Windows , Mac , and Linux - What does the future hold ?

[DeargRuadhri]

Windows , Mac , and Linux - What does the future hold ?

Yea

 

[DeargRuadhri]

Sony can't keep on posting $6bn losses without suffering, no matter how big they are. And if they keep bouncing from one mistake to another, they're going to keep on posting those kinds of losses. Nobody's too big to fall.And MS have been crying "The PC is dead. Long live the dedicated device" for a little too long now, with a voice that gets fainter and fainter. If it does happen, I don't think they'll control the market.I don't know where we'll be in three years, but I don't honestly think that either Sony or MS will be the ones to decide. I just hope it isn't Apple .(Wow, we're getting awfu' serious in here. Whose round is it? Can I have peanuts? Pork scratchings? Bulls bollocks? What snacks do they serve in here anyway?)

You might be right....Sony really suffers from bad decisions and because of that, financially too. Microsoft made a pretty big mistake with Win8, because as far as I've heard, people don't really like that horrenedeus Metro UI, and generally, it provides nothing new (even less than Win7/XP (I do not want to mention Vista...ugh)), so in my opinion that won't really be a big hit. As for the supposed new Xbox, I don't now, it might be a hit or fail, depending on the consumer market.
But after these companies lose their status that they have nowadays, who will rule on the computer market? Even if you said you don't want that company to be Apple, they are the most thriving IT firm, so even if I don't like it too, I think they will be the next "big one".

And I forgot to say..... that I'm loving GoG even most for this

Long live GoG!

 

[dragonbird]

You might be right....Sony really suffers from bad decisions and because of that, financially too. Microsoft made a pretty big mistake with Win8, because as far as I've heard, people don't really like that horrenedeus Metro UI, and generally, it provides nothing new (even less than Win7/XP (I do not want to mention Vista...ugh)), so in my opinion that won't really be a big hit. As for the supposed new Xbox, I don't now, it might be a hit or fail, depending on the consumer market.
But after these companies lose their status that they have nowadays, who will rule on the computer market? Even if you said you don't want that company to be Apple, they are the most thriving IT firm, so even if I don't like it too, I think they will be the next "big one".


Long live GoG!

As far as general-purpose PC's go, we'll stick with Win 7, just like so many of us stuck with XP after Vista came out, and so will the businees users, which is a big part of the market. XP didn't get its life extended because of us, it got its life extended because the big corporate and government customers wouldn't switch to Vista, and I don't honestly see them switching to Win 8 either.

So the general-purpose Windows 7-based PC will be around for a long time yet as one option. Corporate users might use Apple for "personal" devices and for workstations, but not for those big central systems - it isn't a market that Apple has pursued for a long time, and I think that most CIO's would be scared off by Apple's upgrade policies (or absence of them) even if Apple suddenly did decide to cultivate them. FCP will be remembered. The sudden disappearance of the servers will be remembered. So the alternative will still probably be Linux, which will therefore also become a viable alternative for people like us if Windows disappears.

As far as consoles and dedicated devices go, damned if I know. Could be Android-based, could be Apple, could be MS, could be someone else coming in at the right time with the right solution, like Valve. I just don't think it'll be Sony for much longer unless they develop a lot more business sense than they've shown for the last decade.

 

[DeargRuadhri]

As far as general-purpose PC's go, we'll stick with Win 7, just like so many of us stuck with XP after Vista came out, and so will the businees users, which is a big part of the market. XP didn't get its life extended because of us, it got its life extended because the big corporate and government customers wouldn't switch to Vista, and I don't honestly see them switching to Win 8 either.

So the general-purpose Windows 7-based PC will be around for a long time yet as one option. Corporate users might use Apple for "personal" devices and for workstations, but not for those big central systems - it isn't a market that Apple has pursued for a long time, and I think that most CIO's would be scared off by Apple's upgrade policies (or absence of them) even if Apple suddenly did decide to cultivate them. FCP will be remembered. The sudden disappearance of the servers will be remembered. So the alternative will still probably be Linux, which will therefore also become a viable alternative for people like us if Windows disappears.

