[CS-FSLUG] Blog: Forgot Linux?

[Chris Brault]

First off, I'm going to assume that there is alot more
to this than multimedia support,
 
 
> After cleaning the master boot record, I managed to
> get Windows XP to boot up by default without any 
> problems; however, when it happened I found out that

> the Windows XP CD I had used to attempt to restore 
> the MBR had also restored Windows XP to a factory
> installed state. I did not know it at the time but 
> the rescue option on the CD apprently
> re-installed most of the system files, I was left
> for over an hour updating Windows again and 
> reinstalling the USB drivers which I needed for my 
> mouse to work.

Okay, so this saga begins with Windows (which comes
with no encrypted DVD support out of the box) forces
you to reinstall the USB drivers so that your mouse
works (which does work out of the box with Linux).
After an hour of installation, you are already
frustrated.

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> I was struck with a major realization: I wanted 
> to have good multimedia support as well as good
> encrypted DVD playback support installed straight
> out of the box, but no distribution that I know of 
> offers that.

You are absolutely right! Windows doesn't come with
it, MacOSx doesn't come with it and neither does
Linux. I can also understand how this can become
frustrating.

-----------------------------------------------------

> I am faced with a very undesirable task of 
> installing a distribution and then spending half a 
> day seeking out the necesary software to get the
> multimedia and hardware support I want. When I think
> about it, many expensive distributions don't include

> good multimedia support at all, why pay for a 
> distribution that won't play movie DVDs as well as 
> many common video formats used on the Internet?

Once again, you are absolutely right! That's why I
will never buy a Windows disk again. Also, I probably
wouldn't pay for a Linux distro unless it wiped my
butt and held my hand either.

----------------------------------------------------
 
> I can only hope that soon some distributors will
> catch on, and figure out that they need to make some

> serious changes to the software they bundle. 

Indeed, if only it weren't for those pesky licensing
issues and patents. 

----------------------------------------------------

> Its obvious that most of them still only care about 
> making a workstation operating system since some of 
> the most polished software is the office suite and 
> development tools

Once again, well said. I'm sute the OpenOffice and gcc
compiler people have consulted with the major vendors
to make this a reality. Well, it might be that
OpenOffice has corporate funding ... or perhaps it's
that a distro without an office suite or basic image
processing is a Windsws CD in disguise.

-----------------------------------------------------

> the least polished software is the multimedia 
> software and games. I don't think anyone is
> going to break that cycle any time soon
> unfortunately.

The problem here isn't the Linux developers, it's the
software developers (I'll assume that the bulk of your
frustration is in the game and DVD department.) You
see, Windows is a much blanker slate out of the box
than linux. Game makers have simply decided that
there's more money in creating games for Windows than
Linux. Very hard working people (like wine-x and
others) are attempting (and succeeding) to jerry rig a
system to make the games work. They've done some
incredible work so far. It's the game makers that need
to break the cycle. The multi-media producers have
been far more helpful, however.

-----------------------------------------------------
 
> as far as getting multimedia support goes all you 
> have to do is download one of the many popular media

> players such as Quicktime or RealOne Player and then

> all thats left is encrypted DVD playback support 
> which is handled by the software that comes bundled 
> with your DVD drive. 

So, you take a basic Windows install, add 3 or more
easy to find media players, install expensive
commercial software from the disk that came with your
DVD drive (since Windows didn't come out of the box
with encrypted DVD support) and viola! If only it were
this easy on a Linux system. 

----------------------------------------------------

> In Linux I have to hunt around for an hour or more
to 
> get this, and then 6 months down the road when a new

> release comes out it all starts over again because
> I want to, or sometimes need to keep my software up
> to date.

You know, I had a simliar problem. Once Blag Linux was
up, I had to install 2 new repositories (newrpms and
dag) and wait what seemed like days (actually 26 mins)
to get encrypted DVD support, Realplayer 10, quicktime
support, mplayer, xine and amarok installed. Plus, of
course, my system was up to date, too. I may just
update it in 6 months, too. I'm sure glad that Windows
doesn't keep bothering me with updates like 'help
improve office' or 'your system is unprotected' or
'system updates are ready'. That would bug the crap
out of me.

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> I don't know why I should have to go to the trouble
> of looking around the Internet for an hour or more 
> every 6 months just to get sub-par multimedia
support 
> compared to what Windows has

I don't know why you would deal with this, either. I
should make a note that 'Windows' doesn't have this
multi-media support ... Realplayer, Quicktime and your
DVD manufacturer do. They are just kind enough to
provide it for download.

------------------------------------------------------

> commercial Linux distribution certainly cost enough 
> that multimedia support should be much better.

Indeed! Now we are hitting the nail on the head. If
you are paying that much, you'd assume they'd bundle
pay-for options like: mp3, DVD, Java and flash support
right up front. This really bothers me, too.

----------------------------------------------------

> One of the biggest factors that is preventing 
> widescale adoption of Linux in the desktop market in

> my opinion is this poor multimedia support since 
> currently most home users have a computer for
> just that: multimedia and games. 

Well, what can't linux do in the multi-media realm.
Since most good Linux distro's can do more than
Windows right out of the box, let's refer to a fully
loaded system. Let's spend some time installing and
restarting in Windows to get all the players and then
let's purchase some DVD software (we'll assume the
software isn't pirated). Okay, now what can't a fully
loaded Linux distro do that a fully loaded Windows box
do, in terms of common internet multimedia? Shockwave
and porn. There are some other small proprietary
plug-ins, but 99% of the problem is Shockwave and
porn. Neither work at all in Linux. Sinec 76% of all
internet traffic by 18-34 years olds in porn, I can
see how this could be a drag.

