What is the linux killer app??

[laxmanb]

Windows has MS Office, Mac OS X has killer hardware actually. What is the killer app for linux?? OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP, KDE are all cross platform.

[aysiu]

Windows has MS Office, Mac OS X has killer hardware actually. What is the killer app for linux?? OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP, KDE are all cross platform.
Synaptic Package Manager.

By the way, MS Office is also cross-platform (it has been ported to Mac OS X), and the only thing killer about Apple's hardware is the way it looks (hardware isn't really an application, anyway).

[linuxguymarshall]

um...the Kernel?
Almost any program on Linux that is any good is one of two things

Proprietary- This is things made by Microsoft,EA,id, and any major game or program company that has the source code. They are always going to be on some other platform.

Open Source- These anyone can download the source code and because of that it can be ported to almost any system.

So really the only thing that is good and only for Linux is Linux.

[laxmanb]

Well people buy Apple Macs coz they look cool - not because of OS X. Note that sales increased only when Apple moved to Intel CPUs (which could run Windows as well...)

And the Windows - Office combination is definitely a killer app.

Synaptic ? Very debatable. The lack of proper offline installation options ( off a DVD or CD or a file on your hard disk pisses me off.)



And people aren't actually going to touch the kernel. The very fact that you have to compile a kernel on linux is a big turn off for me. And Solaris, BSD, OS Xs Kernel are open source too.

[Joeb454]

Not sure, but I'm quite a fan of amaroK at the minute :)

It can get the lyrics for a lot of songs through a plugin, and the artist information off of Wikipedia.

Now can iTunes or Windows Media Player do that?

I don't think so (though correct me if I'm wrong)

[SOULRiDER]

So many.. but im just gonna mention one, AMAROK!!!

[tdrusk]

I switched to Linux for Amarok, but don't even use it. Amarok convinced me to.

I love synaptic/ apt-get

[laxmanb]

AmaroK for Windows is coming soon - http://amarok.kde.org/blog/archives/374-Amarok2-builds-on-Windows.html

[linuxguymarshall]

Think about synaptic. It is used on some Linux OSes not all of Linux. For example Kubuntu uses Adept which is like Synaptic but is still not the same

[klange]

We have tons of killer apps. Package managers of all sorts, Amarok, Compiz-Fusion, the list goes on.

[aysiu]

Well people buy Apple Macs coz they look cool - not because of OS X. Note that sales increased only when Apple moved to Intel CPUs (which could run Windows as well...) The look of Mac OS X is part of the looking cool. The sales went up with the move to Intel so that people could run Windows-only applications, which they sometimes needed for work--the idea was "You can get all the benefits of OS X and also use Windows applications when you have to."


And the Windows - Office combination is definitely a killer app. Maybe we don't have an agreed-upon definition of what an app is. Microsoft Office runs natively on Mac OS X. What does the combination with Windows offer that the combination with Mac doesn't?


Synaptic ? Very debatable. The notion of an app being "killer" is always debatable. The discussion is opinion-based, naturally.


And people aren't actually going to touch the kernel. The very fact that you have to compile a kernel on linux is a big turn off for me. And Solaris, BSD, OS Xs Kernel are open source too. OS X is not open source. And you don't have to compile a kernel. I have, in fact, never in my three years of using Linux compiled to or had to compile a kernel.

For more details, read: Have you ever recompiled a kernel? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=643214)
You'll see from the poll results that less than 20% of forum users who answered the poll had to compile a kernel. The rest either didn't need to compile a kernel at all or recompiled for fun or for some other reason.

[laxmanb]

We have tons of killer apps. Package managers of all sorts, Amarok, Compiz-Fusion, the list goes on.

A Killer app is an App so compelling, it causes you to switch. Those are good, but nothing killer. Again, AmaroK now runs on Windows.

[Ioky]

especk haha,

try to type "especk I can make my computer to say anything I want!! And Mac and Wins can't do it, haha" in shell.

indeed command line app - software are the killer

[laxmanb]

OS X is not open source. And you don't have to compile a kernel. I have, in fact, never in my three years of using Linux compiled to or had to compile a kernel.

I've been instructed to compile kernels for driver support on linux ( ran away to Windows till some release introduced support).
Also the OS X Kernel is open source under a OSI approved license ! http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/

[aysiu]

A Killer app is an App so compelling, it causes you to switch. Those are good, but nothing killer. Again, AmaroK now runs on Windows.
And Synaptic Package Manager is a compelling enough reason to switch.

I've never heard of anyone being compelled to switch to Windows because of an application. I have, however, heard of people being coerced into switching to Windows because of vendor lock-in (a Windows-only application).

