World Without Linux video gets chilly reception on Reddit

Linux redditors skeptical of A “World Without Linux” video

The Linux Foundation has released a video called a “World Without Linux” that offers a quick look at what life might be like without Linux. The video is the first in a series of videos apparently designed to garner appreciation for Linux.

From the Linux Foundation’s “World Without Linux” site:

Linux is the world’s largest collaborative project in the history of computing. It runs most of the world’s technology infrastructure and is supported by more developers and companies than any other platform. It’s literally everywhere – from your phone to your car and your office. It also powers the Internet, the cloud, the world’s stock exchanges, supercomputers, embedded devices and more.

A World Without Linux is a web series that flips this reality on its head to illustrate in an entertaining fashion just how pervasive Linux is today. This fictitious world is such a preposterous notion that the scenarios depicted in the series help us understand how much Linux is a part of our everyday lives and allows us to thank the developers and companies who support Linux.

Please join characters Annie, Sam and String as they navigate this unimaginable world that puts a funny twist on the story of Linux and brings awareness to the fundamental ubiquity of this technology.

More at the Linux Foundation

But the video found a rather chilly reception on the Linux subreddit, with some redditors taking a rather skeptical view of it:

8287f13802daab88480a: ”Whoever made this and/or the person at LF who decided to put their name behind this should have their house raided for meth. Also, if Apple or MS came out saying shit like this they’d get ripped to shreds for being delusional and spreading propaganda.”

Vemundvein: ”Pretty much this. There are plenty of merits to Linux without having to claim ownership over somthing that existed prior to itself.”

Jringstad: ”I mean, I guess it somewhat depends on what kind of perspective you consider. I’m sure its true that the internet would run into very serious trouble if you somehow magically erased linux from existence right this instant, as many servers, switches, routers, datacenters, … would just cease functioning. But then, that’s a pretty irrelevant perspective to consider.”

Teh: ”While truthful, it is deceptive. The “Linux” here refers to the kernel. Not the Unixlike OS’es built around it which are also commonly referred to by that name. The video seems to imply this word game for some political game.

Tim Minchin once said “If I didn’t have you, someone else would do.” and he’s right. This video makes the fallacy of that if X which fulfills this functionality currently wouldn’t exist, then the functionality wouldn’t exist. Rather, what would most likely happen is that something else would’ve fulfilled it. I doubt people who currently drive Chrysler would be carless if Chrysler didn’t exist, they would just have another car.

If Torvalds never started Linux we would probably be using either GNU/Hurd or GNU/kFreeBSD instead. The Hurd was never completed because Linux offered that functionality and was Free. And kFreeBSD became free a couple of years thereafter so even if the Hurd wasn’t finished by then they could’ve used that. In fact, since FreeBSD and BSD in general became free there might be no need for any GNU variant.

Multiple frames have an animation gaffe where the skeletal lines of the face of the left character are not erased. ”

H3ron: ”In a world without Linux maybe FLOSS developers would have focused on HURD.”

Drecks: ”Linux is important, but they would have figured out a way to create the internet without free software. Also I think an open alternative to Windows was inevitable. If not Linux it would’ve been GNU or more likly OpenBSD”

Jaffakek: ”The Internet predates free software. The World Wide Web, on the other hand, was developed after the introduction of the free software movement (but before the first release of Linux) but it was developed on proprietary systems and the first web browsers were proprietary.”

Oflameo: ”A weird kernel called Freax or one of the 5 BSD kernels, probably the OpenBSD kernel, would fill in the niche. GNU exist whether or not Linux exist, and that is the balk of the operating system. So far the Linux foundation’s propaganda is pretty lame.”

Ceeant: ”I think it would be FreeBSD, but yes.”

More at Reddit

DistroWatch reviews Android-x86 4.4-r3

Android-x86 is a project geared toward putting Android on laptops, desktops and tablets that use x86 processors. The latest version is 4.4-r3, and DistroWatch has a full review.

Jesse Smith reports for DistroWatch:

I think it is fair to say Android-x86 has a lot of rough edges. Even when we ignore how the operating system performs in a virtual environment and focus on the experience I had using a physical laptop, there are still several problems. The laptop runs hot and needs to run its fan constantly, several applications are not available, won’t run or do not work properly. Navigating the interface is a bit awkward when we compare Android-x86’s interface with more traditional graphical desktops like Xfce or KDE.

Despite the problems I ran into with Android-x86, there were some aspects of the project which impressed me. The fact developers have been able to get Android working on a consumer x86 laptop at all is a feat in itself. I was also happy to note many of Google’s applications do run well on Android-x86. For instance, the Maps program, YouTube and other bundled applications usually worked smoothly. As I pointed out above, contacts and my calendar synchronized correctly (even if I didn’t want them to do so).

What I’m saying is, when we consider the Android-x86 project is taking an operating system and porting it to another platform, getting anything to run at all is quite an accomplishment. Being able to run Android on a laptop computer, install some working software, transfer files between computers, watch YouTube videos and jot down notes in a text editor are all impressive accomplishments by the Android-x86 team. If I were using a tablet device with a x86 processor instead of a laptop, I think Android-x86 would probably be a good operating system to run on the device.

What it comes down to is Android-x86 offers most of the functionality of Android on a desktop or laptop computer. Not everything works and there are some quirks because Android is typically used on small, touch devices. Some programs in the Play Store will not work, or lack some functionality. However, a lot of programs do run, the operating system is stable and most of the functionality of Android is present in the Android-x86 port. If you can grow accustomed to using the mouse pointer to perform finger gestures, running Android-x86 is an interesting experience that mostly works.

More at DistroWatch

Solus operating system delayed

The Solus operating system was scheduled for release on October 1, but has been delayed according to Softpedia.

Silviu Stahie reports for Softpedia:

Building a new operating system from scratch, without basing it on something else, like Ubuntu or Linux Mint for example, is a difficult task and developers will run into a lot of problems. If you think about the fact that the distro comes with its own desktop environment, you start to get a sense of just how complicated things can get.

Solus was initially announced for October 1, but developers had to postpone the launch for a couple of days. This is where problems have started to pile up, and the team has been forced to deal with one issue after another. Now, they don’t want to advance a new launch date, and they are working around the clock to make sure that Solus is in tip-top shape when it finally arrives.

Most of the people in the Linux community who are waiting for the launch of Solus agree that delaying the project’s launch is a good thing and that the team need to take as much time as they need to make sure that the stable version is just that, stable.

More at Softpedia

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