Linux in 2004?

An anonymous reader writes "John Terpstra and Eric S. Raymond have started the ball rolling on LinuxWorld's poll of the community for what they think will happen in the world of Linux in 2004. Terpstra says 'I predict that during 2004 at least one significant USA government body will adopt Linux on the desktop.'" Depending on how you define "significant", this has already occurred.

As long as ESR sticks to asking the questions....

[Anonymous Coward]

...and not answering them himself.

Windows will be obsolete when PCs cost less than $350: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/02/28/132424 8 [slashdot.org]

MS monopoly to collapse in 6 months: http://slashdot.org/articles/00/12/13/216237_F.sht ml [slashdot.org] (predicted in Dec. 2000)

I think...

[LnxAddct]

I think that there will be at least three computers in my house with Linux installed on them... Oh wait...
Depending on how you define "in my house", this has already occurred.

Re:US Gov't on Linux

[Soko]

A distro from the NSA? Whoa.

That just has to be called TinfoilHat Linux.

Soko

Re:Apt

[LnxAddct]

I run Fedora and Debian and apt for Fedora is pathetic compared to apt for Debian. Its mainly because the repositories aren't as large and I could probably fix that with some configuration changes, but go to freshrpms.net, the entire list can be viewed all at once. I know that on Debian I could type "apt-get install GodLikePowers" and in seconds I'd have god like powers, but if I were to type that in Fedora I'd get:

Reading Package Lists...

Done Building Dependency Tree...
Done E: Couldn't find package GodLikePowers

Once the sources for apt for rpm become more robust, then Debian may have something to worry about, after all, the installation of Fedora actually made me smile it was so easy.
-Steve
P.S. I know that GodLikePowers also wouldn't work on Debian, it was simply an example.

top ten

[geekoid]

10) certen people will still froth at the mouth if you don't stamp GNU in front of it

9) people still won't spell well on slashdot

8) Bill Gates will spread FUD

7) A slashdot poster will get sued by David Lettermen for top ten copyright violation

6) Microsoft will announce that Linus T. uses windows. This will be true, except they will fail to add "to look out of."

5) SCO will disappear.

4) A major exploit will be discover in Linux.

3) Apple will stop supporting anything they released in 2003.

2) DOOM III will be released for Linux.

and the number one thing that will effect the linux world: You.

Thanks Michael

[EmCeeHawking]

I was really starting to miss your witty editorial commentary.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say "welcome back!"

Re:My God...

[monadicIO]

he business world is absolutely full of Linux on the desktop but it's the worlds best kept fucking secret.
I was hoping that thw world's best kept fucking secret would be something that involved sex. Perhaps in 2004 it will.

Re:US Gov't on Linux

[Billly Gates]

I thought Microsoft banned it

In 2004 when I say...

[compass46]

I have FreeBSD instead, less people will think it's a nasty venereal disease.

Re:What will drive Linux adoption

[screenrc]

Intresting. But, since when did
the Microsoft operating systems proved themselves?
Very many of you, have not yet forgotten
the Blue Screen of Death. It is still all over
the place, and Windows has never proved it itself;
and yet, Windows has been widely adapted.

This is the year that Open Source will FINALLY

[RLiegh]

be made illegal for all intents and purposes. NO ONE in thier right mind can believe that the republicans in power would let the 3rd world get away with becoming independent of american interests [trans: "get away with not putting money in american pockets."]

With the DMCA, etc in place, and the current state of soft-ware patents in europe, I think it's safe to say that in 2005, the only ones who'll be left using GNU software will be outlaws.

Linux in 2004

[fr0dicus]

Linux will get an opengl rendered desktop, most window managers will default to a brushed metal look, fast user switching will be implemented (looking much like a big spinning cube). Some sort of special hotkeys will allow the user to see and cycle through their windows graphically.

Oh no wait - Windows has to do all this first.

Re:Whores

[mean pun]

Ooooh, that's a tough one. I must choose between a government that wants to provide good health care, medicine and social welfare, and one that wants to provide for the corporations with the largest bribing^Wlobbying budget. Yeah, real tough choice. Give me a second here, will you?

Re:US Gov't on Linux

[mickwd]

...or Feds-ora.

Re:Gentoo, Portage, Python

[joib]

That's one of differences of Gentoo from other distros: in Gentoo you don't spend weeks of your time for tweaking, you just say what flags to use, and ebauild will decide in a very consistent way where it is appropriate or not.


No, instead you spend a week defining all those USE flags, then wait two weeks for the stuff to compile, and THEN you spend weeks tweaking.