[Joeb454]

Actually, amarok doesn't run on Windows yet - because amarok 2 isn't out :p

Either way, there's still plenty of other apps that are "worth switching for"

[aysiu]

And people aren't actually going to touch the kernel. The very fact that you have to compile a kernel on linux is a big turn off for me.
I've been instructed to compile kernels for driver support on linux ( ran away to Windows till some release introduced support). These two statements are not the same. Earlier you said "you" (meaning everybody... or me--both of which are wrong) "have to" compile a kernel. Now you're saying that "I" (meaning only you) "was instructed" to compile a kernel.

As I mentioned before, with evidence, less than 20% of forum users have to compile a kernel.
Also the OS X Kernel is open source under a OSI approved license ! http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/ That's good to know. I wonder why they did that. They have no problems with keeping other parts of their operating system closed.

[bapoumba]

A Killer app is an App so compelling, it causes you to switch.
I'm no sure users switch to Linux for a single app. They may keep other OSes for specific apps, though.
Along this idea, my own killer-whatever Linux switch is "choice".

[23meg]

The website you're visiting is the "Linux killer app".

[linuxbeatswin]

AmaroK for Windows is coming soon - http://amarok.kde.org/blog/archives/374-Amarok2-builds-on-Windows.html

...and I have a feeling that hard-core windows users will swear that microsoft thought of it first... seems like I've heard that before, eh?

[Istonian]

I agree with linux itself being the "killer app". The fact that you can customize your desktop unlike windows or OS X. Having the stability of linux (providing you don't mess with your system like many of us do). What can really beat compiz fusion. Seriously. OS X can't. Aero looks like junk compared to it. There is also the fact that it is free in both ways. I love not having viruses, trojans, spyware. I know OS X is good with that too, but OS X has many downfalls IMO. One being the price. Another would be not having the freedom you have with linux. I would only use OS X if I was heavily into video editing.

When it all comes down to it the killer app is linux itself. Honestly, I don't care if linux gets any bigger because it's not about the money for linux. It all comes down to choice. which one best suits your needs.

[Whiffle]

My sole reason for switching originally was because I was curious. I stayed because I found it runs much better than windows for me, and I can do things in linux I never really thought about doing in windows. Oh, and theres Amarok. And KDE.

[linuxbeatswin]

For me- Amarok, KDE, Synaptic, pidgin, so many choices, just a few of my faves.

[linux phreak]

The CCSM

[aysiu]

The fact that people switch at all attests to the "killerness" of Linux. It may not always be one application. It may be the experience, the community, the release cycle, the package management, the documentation, the freedom, the cost-freedom, or any combination of the above.

Think about it.

In "real life," you have two options--buy a computer with Windows on any number of mainstream computers or buy a computer with Mac OS X on an Apple computer. An extremely small percentage of people buy Linux-preinstalled desktops or laptops. Most Linux desktop/laptop users are disillusioned with Windows, and so they switch and stick around because they've found something better... which may not be one application.

[heartburnkid]

That's good to know. I wonder why they did that. They have no problems with keeping other parts of their operating system closed.

Mostly because the license for the Mach kernel required them to do so.

[laxmanb]

These two statements are not the same. Earlier you said "you" (meaning everybody... or me--both of which are wrong) "have to" compile a kernel. Now you're saying that "I" (meaning only you) "was instructed" to compile a kernel.

Basically, lots of people have been asked to compile a kernel to get driver support . Compare this to Windows, where you download the file and double click on it. This complexity alone has discouraged a lot of people from linux. I just wanted to say that the kernel is not something that regular users would like to mess around with. It just doesn't matter!!

[Mazza558]

Again, AmaroK now runs on Windows.

Okay, Linux has no "killer app" by your definition, as pretty much all FOSS could probably be run on Windows, so you've created conditions which mean that only you can be right. This is not fair.

I class a killer app as something which originates from a source, and compels people to switch to that source. In the case of FOSS, where people have the capability to port programs

[twright]

i would say there isn't one killer app but it's the way applications are managed on linux that sets it apart

firstly you can install and manage them easily with apt. then even more importantly is how many applications you can have open at once, i often have firefox, rhythmbox, inkscape, the gimp, transmission, pidgin, terminal, nautilus, calculator and open office open at once when working on something. with windows i would a: have a massive crash on my hands and b: be buryed in windows but as linux supports multiple desktops and is much faster/more stable i can work more efficently using the applications i have.

[depele]

The killer app is the way to install applications. windows, you need to search for software, download, install, buy dvd, or something.

I like

apt-get
emerge
yum

and so on.

[erginemr]

Granted Amarok and Synaptic are great (maybe killer) apps. But they are known only to computer literates having known Linux to some extent. So, I'd like to nominate Compiz Fusion (and before that, Beryl) as the killer app for the uninformed Windows users.

