Linux Turns 23 Years Old Today

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux Turns 23 Years Old Today

It was on this day in 1991 that Linus Torvalds first announced his new operating system that would go on to become Linux...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTc3MjA

[89c51]

What do you hope to see out of the Linux kernel in the year ahead?

I am not sure audio in the kernel is as good as it can/could be. But probably not an area many care about.

[Drago]

I am not sure audio in the kernel is as good as it can/could be. But probably not an area many care about.

Well, if we pull macs from the hands of the DJs, who will be left using apple laptops

[89c51]

Well, if we pull macs from the hands of the DJs, who will be left using apple laptops

Anyone that wants convenience and beauty that no Linux has ever managed to offer. Sadly the amount of polishing that goes into macs is tremendous

[DataPath]

Anyone that wants convenience and beauty that no Linux has ever managed to offer. Sadly the amount of polishing that goes into macs is tremendous

edit: the amount of polishing that went into macs was tremendous.

Meanwhile, Wayland seems to be inspiring a renaissance in linux desktop environments. I'm not ready to count linux out yet.

And don't forget, technically android is linux, too. Sort of.

[kertoxol]

I am not sure audio in the kernel is as good as it can/could be. But probably not an area many care about.

Systemd will give us alsad, audiod.

[gotwig]

Well, if we pull macs from the hands of the DJs, who will be left using apple laptops

u know nothing jon snow
troll

[89c51]

edit: the amount of polishing that went into macs was tremendous.

Meanwhile, Wayland seems to be inspiring a renaissance in linux desktop environments. I'm not ready to count linux out yet.

And don't forget, technically android is linux, too. Sort of.

It doesn't have to do with graphics. The HW SW combination and the combined experience out of the box is something that we don't have in linux. It's just that we don't have someone to make hi-end HW dedicated to linux.

[rdnetto]

I am not sure audio in the kernel is as good as it can/could be. But probably not an area many care about.

My understanding is that most of the problems with audio stem from ALSA (in the kernel anyway - Pulseaudio is only really needed to bandage over its problems for most people). ALSA apparently has a rather poor API compared to OSSv4, which increases the incidence of incorrect uses and bugs.
Of course, since ALSA is already there it's extremely unlikely we'll be able to replace it (or even supplement it), and as long as its not in the mainline it'll never get the driver support to be a viable candidate for mainline.

[DataPath]

It doesn't have to do with graphics. The HW SW combination and the combined experience out of the box is something that we don't have in linux. It's just that we don't have someone to make hi-end HW dedicated to linux.

I'm simply not following what that has to do with Apple's success. Students at college aren't using their Apple laptops for high-end GPGPU compute work. Corporate managers aren't using their Apple laptops for graphics-intensive gaming. You didn't recommend an iMac to your parents for the audio mastering capabilities.

Apple's success has nothing to do with high-end hardware, and way more to do with consistently high-quality hardware and software (from the end-user's perspective, at least). Durable designs, design asthetics for both hardware and software, and interface friendliness.

And to be honest, the "HW SW combination" with respect to 3d graphics on Apple hardware is at least as bad as Linux's. There'd be fair justification for either side to argue that the other is worse.

If you're complaining that there's too much hardware out there that linux almost-but-not-quite works with, and has been impeding its adoption, there's definitely truth to that. On the other hand, saying there's no one out there dealing with that problem simply isn't accurate. Dell is only one of many who make and sell systems with tested and compatible hardware. And leaving the big box vendors aside, I've been building my own computers and running linux on them for well over a decade now and haven't had compatibility problems with a single motherboard, processor, RAM stick, graphics chip, or hard drive in all that time. The only devices I've had any trouble with have been the occasional printer (although my Brother laser printer is an amazing workhorse and I wouldn't trade it for anything) and miscellaneous low-end USB devices (scanners being the worst offenders, and the odd cheap webcam although those have gotten much better in recent years).