint.

Changed the theme a bit this evening and started to clean thing's up a bit..



And here is what it look like with Opera open



Slight change's made to the coloring, much happier with it now (i didn't like the inactive windows look plus the active windows seemed to "bright" in places.

Well after a very lazy few month's sat feeling sorry for myself and my current circumstances I've finally snapped out of it and started to get stuff sorted again. About bloody time to be honest, I really have let thing's go the past few month's. My room look's like something out of a horror movie, the abandoned room, where everything gets thrown (No dead body's yet though).

Started off on Friday with a bit of tidying up and sorting out some old stuff i had been hording for god knows what reason. Now it's onto sorting out all my "Tech" gear. Comps have to be moved, server put back on the network and everything moved around. Could say it's a late (or early depending on how you look at it) Spring Clean.

Thought I'd take the time though to have a coffee and post on here.

Been spending quite a bit of time with Selly (Katja) and must admit I've really enjoyed it. I'm missing my friend's in WoW but luckily most have stayed in contact, or got messages to me which is nice. Caro has been very busy, but we've been catching up as and when we can.

Well time to get back to it for an hour or so then hopefully get some sleep (I've also got a cold and that's making me sleep very uncomfortably at the moment).

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He
will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault.


Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in
charge).


His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 -year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.


Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children. It declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer Calpol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a
student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and
wanted to have an abortion.


Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was
preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion;
his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is
To Blame, and I'm A Victim.


Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If
you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do
nothing.