Having watched Youtube videos of Compiz running on Ubuntu, I have seen many posts like: "Whoa! What the hell is that? I want it badly." Compiz Fusion helps Linux to be known by the masses.

Long story short, quite a few people are not interested in FOSS, dev's devoting their knowhow and energy to provide the best software for free, all those values we esteem... But they are easily taken away by fireworks. Sad but true...

[qazwsx]

I thinks there is no single app. Besides strictly speaking can Linux app be killer app?
For example: Amarok no music without Xine or fully functional database without MySQL/SQLite/....
How to use debian apt without dpkg etc...

My answer is the whole package including good graphical and command line support. Pretty painless and effective afterall.

[twright]

i agree, compiz fusion is truly amazing

still in the battle to capture the desktop we must not forget server, while microsoft may not worry about desktop linux they are really having to fight with apache to gain marketshare
Granted Amarok and Synaptic are great (maybe killer) apps. But they are known only to computer literates having known Linux to some extent. So, I'd like to nominate Compiz Fusion (and before that, Beryl) as the killer app for the uninformed Windows users.

Having watched Youtube videos of Compiz running on Ubuntu, I have seen many posts like: "Whoa! What the hell is that? I want it badly." Compiz Fusion helps Linux to be known by the masses.

Long story short, quite a few people are not interested in FOSS, dev's devoting their knowhow and energy to provide the best software for free, all those values we esteem... But they are easily taken away by fireworks. Sad but true...

[cardinals_fan]

Openbox.

[koenn]

Windows has MS Office, Mac OS X has killer hardware actually. What is the killer app for linux?? OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP, KDE are all cross platform.

apache.
It put Linux on the map (and on web servers) during the internet boom of the nineties.

[billgoldberg]

There is no such thing as a killer app.

A lot of people use ms office, but most people don't even have it installed, or barely use it.

Apple has normal hardware with a nice case around it.

But if I had to choose the best application, or the one I use the most, it has to be compiz fusion.

[Twitch6000]

The way you are making this sound you are making it where since Linux is open source it cannot have a killer app.If this is true then there is one way you are incorrect cause open source in itself is a winner.How you might ask,simple look at he community,support,and programs you get from it :).
So yeah I think I will go with Linux Being Open Source is its Killer App.

[Saint Angeles]

i don't think theres any app that could kill linux.

[Cannaregio]

After years of clicking around like madmen inside a graphical environment, many zombies have been totally conditioned, and will believe that a GUI is "modern" and "cool", while running around forever inside their graphical guinea pig wheel.
Yet behold those that (re)discover the sheer might of the command line! Speed! Power! Control! Knowledge!

So, imho, the real "killer app" in Linux is the incredibly powerful command line... once you learn how easy it is to harness its cosmic power.

[ffi]

konqueror: best file manager there is and it's even a browser/ file viewer

[madjr]

Windows has MS Office, Mac OS X has killer hardware actually. What is the killer app for linux?? OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP, KDE are all cross platform.

linux's killer app is invisible.

it's linux in itself and it's community.

No viruses, spyware, malware and the best community in the world

windows doesn't and never will have a community like linux, it doesn't matter how many apps they have.

The "people" is what makes linux and OSS.

Linux is really a living entity. It's not even an OS anymore it's a way of life

[el mariachi]

apt -get and pacman (arch linux)
package managers pwn windows and macosx every day :D it just spoils me too much :lolflag:

[teet]

MythTV

-teet

[erginemr]

linux's killer app in invisible.

it's linux in itself and it's community.

No viruses, spyware, malware and the best community in the world

windows doesn't and never will have a community like linux, it doesn't matter how many apps they have.

The "people" is what makes linux and OSS.

Linux is really living entity. It's not even an OS anymore it's a way of life

I'll bow to this =D>

[wthanna]

I would say it is the complete package that Linux offers me.. in other words, ALL THE APPS. Just pick a handful.. I can install literally thousands of packages on Ubuntu.. try them.. remove them.. customize them... rewrite them even! The sheer volume of things available (and Free) are the Killer apps to me. It would cost literally tens of thousands of dollars to legally "try" all of the things I have installed for free on Linux over the years, if I had to buy their Windows or Mac alternatives. So my answer is ALL THE KILLER APPS. The freedom to do absolutely anything I want with both the hardware and software on MY computer.

...and the community
...and the security
...and the stability
...etc...

[Chame_Wizard]

Linux in general:choices,free,making it yourself :lolflag::guitar:http://i.fok.nl/s/static.gif

[twright]

i agree, that is the main reason that i will never take windows server seriously (sure they now have 'powershell' but it's just nowhere near as flexible)

After years of clicking around like madmen inside a graphical environment, many zombies have been totally conditioned, and will believe that a GUI is "modern" and "cool", while running around forever inside their graphical guinea pig wheel.
Yet behold those that (re)discover the sheer might of the command line! Speed! Power! Control! Knowledge!

