Gnome-Founder: failed Why the Linux Desktop
Due to incompatibilities between Linux distributions and permanent changes to the infrastructure without regard to backward compatibility, Linux has not prevailed on desktop PCs. The Miguel de Icaza in the blog entry "What Killed the Linux desktop", de Icaza is one of the founders of the Gnome project. In the development of the Gnome desktop de Icaza is no longer involved but, rather, he has in recent years attracted primarily by the Mono project co-founded by him and his NET runtime environment stir..
Complicity in the problems of Linux on the desktop, according to de Icaza wearing the developer culture that had arisen to desktop software. Here Linus Torvalds has given a keynote, as dismissing solid driver interfaces. The kernel developers have had good reasons for it and the power to push through this. The desktop developers have taken the attitude, but had no comparable power. They had different reasons constantly made changes to the interfaces without overly pay attention to backward compatibility - it was for open source programs not absolutely necessary, since the developers were able to adapt to these same.
Besides this aspect leads to de Icaza, the Linux distributors would not have been able to agree on a common set of core components - for example, because they drove ahead of competing solutions. The situation was made worse because the respective dominating distribution ("distro of the Day") had no interest in making any concessions, as the other distributions have facilitated catching up. "Incompatible was to be the way to increase the market share," writes de Icaza.
These two problems have destroyed the ecosystem of application developers - even if that once an application for one or three major distributions developed, they had six months later have to find some that their software no longer works. The open-source developers, according to de Icaza had not had the big picture in mind. He has also cited some aspects about the problems of Linux on the desktop - this is backwards compatibility and compatibility among Linux distributions is not "sexy" problem and solve interesting. A Photoshop from 2001 however, still run on Windows 8 and older Mac OS X applications to work on the recently introduced Mountain Lion. De Icaza also examined, which had contributed to his view, increased distribution of Mac OS X, and concludes with the words, not to be ashamed of these days Mac OS X to like.
De Icaza mentioned in the blog post also said he is quite happy with Gnome 3: The GNOME developers have done a good job. In the train, he also points to the Wired article "How Apple Killed the Linux desktop and Why That Does not Matter", which recounts a conversation with de Icaza, in which he also addresses issues around Linux on desktops, but also Stresses the importance of an open web.
As with any opinion piece you can argue about how far de Icaza meets with his reflections the nail on the head. The example with the root, the Linus Torvalds should have set, can be as easy to attack. The Linux father thinks of stable driver interface in the kernel nothing like de Icaza notes; backward compatibility with userspace software but it is extremely important. He therefore removed from time to time changes from developer versions of the kernel, when he learns that they will disrupt existing programs. It does not matter whether this software is open source or not.
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