You know the type. The technical reporter that tries to do something on GNU/Linux, cannot figure it out and thus states to the planet the equivalent of Chicken Little saying, “The sky is falling!”, regarding GNU/Linux. We see them over and over coming back to the same point, “Until ‘Linux’ solves [insert the technical reporter's failure to do something here], it won’t be ready for prime time.” What a crock of compost.
In this case the technical reporter in question is Preston Gralla over at Computerworld Blogs. Specifically his recent article I just finished reading titled, Installing Firefox 3.6: One more reason Linux isn’t ready for the prime-time mass market. The problem here is that Mr. Gralla and those like him seem to think it is absolutely necessary to have the latest release of [insert software here] on [insert Linux distribution here]. When that is absolutely not the case in the majority of situations.
I run Mandriva 2010 at the moment on my desktop system here at the ERACC Intergalactic Spaceport and Karaoke Bar, otherwise known as my home office. I have been running releases of Mandriva for several years now. At first I too wanted to always have the latest, cutting edge release of every package out there. After a while I came to understand that if Mandriva package maintainers saw that a patch was necessary for an application I run then they would patch the version in the distribution and release the patched version in the update repository. If there were a new version of a software application that had security implications for a desktop user, then after testing the new version it would be included as an update for the life of that desktop release, usually 12 to 18 months. Long term desktop releases would get these updates if needed for their lifetime as well, usually 3 years. Then the next time I install updates I get the patched or new version.
I have come to appreciate and accept this. After all, it is highly unlikely that a zero day exploit would be found that could crack my Mandriva system from a user-space application, like we see happen so often on Microsoft systems. The default security in a GNU/Linux system makes creating a zero day exploit that can “pwn” a GNU/Linux desktop system slightly less difficult than a single person being the first to find the next Mersenne Prime[1][2] with pencil, paper and an abacus. Is it possible? Maybe, by a long shot. Is it likely? Not really. As a result, I can just be patient and wait for the new or patched software to appear in my update list. If I really want to be on the cutting edge, along with all the problems that may imply, I can install Mandriva’s Cooker version. This is the untested, it may break, it may slap you around with a large trout, developer version of Mandriva. Not recommended for the faint of heart and those who like their system to “just work”. Or I can go with a distribution like Gentoo Linux.
Honestly, I do not really want to be on the cutting edge. I want stable, known to be working with my distribution, software packages. For that I can wait for the updates or the next major Mandriva release. Regarding Firefox versions, I just updated to Firefox 3.5.7 a week or two ago using Mandriva’s updates. I do not see a pressing need to get Firefox 3.6 Right Now. I can wait for it. Mr. Gralla and his ilk can too, once they figure out how this GNU/Linux thing really works. Of course they can also stick with Microsoft and keep getting “pwned” with web based drive-by exploits that take advantage of Microsoft’s poor design decisions.
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Gralla’s main point was that installing software outside the repository is a pain in the ass compared to Windows, a point that no one here has denied.
Linux is stuck on stupid. It’s been at 1% since 1998. Proprietary Developers f****** hate the repository system. They want to publish binaries on their own websites. Users don’t like having to wait repository updates or face dependency hell.
timmy (comment #31), thanks for reading.
I see you appear to be a Microsoft fanatic. Good for you. However, your arguments are old and tired. Usage of GNU/Linux is probably significantly over that lame 1% that anti-Linux haters like to throw about. I install Adobe products from Adobe’s web site outside the package system of Mandriva and installing their applications, flash player and reader, works fine. If Adobe can figure this out then any software company serious about breaking into the Linux “market” can too. Finally, “dependency hell”? Are you serious? That has not been a problem on a major Linux distribution in years. You need to update your arguments, and so does Mr. Gralla.
Actually… one of the problem IS installing from outside repo’s. You don’t necessarily end up in debendancy hell, but you do end up having to scurry around finding all the packages and upgrade them to the correct versions.
I’ve had irks getting HandBrake deb’s from their site working on older/newer versions of Ubuntu than they were intended for. But then, you encounter the same issue in Windows. Some programs will quite happily install, yet throw all manner of strange errors: the problem? Win2k instead of XP or SP1 or SP2 and its expecting SP3 (or the reverse, you have SP3 but it only works with SP2 or SP1). I’ve even seen a program go bonkers because .net 3 was installed… not 3.5… it never checked during install.
At the very least Linux tells you “You can’t do this!” rather than silently installing then exploding mysteriously.
But to the matter at hand. I find it rather amusing that you get strings of these articles appearing in the trade press about Linux. However, you often find the self same writers had no migration problems worthy of an article when going from Windows to OS X (or the other way around).
I’m being exceptionally cynical, but how much if Microsoft’s or Apples marketing budget vs RedHat or Canonicals? You can’t entierly discount the possibility that these articles are more FUD. I mean, did these people have issues going from XP to Vista/Win7? Probably not.