Re:The Year of Linux on Everything but the Desktop
by sqeaky on Tuesday February 21, 2017 @05:32PM
(#13700741)
The ecosystem is important. What do you think about systems that make it easy to ship software for multiple platforms?
Consider Unity, the game making tools. When shipping there is pretty much a series of checkboxes for what kinds of packages you want to make. Unless you went out of your way to use some OS specific stuff it will work everywhere. There are other tools like this for other non-gaming domains, do they contribute in your view of OS ecosystems?
Well, grow enough to counter-balance the sudden loss of billions of Android devices? I don't think there's reason to believe that. It had stalled for ages on the desktop, and mostly got to devices outside the embedded space through Android.
(Of course Android-Linux devices will continue to exist -- but eventually those with the new Google kernel/OS underneath will overtake them, especially if Google insists on OEMs using it to get access to the various Google apps).
>The network effect, the winner takes all effect, is becoming less pronounced as there are more ways to build cross platform software.
It's not about having some cross platform software though, it's about the whole ecosystem. Which is e.g. one of the reasons why Firefox OS, et al never got anywhere.