So, imho, the real "killer app" in Linux is the incredibly powerful command line... once you learn how easy it is to harness its cosmic power.

the freedom is also vital, so i am instantly able to turn a 5 year old machine into a fully functioning webserver (total cost of operation 0)

[Dr.Ninethousand]

I love apt-get / adept etc.

on Windows it always seemed hard to uninstall things, and everything uninstalled differently, and would often break the system..

also I love the fact that once you get over your fear of CLI, you can perform operations with a single line that would otherwise require clicking through dozens of windows/tabs..

also the community, which in a way is an extension of the ease of using apt-get /adept etc. ..no matter what new task I need to perform, or program I need to find, I can google it along with the word 'linux' and have good answers on the first page.. without getting sent to a bunch of 'shareware' advertising pages, lol..


:)

[Dr.Ninethousand]

I should add a couple more excellent Linux apps:

defrag and antivir


:lolflag:

[phrostbyte]

A Killer app is an App so compelling, it causes you to switch. Those are good, but nothing killer. Again, AmaroK now runs on Windows.

I switched to Linux for two things

1) Amarok (which I don't use anymore)
2) Package Manager

The package manager got me EXTREMELY interested in Linux. I actually imaged a package manager for years before I even used Linux so it was just amazing when I saw that a OS that uses something like what I was thinking.

[madjr]

Originally Posted by madjr
linux's killer app is invisible.

it's linux in itself and it's community.

No viruses, spyware, malware and the best community in the world

windows doesn't and never will have a community like linux, it doesn't matter how many apps they have.

The "people" is what makes linux and OSS.

Linux is really a living entity. It's not even an OS anymore it's a way of life

I'll bow to this =D>

Thanks ! :popcorn:

and thanks to Linux and it's people !

[kutjara]

Every aspect of public life is so tangled-up with corporatism, it's incredibly refreshing to finally have something that's relatively free of it.

In an age where every tv channel, newspaper page, street-corner, website, radio station, movie screen, and article of clothing is plastered with advertisments, logos, and come-ons for one crappy product or another, it's liberating to discover Linux and the Linux community, where the primary motivation isn't greed. That, for me, is the killer app.

At one level, the appeal of Linux is as mundane as the lack of "crapware" and demos cluttering up my machine. At a deeper level, I admire the large community of committed individuals who spend time reviewing source code, improving it, and releasing it to the world so the rest of us can benefit. At perhaps the most fundamental level of all, I take great comfort from the fact that no corporation is using my OS or the apps running on it to spy on me, to report my activities to the government, or to sell me even more worthless, slave-labor-produced, environment-destroying garbage.

Linux is about a small victory over corporate tyranny. Long may it remain so.

[fatality_uk]

Linux is about a small victory over corporate tyranny. Long may it remain so. Woah!!! I thought Linux was an operating system!!!! Then what do I know :)

I would say Linux hasn't seen it's Killer app and never will. Its unlikely that a new piece of software will be written that means everyone will want to switch to Linux.

[bobbob94]

Its got to be server related I think, as Linux has been hugely successful in the server market and well, lets say somewhat less successful on the desktop (talking market share here, not quality btw). I know its available on many platforms, not just Linux, but as part of the LAMP setup I vote for Apache as the killer app...

[nutz]

Compiz owns, nuff said...

[kutjara]

Woah!!! I thought Linux was an operating system!!!! Then what do I know :)

I would say Linux hasn't seen it's Killer app and never will. Its unlikely that a new piece of software will be written that means everyone will want to switch to Linux.

Yep, and the American Revolution was all about the high price of tea. From little acorns, and all that.

[toupeiro]

The fact that people switch at all attests to the "killerness" of Linux. It may not always be one application. It may be the experience, the community, the release cycle, the package management, the documentation, the freedom, the cost-freedom, or any combination of the above.

Think about it.

In "real life," you have two options--buy a computer with Windows on any number of mainstream computers or buy a computer with Mac OS X on an Apple computer. An extremely small percentage of people buy Linux-preinstalled desktops or laptops. Most Linux desktop/laptop users are disillusioned with Windows, and so they switch and stick around because they've found something better... which may not be one application.



I think Aysiu was dead on here.. It wasn't one "killer app" that made me convert to linux perminantly, it was definately the whole "experience aspect." A lot of it had to do with the apps I didn't have to maintain anymore on a linux OS. There are many applications I have in linux that I don't have in windows. There are many more filesystems I can use that I can't use in windows. I find it superbly easier to work remotely with a linux operating system than with windows. Adding and maintaining hardware and drivers has advanced so much in linux, I'd venture to say its easier now in linux than in windows.

