What if Linux was the only OS in existence?

[Kyle_Undercofler]

That is the question. What if there was no Microsoft Windows, and no Mac OS? What if there was only Linux? I think it would be amazing because Linux gamers would never have to worry about OS incompatiblities! It would also kind of suck though, because it would get ALOT more viruses. After all, the reason Linux gets so few viruses is because more people use Windows and Mac OS.

[buzzingrobot]

A very few distributions would quickly dominate, as they do now, probably those with the best relationships with hardware makers and, hence, the best driver support.

That trend would be supported by the readiness of hardware and peripheral vendors to support only the dominant distributions.

We might see more proprietary vendors release open source. But, that might be coupled with fee- or subscription-only access to binaries and updates.

[Allavona]

Oh yes, you can bet everything you love that we would be paying for it.

[forcecore]

As sidenote: then we would have lot of portable software too like windows has currently.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

Without Microsoft and Apple I question whether most people would have the option to have a home computer. They made home computers affordable and available for many non-tech people.

[buzzingrobot]

Oh yes, you can bet everything you love that we would be paying for it.

"Paying for it" is fully in compliance with FOSS licenses and requirement. FOSS is about providing source code, not about giving things away.

[buzzingrobot]

As sidenote: then we would have lot of portable software too like windows has currently.

Windows software only runs on Windows. How is that portable??

[forcecore]

Windows software only runs on Windows. How is that portable??

I mean that we would have lot of native Linux software that requires no installation and saves settings in own folder. In this case dominant desktop and libraries are needed. Currently we have hope with Ubuntu to become major distro. Lot of people like portable software concept to easily test and use new software from usb stick or from another drive or do not want pollute system.

[buzzingrobot]

I mean that we would have lot of native Linux software that requires no installation and saves settings in own folder. In this case dominant desktop and libraries are needed. Currently we have hope with Ubuntu to become major distro. Lot of people like portable software concept to easily test and use new software from usb stick or from another drive or do not want pollute system.

Software that is not installed cannot be used.

The Linux file system is based on shared libraries: The first app that requires Library X pulls it in as a dependency. Any other app installed subsequently that requires Library X uses the one that's already installed.

To move to a system that sees individual applications using libraries inside application-specific folder would require a wholesale redesign and rewrite of Linux, as well as inviting the maintenance and security faults this approach brings with it. (You become dependent on each app maintainer to update the libraries under its control, even if they are identical to libraries someone else has updated.)

Storing settings inside application-controlled directories seems to offer no advantage over the current approach of storing them in each user's home directory. How would the OS distinguish between settings for User A and User B? I'm sure a way could be devised, but to what advantage?

Ubuntu, like every other Linux distribution, is primarily a packager of software developed elsewhere. Any fundamental change in how Linux is structured and implemented requires concurrence by thousands of developers who are not exactly likely to take orders.

Binary portability between operating systems can't really work.

[forcecore]

I have seen lot of software that loads libraries from own folder and there have been some portable software too. I have seen so much simple people who wants to download software and just run it. I have saved some from abandoning Ubuntu(or any distro) that i show that there is still hope for extract and run software, i have a script that can save settings and load libraries from own folder. Sometimes i need run software from another drive too.

Portable software mus be, i know distro must be specific but still target a major distro like Ubuntu and ok.