Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak chip sales

Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by emilsedgh on Friday October 26, 2012 @03:47AM (#4701265)

Stupid idea? Initial goal of desktop linux was to provide a 'free as in free speech' desktop. It was not a stupid idea and has worked out just fine.

It was so damn successful on that goal that at some point (early 2000's) we thought we could reach world domination without any heavy investment.

I have a very functional, good looking, modern 'free' desktop.

Disclaimer: Im a KDE contributor.

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by fghh45sdfhr3 on Friday October 26, 2012 @11:06AM (#4702431)

Initial goal of desktop linux was to provide a 'free as in free speech' desktop

Linux has been my free as in speech OS for many years. I love it! I don't give a shit about the "Desktop". Sorry, KDE contributor, KDE is a very impressive product, I just don't need it. The command line is how I use Linux, because it is a far better way to deal with a computer. If you are a power user.

Linux, from, by, and for, power users has always worked spectacularly well using the command line.

The desktop? That's always been something our pride and ambition wanted, but we never needed it.

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by emilsedgh on Friday October 26, 2012 @05:14PM (#4704300)

When we talk about desktop linux, we do not talk only about the widgets and wallpapers. Desktop linux means PDF readers, video players, window managers, web browsers, email clients, music players, chat services, office suites and much more.

Are you telling me that you use none of them and perform all your tasks without even running X?

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by fghh45sdfhr3 on Monday October 29, 2012 @11:21AM (#4712645)

I try to avoid PDFs as much as possible, I hate them. I am not interested in video playing on Linux. And I used to work for a video editor maker who's products worked on Windows, OSX and Linux. (And used to work SGI) But my workhorse Linux machine is just not for videos or video games. OSX and Windows are for those. That's why I think of Linux as by and for programmers. Not anyone else.

Email does not need window managers, same with music players, chat service, emacs is my "office suite", etc. All of these are generic things for a wide public. For everyone. But OSX and Windows are already doing a great service for everyone.

Why should the free and open OS also be easy to use for the general audience? What's so wrong about it being specialized to power users?

My point is that Linux as an OS for and by hackers has been spectacularly successful. As an OS for everyone else? Meh.

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by confluence on Friday October 26, 2012 @03:58AM (#4701287)

I don't understand what you mean.

Ubuntu has so far lead the charge with the Linux desktop and even back in 2005 the user experience was atrocious (no fault of their own).

The open source community should've just given up and transferred resources to FireFox, servers and the Linux kernel - because so far net investment in desktop Linux has had negative ROI.

Just look at the example of Plan9 to see why.

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by emilsedgh on Friday October 26, 2012 @04:37AM (#4701368)

Whether desktop linux has been successful or not must be judged by its goal.

Its goal was not reaching mass market (hence, its not a company selling a product). Its goal was creating a usable free desktop. We have more than one usable desktop. We have been successful by definition.

But the fact that you say "we should've just given up" or "Desktop linux was always completely stupid idea" tells me that you do not share the concern of people who are working (mostly as volunteers) on desktop linux.

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by StavrosK on Friday October 26, 2012 @07:11AM (#4701676)

Even for the mass market goal, I'm not sure it's failed. All my family and friends (including my parents) are running Ubuntu, and whenever my (average, when it comes to computer literacy) girlfriend hears about someone having problem with Windows, she says "well, it's their fault for not running Ubuntu".

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Re:Samsung posts $7.4 billion profit as handsets mask weak c... by takluyver on Friday October 26, 2012 @07:38AM (#4701766)

The FOSS community doesn't really have a single goal. Some people want a usable free desktop, others to get mass market share (see Ubuntu bug #1, for example). Some people have specific principles - like that science should run on open source code - others see money to be made from it.

These groups work together when their interests are aligned. Many people, for instance, have an interest in ensuring the Linux kernel works well. But the goal, and hence our success, depends on the individual.

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