I will assume, then, that the problem is game support
and not an addiction to porn. And I will also assume
that 95% of your problem is a game 'jones' that you
just can't give up (especially very expensive games
that you may or may not have pirated).

You are right in one thing, until Linux does porn and
games, or the makers of porn and games see Linux as a
viable market, the 18 to 34 year old market will
remain in the hands of Windows, save for us techies.
Those are business decisions based on the number of
Linux users and other high level decisions (and that
decision is in their hands, not any Linux distro's
hands).

And that's probably the reason why office and art
software are coming along so well and most distro's
are concentrating on them. People will pay, and save
alot of money, to have a virus free, Windows intrusion
free, less expensive office or SOHO workstation. It's
almost like the distro makers are attempting to hit an
adult market rather than porn and game addicted young
men.

----------------------------------------------------

> Work and Internet are important too,
> but they are already well taken care of on Linux.

Well said.

-----------------------------------------------------
 
> Some distributions like Linspire and Lycoris do make
> a point of targeting the desktop market and that's 
> commendable, but their distributions are missing
some 
> important software which workstation ones have, 
> software which is still essential to a large number 
> of home users, myself included.

I should note that Linspire and Lycoris are probably
in the group I mentioned before, using their free
version as a trial which is just frustrating enough to
make you want to buy the pay version. If you are
looking for a home user version, is probably doesn't
exist. It isn't in their business model.

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> I do not like some of the business models for home
> desktop distributions, such as having an online 
> software gallery which one has to pay for. 
> I do not always have Internet access and there is no
> guarantee that I will in the future, I also do not
> want to have to send a check in the mail every month
> or every few months since that inconveniences me
more 
> than just walking to a store and picking up the
> software I want. 

You are not in the distros intended audience (SOHO's
and medium sized office environments). If you are
sending in a check or something every month, then you
are doing what a small business does, not what a home
user should do. That system was never intended for
home users (except as an office system). If you aren't
making money with the system in a business
environment, then stop paying for the updates.

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> I don't mind paying for the distribution itself, I
> also don't mind paying for the software if I get it
> in a tangible form that I can either burn to CD or 
> get on CD; however, when it comes to the current 
> subscription services I've seen, I am far out of the
> comfort zone I developed with the traditional method
> of purchasing a boxed product at a store and having 
> it work with several future versions of the
operating 
> system its for.

You don't mind paying? I would. Unless a distro
provides me something that isn't freely available or
provies a service I need (either to make money or save
money), I am not buying it.

What you are saying is: 
Why am I buying intangible system updates for a Linux
distro when, on Windows, I can go to the store and buy
software in a box that works on all the popular
versions of Windows, installing it again and again at
my leisure (or as often as Windows explodes)? 

That is the correct question. You shouldn't be paying
for the service. You should be using a free distro
that is updated every few months using a system like
apt/synaptic.

------------------------------------------------------
 
> I don't know if this is the end of Linux for me, the
> Free philosophy has helped me by putting some
quality 
> software within my grasp as I've needed it; however
I 
> don't have the energy or the time to spend hours
> of work on my own home computer trying to get some
> very basic essentials installed and working. That 
> doesn't mean I won't get into a tech job, if I were 
> payed and had some better training that would be
> an entirely different story but sometimes it seems
> like I'm a slave to my computer rather than the
other 
> way around and Windows works well  enough that I've 
> not been tempted to reinstall Linux for a while.
Free
> software has made Windows more usable for me, I have
> MinGW and Dev-C++ for programming, I have 
> OpenOffice.org for homework and I have The
> Gimp along with many more open source and freeware
> programs so I am failing to see why I should go out 
> of my way to continue using Linux right now.

Okay, then. So if you knew more about Linux  (i.e. you
didn't keep switching distros and frustrating yourself
to death) or weren't so addicted to games, you'd
definately reinstall a Linux distro. However, since
the same open source tools are available on Windows
that are available on Linux, why use Linux and suffer
the loss of proprietary game support. I completely
understand. If I were in your age, I'd probably have
the same problem. I guess that once you get a bit more
Linux savvy or perhaps get a few more years under your
belt, then you may yet discover Linux again. Indeed,
until then, I hope you enjoy the open source tools at
your disposal.

----------------------------------------------------
 
> I hope that within the next three years there will
> be many improvement in "desktop Linux" as some
people 
> call the mass of distribution targeted at home
users. 

I'm not sure home users is exactly right. They say
home user, but mean home business or small business
user. It's like a code for: We want to make a business
distro but don't have enough capital yet.

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> Currently it is complete enough to satisfy
> many people with enough time on their hands to
> install all the extras they need; however, I am no 
> longer one of those people.

That's true. Every time I have to reinstall Windows, I
must spend almsot 2 hours reinstalling a driver,
restarting, the next driver, restarting and so on.
Then there's installing the multi-media players and
the bundled software and office and ... oh ... I'm
getting a headache just thinking about it. I've been
away (not using as my main OS, but still using
regularly) from Windows for so long that I've
forgotten the fun involved. My Linux system keeps me
happy. How?

I can stream Hal Lindsey's windows media encoded
stuff.
I can watch my downloaded British TV shows.
I can stream hundreds of Christian internet radio
stations and TV stations.
I can watch stuff in formats that Windows doesn't
support, period, no matter what you install.

But like I said, if I were a bit younger or a hard
core gamer, I probably buy a play station. I though
with pirating $400.00 games for windows. In fact, I'm
through with Windows.

Don't worry about it, Nathan. We can wait.

Gabe Ginorio


		
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