Linux is unobtrusive in general, which means you can focus on your work or projects when you need to without being reminded of your OS throughout that timeframe, which in my opinion is a very good thing!. Windows, however, constantly reminds you what platoform you are on, and who gave it to you. Every decision you make in windows, especially with vista, is confirmed, and confirmed again at times. Virus Scanners, and spyware tools written for windows are so attention starving, and nothing should be that attention starving that is supposed to safeguard a work environment. It feels more like a construction zone, where I am constantly reminded of all the dangers out there inherant to the operating system and its bundled applications. Linux and UNIX in general has had the principle of elevated rights in place and in practice a lot longer than windows, and uses it a lot better than windows does. Vista specifically, is designed to cater towards a specific kind of usage in my opinion,; one that seems to need a lot of safeguards against its userbase. Linux, however, has the ability to be very open ended and tunable to your computing needs and remaining inherantly safe for its users.

You asked for a killer app, and I couldn't give you just one, but hopefully what I've given you is a few examples.

[olejorgen]

Different window managers. especially tiling ones: Ion, wmii2, awsome, etc.

[anodizer]

Community, be it via this forum/wiki pages/irc etc., is a killer "app" for linux. Gnome (or KDE for some others) is another one.
But community is an important win over windows/mac.

[gerowen]

I would say Compiz but seeing as Microsoft has pretty much blatantly ripped off Compiz/Beryl and the Mac OSX style, that's no longer an issue(But I guess you can't blame them for using an idea that works).

I would have to say Frozen Bubble, there are Windows ports, but we get the latest versions first, :grin: dvd:rip is cool too and the ability to customize every aspect of your system's appearance is a big plus too.

[twright]

the community is vital, where could you find enough people entusiastic enough to have a similar thread about windows :)

the difference between windows and linux is that although more people use windows more people actually choose to use linux
Community, be it via this forum/wiki pages/irc etc., is a killer "app" for linux. Gnome (or KDE for some others) is another one.
But community is an important win over windows/mac.

[aysiu]

Basically, lots of people have been asked to compile a kernel to get driver support . Compare this to Windows, where you download the file and double click on it. This complexity alone has discouraged a lot of people from linux. I just wanted to say that the kernel is not something that regular users would like to mess around with. It just doesn't matter!! Basically, as I provided support for earlier, it's not "lots of people." It's less than a fifth of them.

And not even a fifth of Windows users actually install Windows, so what's the point of your comparison? As I said before, Windows and Mac OS X are generally used by those who buy them preinstalled and preconfigured. Linux users run into trouble, because they usually have to install and configure Linux themselves on hardware "made for" Windows.

[Changturkey]

The fact that desktop linux distributions have a central repository make it a lot easier to find apps. On Windows, you have to search all over, torrent, ect.

[SomeGuyDude]

Linux is Linux's killer app. It's not that any one piece of software is so amazing, it's that the overall experience is better.

[madjr]

Every aspect of public life is so tangled-up with corporatism, it's incredibly refreshing to finally have something that's relatively free of it.

In an age where every tv channel, newspaper page, street-corner, website, radio station, movie screen, and article of clothing is plastered with advertisments, logos, and come-ons for one crappy product or another, it's liberating to discover Linux and the Linux community, where the primary motivation isn't greed. That, for me, is the killer app.

At one level, the appeal of Linux is as mundane as the lack of "crapware" and demos cluttering up my machine. At a deeper level, I admire the large community of committed individuals who spend time reviewing source code, improving it, and releasing it to the world so the rest of us can benefit. At perhaps the most fundamental level of all, I take great comfort from the fact that no corporation is using my OS or the apps running on it to spy on me, to report my activities to the government, or to sell me even more worthless, slave-labor-produced, environment-destroying garbage.

Linux is about a small victory over corporate tyranny. Long may it remain so.

couldn't had said it better! :KS

Linux is way more than just an OS!

It's a movement, it's a revolution!

it's the small guy against the mega corporations and world monopolization!

Proud Tux Troop!

[factotum218]

The Linux killer app? I would guess the compiler that installs it on your system in the first place.

The application to run on top of it would be, without a doubt, hands down....the bash shell.

Without a shell I probably would have never found interest in Linux or BSD

[jrharvey]

Windows has MS Office, Mac OS X has killer hardware actually. What is the killer app for linux?? OpenOffice, Pidgin, GIMP, KDE are all cross platform.

I would say Compiz Fusion. Its only on linux and its probably the most killer app. I dont think cross platform really matters. If it started on linux then it counts. For me the most killer THING about ubuntu is freedom. I just feel good about using it.

