Linux's counter-action to Windows 8?

[linuxuser12345]

Is there a Linux counter-measure to Windows 8, sporting similar features to the quickly-gaining-fame soon-to-be OS? Are there any projects on sporting Windows 8-like features in Linux, or maybe even Ubuntu?

[WorMzy]

Like what? What would you like to see?

[uRock]

Not a support request. Moved to the Community Cafe.

[IWantFroyo]

I really don't see anything Linux could take with Windows 8, without just wasting developer time.

Fast boot up? Already have it.

Something-or-other file system? We have ext4 (although some devs will have to make something that can read Win8's new filesystem, for file sharing between systems).

Metro interface? We have Unity.

Desktop mode? We have Gnome-fallback (and Classic Mode in 11.04).

New BSOD? Nah....

Ribbon interfaces in our file managers? No. Just no.

I don't see anything worth taking.

[smellyman]

Windows is just copying Mac and Linux.....


no change there

[Merk42]

Windows is just copying Windows and Linux.....


no change there

Linux is just copying Linux and Windows


no change there.....

[NightwishFan]

Linux is just copying Linux and Windows


no change there.....

No one cares who copies who. They all do and its up to so and so's legal team to debate it. If an idea is good and you can't get sued copy it!

[linuxuser12345]

Do you think we are going to see a new interface similar to Windows 8's new Start feature?

[Lars Noodén]

Honestly, who cares about Windows 8?

Well put. The reason we're hearing about it is because Vista 7 is failing (http://www.itp.net/583409-windows-7-breaks-through-20-market-share) and the PR machine gets racheted forward a notch:


“In the face of strong competition, Evangelism’s focus may shift immediately to the next version of the same technology, however. Indeed, Phase 1 (Evangelism Starts) for version x+1 may start as soon as this Final Release of version X.”
http://groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=ComesExhN05#E3096


All that means is that Linux is in a strong position.

[sanderd17]

What would happen if Linux took the locked down boot from windows?

Once boot Linux, always boot Linux :P

No, really, the only thing Linux needs is better hardware support (that's primarily up to the manufacturers) and better (maybe proprietary) applications. So there is really not much we can "use" from MS.

[haqking]

Linux is Linux
MS Windows is MS Windows
Mac is Mac

Who cares who does what and who has what, personally i like what i use and what ive got !

[technosysind]

I have a bad news here and I honestly wish that this news is false. Windows 8 might not allow dual boot. See the link :http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-k...-multiboot-os/ (http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-kill-linux-multiboot-os/)

What do u guys say now ?

[sffvba[e0rt]

I have a bad news here and I honestly wish that this news is false. Windows 8 might not allow dual boot. See the link :http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-k...-multiboot-os/ (http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-kill-linux-multiboot-os/)

What do u guys say now ?

This is exactly what this thread is about ;) I feel that like all news it has to be hyped to get sales (hits)... I am sure the final reality will be much more mundane if not non-existent...

Scratch that I need to learn to read :p


404

[haqking]

I have a bad news here and I honestly wish that this news is false. Windows 8 might not allow dual boot. See the link :http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-k...-multiboot-os/ (http://geeknizer.com/how-windows-8-kill-linux-multiboot-os/)

What do u guys say now ?

Old news.

And OEM will have the possibility of switching it off.

and it only matters if you go out and buy a new Windows 8 certified system, which to be honest why would you if you are going to use Linux ;-)

[sanderd17]

Old news.

And OEM will have the possibility of switching it off.

and it only matters if you go out and buy a new Windows 8 certified system, which to be honest why would you if you are going to use Linux ;-)


The computer I bought when I went to college was a Windows Vista certified machine. Later that year I decided to try Ubuntu on it.

The family desktop was also a Windows XP certified machine.

So it does matter a lot for newbies, and it also limits our choice (the precious choice for Linux users).

But this is totally off topic and should go in that relevant thread.

Sorry not found. You will have some work with organising the new windows rants I believe :P

[haqking]

The computer I bought when I went to college was a Windows Vista certified machine. Later that year I decided to try Ubuntu on it.

The family desktop was also a Windows XP certified machine.

