[Techtalk] Linux on a laptop problem

[James]

> as far as patching is concerned .. the time it takes to do so 
> is pretty negligable and the task is well documented.  from 
> my perspective, i don't see linux trying all that hard to win 
> the mainstream market.  because linux isn't really about 
> marketing ... sort of like how paranoid sysadmins choose 
> openbsd .. people who are willing to learn a little here and 
> there and want the ability to do whatever they want to which 
> ever part of their os they want choose linux. :)

That's the traditional Linux community split.  Some of it wants to
remain a hacker type thing, while others want it to go mainstream.  Each
has its pros and cons.  

But I just see the need for corporate cash to keep competitive and up to
date development going, especially in the realm of desktop computing.
But then it becomes a catch22 situation of 'noone uses linux, so no
corporation is going to fund linux development' and 'not enough
development occurs in some areas, so noone uses linux'.

Some people might find it fine that most Linux stuff remains a community
developed thing.  But think about it: if you had a paid team working on
something like ACPI support (;p), don't you think it might get done
faster and possibly better than something done in someones spare time
around their regular job/school schedule?

- James