As far as consoles and dedicated devices go, damned if I know. Could be Android-based, could be Apple, could be MS, could be someone else coming in at the right time with the right solution, like Valve. I just don't think it'll be Sony for much longer unless they develop a lot more business sense than they've shown for the last decade.

Quite right, Win 8 has close to no chance of winning over bigger corporations. As for win XP, I still like it more than Win 7.
Apple isn't really popular in corporation circles, but it is really on the consumer market, I say they are still a force to be reckoned with.
And the Linux alternative, if Microsoft suddenly decides to leave the PC altogether, might not be bad. In fact, it has Android support now as well as other nice things, but sadly most game developers/publishers don't recognise this, and do not officially support Linux.
And for the future, we left out one thing: cloud-based gaming like OnLive or Gaikai. They are not much in their current states, but with the rapid spreading of decent internet service, they might be the main gaming platform in the future. (No, I'd not be happy if that happened )

 

[volsung]

As far as general-purpose PC's go, we'll stick with Win 7, just like so many of us stuck with XP after Vista came out, and so will the businees users, which is a big part of the market. XP didn't get its life extended because of us, it got its life extended because the big corporate and government customers wouldn't switch to Vista, and I don't honestly see them switching to Win 8 either.

(...) So the alternative will still probably be Linux, which will therefore also become a viable alternative for people like us if Windows disappears. (...)

You know you don't have to wait until that happens. GNU/Linux based systems have been a viable alternative for home and general purpose users for years now. In fact many people have moved over not only because of system stability and "upgradability", but also because they cannot stand corporate practices of squeezing money for products like Windows (and Mac OS X) that not only do not provide anything new, but aren't even good to begin with. If you ask me, the cost of a new Windows license with disks should be MUCH lower considering how below-average it is. Using free and open source systems is not only a boycott of corporate money practices, but also a statement in human rights to access and maintain information, and keep their personal information safe.

I've worked with GNU/Linux and FreeBSD workstations, servers and high performance computing clusters for a few years. If anyone needs help making the move I'll be glad to help

And the Linux alternative, if Microsoft suddenly decides to leave the PC altogether, might not be bad. In fact, it has Android support now as well as other nice things, but sadly most game developers/publishers don't recognise this, and do not officially support Linux.

It has been years since "Linux" and other POSIX compliant free-and-open-source operating systems have been apt for gaming. Publishers are usually not interested in this as we all know because they have the crazy idea that nobody would play there, just like they believe all modern games should either be 1) First Person Shooters or 2) 3rd Person action games with leveling and looting. But device manufacturers are also to blame for the low quality or nonexistant drivers for these systems. Take for example Creative: it took them a long time to make data sheets available to the community to develop open X-Fi drivers, which I haven't yet tested. Their supposed open-source support is laughable. Nvidia is known for releasing good "Linux" drivers, but AMD on the other hand was (and I believe it still is) problematic.

Another issue for "Linux gaming" is the choice of technologies by game companies. Until a few years ago, there were still some mainstream games running natively on Linux, the last of which (as far as I can remember) was Doom 3. As we know, it has been a few years since most developers switched from OpenGL to DirectX for rendering 3D graphics, a bad move in my opinion but somewhat forced by the wretched business strategies of Microsoft. The XBox, being the only console *without* OpenGL support, has indirectly converted DirectX in the market "standard" for games. I can only imagine using the same technology in more than one device might lower production costs, but it was proven even back in the day that even Microsoft's own implementation of OpenGL was faster than their very own DirectX. But as we all know, business decisions are not made for the benefit of anyone but the stakeholders.

Anyway- With the amount of customization possible in an open system, a low-latency kernel, specialized memory management routines, etc, I believe a custom Linux-gaming distribution is not only possible but ideal, and given the sufficient third-party support it could displace Windows very quickly.

And for the future, we left out one thing: cloud-based gaming like OnLive or Gaikai (...) with the rapid spreading of decent internet service, they might be the main gaming platform in the future. (No, I'd not be happy if that happened )

I suppose that is viable for casual gaming, but keep in mind that even as computer networks improve, also do rendering and processing technologies and game design practices. I just do not think a remote renderer will replace a high-end gaming PC in a near or medium future.