So it does matter a lot for newbies, and it also limits our choice (the precious choice for Linux users).

But this is totally off topic and should go in that relevant thread.

Sorry not found. You will have some work with organising the new windows rants I believe :P

mine isnt a windows rant.

And i understand what you are saying, but its like buying a Windows certified machine then finding out you cant put MacOSX on it.

Ive never bought a certified for machine.

Anyways a year later and you decide to install something else and you cant then buy something new, alot changes in a year ;)

[sanderd17]

mine isnt a windows rant.

no, mine is, a small rant though


And i understand what you are saying, but its like buying a Windows certified machine then finding out you cant put MacOSX on it.

Ive never bought a certified for machine.

Anyways a year later and you decide to install something else and you cant then buy something new, alot changes in a year ;)

I knew before I bought that machine that I didn't want to stay with Windows and that Linux existed. I just hadn't seen it running before, and I never installed an OS before.

[ninjaaron]

Every UI element that will be in Windows 8 is possible now on Linux (though not always with as well-integrated implementation). The curious can can track them down and use them whenever they wish.

The question is whether these features, existing presently in modular form, will be integrated into any major distros or DE's.


As to the larger issue, while I think the Linux desktop should (and inevitably will) keep up with the ongoing evolution in UI paradigms, I don't think it should be focused on "countering" any other specific platform. It should simply take and implement the best features and paradigms available from all platforms. Trite as it sounds, Linux should just focus on being the best it can be.

If your strategy is more reactionary than creative, you will always be one step behind (like windows has always been in UI design, up until now).


The only real thing Linux needs to 'counter' in Windows 8 is this terrifying "secure boot" system, and by that I certainly don't mean by implementing something similar.

[technosysind]

Microsoft has to really come up with something extra ordinary in Windows 8 to get Linux users to even think of using Windows again. I don't think that they are capable of that...;)

[Mark Phelps]

Microsoft has to really come up with something extra ordinary in Windows 8 to get Linux users to even think of using Windows again. I don't think that they are capable of that...;)

I don't think MS even CARES about Linux users -- why should they? They have 90% or so of the desktop computer market.

This whole locked-down-boot thing was done to allow the OEMs to make it impossible (or so they think) for the rest of us to dual-boot preloaded Windows machines with OTHER OSs. MS doesn't really care what we do -- because once we buy a new PC with Win8 on it, we've already "bought" Win8.

As to the new "Metro" interface, it's likely to be as popular among Windows users as the new "Unity" interface is among Ubuntu users.

And, as to the comment about us already having "fast boot" -- NOT ... in my experience! 11.04 takes a LOT longer to boot, on the same hardware, than ANY previous Ubuntu version. And, it takes several times the amount of time to boot as does Win7 -- on the same hardware. MS is talking about some kind of hybrid semi-hibernation state that will allow your Win8 PC to boot in just a few seconds! 11.04, on my new, high-end PC, takes several MINUTES to boot.

[technosysind]

UBUNTU 11.04 takes several minutes to boot?? Thats strange. It doesn't take more than 30 seconds on my laptop

[kaldor]

And, as to the comment about us already having "fast boot" -- NOT ... in my experience! 11.04 takes a LOT longer to boot, on the same hardware, than ANY previous Ubuntu version. And, it takes several times the amount of time to boot as does Win7 -- on the same hardware. MS is talking about some kind of hybrid semi-hibernation state that will allow your Win8 PC to boot in just a few seconds! 11.04, on my new, high-end PC, takes several MINUTES to boot.

11.04 takes an oddly long time to boot. My new PC takes 20-35 seconds on Win7, but up to 1:20 on Ubuntu. Apparently it's a common issue.

[Merk42]

Well put. The reason we're hearing about it is because Vista 7 is failing and the PR machine gets racheted forward a notch
Vista maybe, but 7 is no where near a failure.
The reason we're hearing about Windows 8 is Microsoft is back in its schedule of a new version every ~3 years. The time between XP and Vista was the exception not the rule.

No different than hearing about Oneiric right after Natty.