[jrharvey]

Basically, as I provided support for earlier, it's not "lots of people." It's less than a fifth of them.

And not even a fifth of Windows users actually install Windows, so what's the point of your comparison? As I said before, Windows and Mac OS X are generally used by those who buy them preinstalled and preconfigured. Linux users run into trouble, because they usually have to install and configure Linux themselves on hardware "made for" Windows.

If more companies had linux as an option on their computers then It wouldnt be as hard as people make it out to be. Yes, dell has ubuntu but i have been wanting an XPS for some time now and they dont provide ubuntu on those machines.

[Agent86]

For me, Linux's killer app is all the anti-malware stuff I DON'T have to run. It's nice not having a Control Panel full of stuff like that and room for Workspaces instead :)

[HermanAB]

The killer app for Linux is the fact that it works reliably on *anything*, from cellphones and routers, through desktops and laptops to servers, phone exchanges and super computers.

In contrast, Windows works unreliably on a very small slice of hardware.

[the_darkside_986]

Mac OS X has killer hardware actually.
Ever since the switch from PPC to x86, I do not agree. I can go to walmart and buy junk with Intel CPUs. I have an old G3 Blue and White tower that utterly pwns another system with an Intel Celeron running at the same speed. The G3 is fully capable of running KDE, Ubuntu, (albeit in limited color range due to the horrid ATI card) while the old Compaq has trouble running Gnome, KDE, or anything past Windows 98.

My dream machine would be a desktop system with a Cell CPU and graphics hardware acceleration (not a PS3). Sadly, nvidia and ATI do not support ppc-linux. That would be a true "killer app" as it would be able to run GNU/Linux but not Windows :guitar:

[swoll1980]

Synaptic Package Manager.

the only thing killer about Apple's hardware is the way it looks .

and the how much it cost

[hizaguchi]

I agree there's really not a killer app, because if there was it would be open source and soon ported to Windows (Amarok has taken so long due to the license issues with Qt3).

But there are killer features, like security, privacy, choice, ease of use/maintenance, and my favorite, a filesystem that makes sense. At work, I hate having a documents folder with a path like "C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents". You get spoiled on "~/docs" pretty quickly.

[swoll1980]

since 99% of apps made for linux are open source the great ones are bound to be ported so the unselfish Linux attitude keeps it from having an exclusive app

[frup]

My points of subjectivity:

What GNU/Linux has going for it:
*. Free (Open source).
*. free ($).
*. Choice... the next few numbers will show that.
*. Web browsers: plural... rendering engines. Gecko, KHTML/Webkit plus Opera and the ability to run IE in wine (WHY?!!!).
*. Multiple WM's/ DE's e.g Gnome, KDE, Fluxbox, etc.. Use what you like.
*. Open Office. Free formats, ODF.
*. Wine. So you can run windows apps if you really want to (why I don't understand :p ).
*. Community.
*. Repositories. Easy software installation, a trusted software catalogue no hunting on the net and worrying, contribute to the next point:
*. Less vulnerabilities (e.g viruses), more stability. This was important to me initially, a huge relief, stress free computing. Now I expect this so I place it lower down the list.
*. Customization: You can run something generic like Ubuntu or something more specific or self-compiled.
*. Great virtualisation options

What it doesn't have:
*. Enough games. Among my friends there is no chance for Linux to succeed because they are gamers. They are so obsessed (IMO) that any performance issues in wine are unacceptable.
*. Defacto standards. OOXML, .PSD .DWG .SWF .MP3/WMA. Playing catch up never works. Good applications such as GIMP and Open Office are harmed by their commercial competitors wide appeal and proprietary formats. You can easily create flash files. AutoCAD etc are really important for a lot of businesses (E.G. Engineering/Architecture) where errors in formatting/measurement could cost millions. Linux has a nature that is web centric which is very strong, IE webservers, programming (not a flaw of course) but when you get in to CAD etc. it isn't as strong.
*. The old catch 22 market share. (for 3rd party support)
*. perceived as complicated/not as good by a majority of people... This is changing though.

For me none of those cons matter. All the pros a good and I only use Linux. For some it makes it impossible to switch unfortunately. Linux itself doesn't need market share, it's the applications on it that need it. If everyone used GIMP or Open Office most of the problems would be removed as they would be standard and so would their great formats. If all your applications you need work on linux, why pay for a useless proprietary Operating system?

[sammydee]

IMHO the simple open source-ness of linux is what makes the entire operating system a killer app.

This is because with open source software, open apis and open libraries, the whole operating system becomes totally modular. This makes linux far more versatile than pretty much anything else, and new functionality is very easy to bolt on. This results in hundreds of "killer apps" for linux which are only made possible through its modularity.