 

[dragonbird]

When I was still working, I had one Linux PC in my home network. It was my second attempt at using Linux, and I was impressed by the improvements in ease of installation, but the never-ending and over-complex cycle of security updates used to really piss me off. That was a couple of years ago, so they may have got their act together by now.

And when I was still working, the problem with selling Linux to the Governments that I dealt with was one of perception - Linux offered no support and no guaranteed roadmap. There was no OEM who could be held responsible for performance under a contract. It wasn't a very logical argument, and I know that a lot of Governments were already realising that it didn't make sense. So they push from one side - easier installations, better patching methods, better general software compatibility.

On the other side will be the PC users who run away from Win 8, and I think that these will NOT generally run to Apple, because it'll be the people who want control over what's going on inside their PC, who reject OS vendors who try to take over everything and just give you a big red button saying "Press Here". So again, they're going to head towards Linux. And once there are enough of them, the graphics cards and game developers will have to take notice.

There's enough time. If I'm right, there'll be 2-3 years during which nothing much will happen, except that industry watchers will be watching, then there'll be another 2-3 years developing. Win 7 still won't have reached EOL.

But I think that the triggers for change are already there - Win 8, the recent end-user empowerments over everything from SOPA to the ME3 debacle to overreaching DRM's.

And we maybe need to take this into a separate topic soon. We're monopolising the Bear.
(So any mod who actually knows how to split this off is welcome to do so. I haven't learned that one yet)

 

[DeargRuadhri]

You know you don't have to wait until that happens. GNU/Linux based systems have been a viable alternative for home and general purpose users for years now. In fact many people have moved over not only because of system stability and "upgradability", but also because they cannot stand corporate practices of squeezing money for products like Windows (and Mac OS X) that not only do not provide anything new, but aren't even good to begin with. If you ask me, the cost of a new Windows license with disks should be MUCH lower considering how below-average it is. Using free and open source systems is not only a boycott of corporate money practices, but also a statement in human rights to access and maintain information, and keep their personal information safe.I've worked with GNU/Linux and FreeBSD workstations, servers and high performance computing clusters for a few years. If anyone needs help making the move I'll be glad to help It has been years since "Linux" and other POSIX compliant free-and-open-source operating systems have been apt for gaming. Publishers are usually not interested in this as we all know because they have the crazy idea that nobody would play there, just like they believe all modern games should either be 1) First Person Shooters or 2) 3rd Person action games with leveling and looting. But device manufacturers are also to blame for the low quality or nonexistant drivers for these systems. Take for example Creative: it took them a long time to make data sheets available to the community to develop open X-Fi drivers, which I haven't yet tested. Their supposed open-source support is laughable. Nvidia is known for releasing good "Linux" drivers, but AMD on the other hand was (and I believe it still is) problematic.Another issue for "Linux gaming" is the choice of technologies by game companies. Until a few years ago, there were still some mainstream games running natively on Linux, the last of which (as far as I can remember) was Doom 3. As we know, it has been a few years since most developers switched from OpenGL to DirectX for rendering 3D graphics, a bad move in my opinion but somewhat forced by the wretched business strategies of Microsoft. The XBox, being the only console *without* OpenGL support, has indirectly converted DirectX in the market "standard" for games. I can only imagine using the same technology in more than one device might lower production costs, but it was proven even back in the day that even Microsoft's own implementation of OpenGL was faster than their very own DirectX. But as we all know, business decisions are not made for the benefit of anyone but the stakeholders.Anyway- With the amount of customization possible in an open system, a low-latency kernel, specialized memory management routines, etc, I believe a custom Linux-gaming distribution is not only possible but ideal, and given the sufficient third-party support it could displace Windows very quickly.I suppose that is viable for casual gaming, but keep in mind that even as computer networks improve, also do rendering and processing technologies and game design practices. I just do not think a remote renderer will replace a high-end gaming PC in a near or medium future.

I can only agree, Microsoft with DirectX pretty much discriminated Linux, just like some hardware manufacturers do (luckily not nVidia, that is why I like them, because of the support of their products).And the corporal interests differ a lot from the gamers' ones, just as we can see that (nearly) no new game releases support Linux natively.
Either way, I think we might see the rise of Linux once, if Microsoft won't make somewhat normal OSs again.