[zekopeko]

Well put. The reason we're hearing about it is because Vista 7 is failing and the PR machine gets racheted forward a notch:

Windows 7 is the most successful Windows OS yet and it has surpassed XP in market share. Saying Windows 7 is failing is being completely disconnected from the reality.


All that means is that Linux is in a strong position.

Not on the desktop.

[aaaantoine]

Do you think we are going to see a new interface similar to Windows 8's new Start feature?

Unity's dash, I believe, is the closest we will get to the Metro interface, and it will probably do a lot of the things that Metro is going to do.

[Lars Noodén]

Windows 7 is the most successful Windows OS yet and it has surpassed XP in market share. Saying Windows 7 is failing is being completely disconnected from the reality.



Even a Microsoft partner, which biases its statistics to the US population, shows Vista 7 at just 20% (http://www.itp.net/583409-windows-7-breaks-through-20-market-share) in 2011. Vista 7 was released in 2009. XP still has 57% That leaves 23% for Mac + Linux, obviously mostly Mac still.

Ubuntu, take a look at it, is ready for the desktop if Canonical can break the monopoly stranglehold on the OEMs. Linux may not have marketshare, yet, but it is in a strong position should the opportunity be attained. As a desktop OS, Oneiric blows aways Vista and Vista 7.

[RJARRRPCGP]

11.04 takes an oddly long time to boot.

Looks like a repeat of Karmic Koala again! :evil:

[BrokenKingpin]

From what I have seen there is nothing from Win 8 that I need in Linux. I hate all these new user interfaces... just give me a standard panel and WM.

[uRock]

Looks like a repeat of Karmic Koala again! :evil:

Lol, that was the fastest booting ubuntu. Not sure how 5-8 seconds from bios to desktop is considered slow.

[Entilza]

11.04, on my new, high-end PC, takes several MINUTES to boot.

How can this be a stock 11.04 on new hardware should boot under 10 seconds (excluding any bios stuff) A friend installed on an SSD and it's up in mere seconds.

[uRock]

I'll admit that 11.04 is a lot slower to boot than 9.10 and 10.04, but it still boots in roughly the same amount of time as W7 on my machine. 11.04 takes 15-20 seconds longer than 10.04 did on my netbook. This isn't really a problem since I normally just suspend my netbook.

[WorMzy]

So is upstart not pulling it's weight any more, or has Ubuntu just started shoving 200% more daemons into the boot up process?

Might be time for Ubuntu to move to systemd? I notice that Natty and Oneiric both have a systemd package in the official repos, but the actual systemd package doesn't exist yet (or has been removed?).

[zekopeko]

Even a Microsoft partner, which biases its statistics to the US population, shows Vista 7 at just 20% (http://www.itp.net/583409-windows-7-breaks-through-20-market-share) in 2011. Vista 7 was released in 2009. XP still has 57%

You would be wrong (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-Usage-Surpasses-XP-s-Almost-450-Million-Sold-Copies-221406.shtml).


That leaves 23% for Mac + Linux, obviously mostly Mac still.

I have no idea where you got that 23% from. The number is 90.3% of Windows' market share , at least according to the article.


Ubuntu, take a look at it, is ready for the desktop if Canonical can break the monopoly stranglehold on the OEMs. Linux may not have marketshare, yet, but it is in a strong position should the opportunity be attained.

Canonical has been trying to break into the OEM market for years now and they had very little success.


As a desktop OS, Oneiric blows aways Vista and Vista 7.

You really should stop reading Techright aka BoycottNovell. It will only make you ill informed and ignorant.

Windows 7 is a very good OS. Ubuntu still has some catching up to do before it will be as good.

[madjr]

Is there a Linux counter-measure to Windows 8, sporting similar features to the quickly-gaining-fame soon-to-be OS? Are there any projects on sporting Windows 8-like features in Linux, or maybe even Ubuntu?

KDE guys are always trying to imitate windows stuff, so KDE5 could be something like windows 8 or 9....

Am not saying this is such a bad thing, but this is really what you want, just a copy?

anyway metro is just for tablets, the desktop part looks to be almost the same.

As for the internals, yes linux should improve more in that area