Example: Pulseaudio. The sound architecture for windows is sealed up and done. It can't be easily changed without breaking thousands of legacy apps. It certainly can't be ripped out and replaced with something else. Because linux apps are open source, it is relatively trivial to write a new api to interface with pulseaudio for a certain app.

Example 2: Compiz. Because the window manager is just another module, it can be ripped out and replaced by another one without problems. Try doing that on windows xp.

So even though the source code for these applications is available, it would be a MAJOR undertaking to port these to any closed operating system due to the differing philosophies.

(NOTE: I use the word linux to refer to pretty much any conglomeration of open source software into a working os. GNU/Linux seems far too unwieldy for me, and also excludes hundreds of other pieces of software equally vital for linux's success, not to mention the *BSDs.)

[billw11]

ive never used a mac before.
i do agree they are bought only for looks.
but final cut pro is actually the best video editing program out there...
if you dont believe me , go ask anyone at disney or pixar.

you cant argue with billions in profits

[jaytek13]

ive never used a mac before.
i do agree they are bought only for looks.
but final cut pro is actually the best video editing program out there...
if you dont believe me , go ask anyone at disney or pixar.

you cant argue with billions in profits

Macs have been around a lot longer before OSX was released. And you admit you've never used them... is it entirely impossible that people actually use them because they prefer them, whether it be for functionality, usability, or simply to get away from Microsoft?

I wouldn't oversimplify it... It's like a Windows user saying people that use Linux only use it because it's free.

[ZarathustraDK]

Any open source app that runs in Windows is a potential killer app, as the more you can substitute proprietary 'pay-for' programs with free alternatives, the more people will start to wonder what the heck they need Windows for anyway.

But right off the hip : Synaptic, Wine, OpenOffice, Firefox.

[the8thstar]

Gnome is my killer app of the day.

[duckgoesoink]

ive never used a mac before.
i do agree they are bought only for looks.

I used a Mac, but not only for it's looks (my art school used macs, so for easier compatibility I bought one too). The snobbery came after I'd bought it (when I saw how much prettier and more stable than the Windows box it was, inside out).

I think the linux killer app doesn't exist. It's the combination of killer apps on a killer distribution. :)

[Christmas]

Amarok and eventually KTorrent.

[Paqman]

For Linux overall: Apache. We wouldn't have the Linux we have today if it hadn't been so massive in the server world.

For desktops: Compiz Fusion. We've doubled the number of desktop Linux users in the last year. I think that's mostly because Compiz has shown people that Linux can be sexy.

[karellen]

I'd say the linux kernel itself :D

[el mariachi]

For Linux overall: Apache. We wouldn't have the Linux we have today if it hadn't been so massive in the server world.

For desktops: Compiz Fusion. We've doubled the number of desktop Linux users in the last year. I think that's mostly because Compiz has shown people that Linux can be sexy.
yeah, non-power-windows-users drool over compiz xD (me too actually hehe)

[Rylin]

Wouldn't you guys say that Compiz is the killer app? As much as it's eye candy, it's rather functional as well when working with multiple desktops and need to quickly work from one window to another. :)

[chucky chuckaluck]

I'm no sure users switch to Linux for a single app. They may keep other OSes for specific apps, though.
Along this idea, my own killer-whatever Linux switch is "choice".

the only app i've used from the beginning is gimp, and i was already using that on windows. when i was still using windows, i was using so much open source software (firefox, thunderbird, gimp and gaim), it was a natural progression for me to switch to linux. the appeal of linux is in having the 'choice' to do things your own way. also, and i think it gets discounted a bit, it is all free of charge. and, as it is so, one need not feel undue allegiance to an app just because one payed too much money not to love it.

with that in mind, i'd pick package managers as the 'killer apps' of linux (and, i guess, the bsd's). i loved synaptic and apt and am enjoying pacman, so far. i've also enjoyed using kpackage and emerge, and even though i found emerge a little slow, it was still fun to watch (used it during my brief flings with sabayon). package managers, after all, are the instruments of choice.

[el mariachi]

yes, package managers +1. we don't need piracy, we just need our companion cu.. package managers with us :D

[aaaantoine]

What is Linux's killer app?

Zero vendor lock-in.