When I was still working, I had one Linux PC in my home network. It was my second attempt at using Linux, and I was impressed by the improvements in ease of installation, but the never-ending and over-complex cycle of security updates used to really piss me off. That was a couple of years ago, so they may have got their act together by now.And when I was still working, the problem with selling Linux to the Governments that I dealt with was one of perception - Linux offered no support and no guaranteed roadmap. There was no OEM who could be held responsible for performance under a contract. It wasn't a very logical argument, and I know that a lot of Governments were already realising that it didn't make sense. So they push from one side - easier installations, better patching methods, better general software compatibility. On the other side will be the PC users who run away from Win 8, and I think that these will NOT generally run to Apple, because it'll be the people who want control over what's going on inside their PC, who reject OS vendors who try to take over everything and just give you a big red button saying "Press Here". So again, they're going to head towards Linux. And once there are enough of them, the graphics cards and game developers will have to take notice.There's enough time. If I'm right, there'll be 2-3 years during which nothing much will happen, except that industry watchers will be watching, then there'll be another 2-3 years developing. Win 7 still won't have reached EOL. But I think that the triggers for change are already there - Win 8, the recent end-user empowerments over everything from SOPA to the ME3 debacle to overreaching DRM's. And we maybe need to take this into a separate topic soon. We're monopolising the Bear. (So any mod who actually knows how to split this off is welcome to do so. I haven't learned that one yet)

Governments usually make unsensible decisions, so no surprise here.
One thing is sure, if Windows won't be a viable option and game developers/hardware manufacturers decide that they start to support Linux again, I don't really think there is a better decision than to switch.
As for the winds of change, I don't know, but it will either happen soon (some years) or maybe never, and if it doesn't, governments will rule over what we can watch at the internet, and the current big corporations will get even bigger.
Also, just so we know SOPA is back, although with a different name: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CISPA
Are we monopolising the Bear? I don't think, it is a place where people can talk about different things, and that thing is now the future of the game/OS/DRM/etc. industry.

Oookkay. Anybody remember that tokay gecko that kept invading my bedroom last year?Well, he's either grown, or he's sending his older brother this time.And the bit of comforter that shows in the bottom left is roughly where my head is during the night.

(About 12 inches long, nose to tailtip)@227, regarding a comment you made in the animals in TW2 thread. It is NOT possible to mix up geckos and dragons. Dragons are sweet. Dragons are civilised. Dragons do NOT attack people who are trying to shoo them out of the window.

Are you sure that's a gecko and not the Salamandra tries to send assassins after you?

Yes geckos might be evil creatures, while dragons are really kind.

Tell that to Foltest's soldiers in the prologue.

Indeed, and the Redanians in Loc Muinne.

You sure that was me? I have no idea what I said. Do you have a link to that thread?Either way, I totally agree. Dragons don't attack people for no reason. Their gentle, loving nature is just often misunderstood:

EDIT: You got attacked by a gecko? How do they even attack? They always struck me as the hippie pacifists of the lizard world, incapable of doing anyone harm.

That picture is just spot-on, it shows that people misunderstand dragons, as they like to make friends by firing up parties (with flames of course).

Geez, hasn't any of you licked a dragon before? They are super sweet!

Really? Now I must find and lick a dragon just to try.

Oh ye of short memory. I mean, it was less than seven months ago.

And hippie pacifist? Really? They're all carnivores. And the tokay is the pitbull of the family. You do not go near one unless you plan to spend the next hour trying to work out how to prise its jaws open from whichever body part it latched onto. This is the third time the one-who-lives-in-the-yard has decided to come inside, and either he's growing really fast or he's eaten the last one-who-lived-in-the-yard. Both are feasible explanations.

But I must admit, it was probably the broom in its face that provoked the attack. Only way to get it to the window.

And I think it was about an hour after I posted the photo that it suddenly hit me that they're nocturnal, and I found it at around 9am. So where exactly did it spend last night? I spent the rest of the morning blocking up the aircon gaps.

(But now it's gecko time of the evening, and I don't hear him. I hope he wasn't hurt)

I never thought geckos to be this bloodthirsty, either way, be careful so that little monster can't eat you, because The Witcher forum would surely miss the one and only Dragonbird.