| Revision as of 13:53, 16 August 2007 edit217.208.75.121 (talk) →Desktops← Previous edit |
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#REDIRECT ] |
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{{Unreferenced|date=August 2007}} |
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'''Desktop Linux''', also '''Linux on the desktop''', is the application of the ] ] on a ]. |
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== History == |
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Historically, ] and other ] operating systems have been utilized on ], ], and ]s in corporate or scientific environments. |
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Beginning in the latter 90's, a few ] companies, such as ], began to advertise their systems for low-end desktop computers. However, it was not until Apple released the first version of ], a UNIX-like system, that Linux began to be seen as a serious alternative to ]'s ] operating system on desktop computers, in both corporate and home environments. |
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Since the turn of the 21st century, a growing number of Linux, and even ], distributions have originated with a dedication to the desktop market. Perhaps the most famous/popular of these distributions, as of 2007, is ]'s ] distribution. |
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== Advantages == |
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] 'cube']] |
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Desktop Linux has long been touted by its users, vendors, and advocates as a more security-conscious, stable OS for the desktop computer {{Fact|date=May 2007}}, compared to Microsoft Windows, which has been criticized throughout its history for its security and stability problems. {{Fact|date=May 2007}} |
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=== Desktops === |
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The two most popular desktop environments are ] and ]. These are rather large collections of desktop programs, rather than bare bone window managers such as ], ] amongst others. |
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=== Applications === |
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Most Desktop Linux distributions are developed and deployed with an assortment of applications developed by third-party projects, such as ], ], ], ], and ]. This is to make sure that the user will be less prone to looking for basic applications which he/she may be lacking. Many programs that acomplish the same purpose as closed source couterparts exist. Through compatability layers such as ] Windows and Mac applications can run. |
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=== 3D user interfaces === |
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In addition, with the development of ] and other hardware-accelerated user interface architectures, 3D environments have experienced greater demand from both potential and veteran Desktop Linux users. ] is the most common example of this. |
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==Disadvantages== |
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=== Applications === |
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Desktop Linux has also been maligned for its lack of name-brand applications in comparison to its ] and ] counterparts, ] and ]. In response, many open source programs comparable to or more capable than their counterparts. Desktop Linux advocates have blamed the more recognized application vendors, such as ], for their alleged shunning of Desktop Linux systems and users in favor of users of either Windows or Mac OS X. |
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=== Drivers === |
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The aforementioned 3D user interface environments also have come under scrutiny because of the usage of proprietary and closed-source drivers for the ]s, from ] or ] upon which the environments are dependent. In response, independent developers have reverse-engineered the drivers to write new free and open source drivers. |
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In addition, in 2006, ] began a project called "Nouveau" in order to create free and open-source drivers for Nvidia cards. |
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=== Installation === |
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{{main|Linux}} |
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The experience of installing a Linux distribution on a desktop computer varies from person to person as well as from distribution to distribution. While a number of ways to use a Desktop Linux distribution exist, the barriers of entry seem to remain rather high for many speculative users. |
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== Year of Desktop Linux == |
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Since at least 2001, a ] known as ''"(year) will be the year of Linux on the Desktop"'' has been published by a number of tech-related magazines, referring to the prior year's experiences of supposed "gains" for ] by ]s; these gains can vary in reason, such as the installation of a Linux distribution onto the desktops of workers for organizations or companies who may not be immediately or otherwise involved in the computing industry, or the acceleration of development for specific applications which find their greatest usages on desktop Linux distributions, or the pre-installation of specific Linux distributions onto ]s being sold by PC manufacturers such as ], ], or other corporations. The meme, which is used on an annual basis, has been roundly criticized as redundant and overreaching. |
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== See also == |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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== External links == |
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] |
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