[howlingmadhowie]

historically speaking the gnu project with the linux kernel made it possible for a normal person to own a unix workstation. then of course the internet revolution came and apache mysql and p(erl/ython/hp) made linux very popular. at the same time we had the porting of maya to linux, and its subsequent domination of hollywood.

all of that is pretty irrelevant to me. i got into linux because i heard stallman and moglen talk and what they said made a lot of sense. i now see the state sanctioning through changes in law of proprietary software as one more method the first world uses to subjugate the third world, and i cannot be a party to that. even if the community were a tenth as good as it is, i would still use free software.

of course the community proves an important point. we have been told that other people only ever want to take, and we should too. i remember mrs. thatcher when i was young saying things like "Any man who rides a bus to work after the age of 30 can count himself a failure in life" and "there's no such thing as society". but we see that community does exist. and that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are basically good.

i don't really know where i'm going with this epiphany. maybe you can make sense of it :)

[rab4567]

Linux by itself is great but compiz fusion together with avant takes it into the stratosphere. It was beryl that got me and many others into the linux fold, and once we found out it was free and open we could never go back to the matrix to be plug in.

[shieldw0lf]

Linux's killer app is and always has been Apache.

What's up with everyone drooling over Amarok? Wow, an ITunes clone. iTunes sucks in the first place, why would you want to clone such a clunker? I've never seen a worse application for managing a music library.

Rhythmbox, although not a reason to switch, is far superior to Amarok.

[lswest]

the command "kill" is Linux's killer app ;), jokes aside: Gnome, the extent of customization possible, and then all the free apps in the repos are a nice touch ;) Also, i love being able to switch to a tty screen and being like "yeah, look at me, i run a command-line system" and get looks like "this guy is nuts", i find it amusing :P

[Kinst]

In the grand scheme of things, apache.

[aysiu]

The whole idea of a "killer app" is a proprietary way of thinking. Linux and open source are about freedom, not restriction of freedom. Open source means the ability to port and modify as people see fit. If people want to port an application to Windows, they can do that. If they want to port an application to Mac, they can do that.

The approach of "We have something that other platforms can't have" is possible only if you put in a restrictive license.

[el mariachi]

The approach of "We have something that other platforms can't have" is possible only if you put in a restrictive license.
Bravo!=D>

Good things are to be shared!

[shieldw0lf]

I chose to use Debian at first, because of apt. Debian was the killer distribution because of apt. There was a lot of inconvenience in actually getting work done because of the ideology, even though that ideology was part of the appeal in the first place. Mostly revolving around getting Java working properly as a newbie, personally. But I put up with it all because of apt.

Debians killer app is apt.

I started using Ubuntu because it offered all the goodness of Debian and apt, but was more in tune with the realities of how I use a computer, which is that I respect the free software ideology, but quickly make compromises where licenses are concerned when I need to get **** done.

Ubuntus killer app is multiverse.

I guess all this makes Ubuntu the new Linux killer app?

[HenningS]

Well people buy Apple Macs coz they look cool - not because of OS X.100% bullsh*t, sorry. I have switched 10 people to the Mac in about a year. Not a single one of them cared at all about appearances, neither do they now.

Ubuntu's killer app for me is the package management. On Macs, installing stuff is easy, uninstalling isn't. On Windows, both is hell. Only in Ubuntu/Linux does it actually work with you.

[evozniak]

Linux: the killer's are apt-get and xorg, linux apps have a weak point, open office, python, php are cross plataform not locking the users of this apps to X or Y OS.

Mac: File manager and Dock

Windows: games, lot of games. and lots of applications.

[roaldz]

I have found that on Linux, you make ¨your own¨ killer app by chaining some real good app´s together. If you go video-editing on windows, you´ll use 1 application. I probably captures your video, can edit it, can do some effects, can do some titling and compositing, convert it to other formats, and even burn it to a DVD.
If you try this on a Linux box, you´ll probably using 2 or 3 applications to do the same. DVgrab or KINO for capturing, cinelerra for compositing and effects, mencoder for converting and another dvd-burn-tool to make a dvd.
Most windows users see this as a downside, but if you look over it, it´s an upside. In windows, you´ll probably have some nero-like application installed too, and some converter application and much more applications witch all can do the same thing. This is the reason why I think windows is polluted so quick.
In linux, you use the same burn-tool to burn your dvds. The same tool for encoding video. The same tool for capturing video. It´s like recycling:)
This is the unix way of computing. Lots of little applications which can do 1 thing. No more, no less, and it has to do it good.

Roald

[GavinZac]

Synaptic ? Very debatable. The lack of proper offline installation options ( off a DVD or CD or a file on your hard disk pisses me off.)You can install packages from a cd or from a dvd or from a file on your desktop! Try inserting an Ubuntu DVD and watch what happens. Try downloading a .deb package from www.getdeb.net and watch what happens.


The very fact that you have to compile a kernel on linux is a big turn off for me.No, you don't.

[el mariachi]

Compile a kernel? This is the year 2008 calling...*screech* come in! :D

[aysiu]

This discussion seems to have picked up again in Does Linux have a "killer app"? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=815247)