The linux market just got a bit easier
by David Janssens · 12/04/2007 (2:39 pm) · 5 comments
One of the strongest points about Linux is also its weakness: the distro. As a consumer, it's great to be able to search hundreds of linux distributions, knowing that if you don't find a distribution that perfectly matches your needs, you can always start your own.
As a software developer/distributor, that part is the biggest nightmare of them all. Linux is very complex software, constantly changing, and for most software, different distributions differ just enough to impose a totally different way of handling software for them.
For the distribution of your software, instead of having 3 major OS blocks to write software for, al of a sudden you have Mac OS, Windows and a multitude of Linux dialects that differ enough to be considered small OSes themselves. Instead of 3 platforms, you suddenly have 10 of them. The Linux market on it's own isn't that much of a behemoth, so this further splintering is for many interested parties the proverbial last straw, and Linux gets tossed aside.
Today, the first step in ending that seems to have been taken by Linspire. In their latest newsletter Linspire unveiled the start of their CNR.com software service. And that new offering is written in such a way that today they already have support for Linspire and Ubuntu systems. Combined with the fact that they encourage commercial suppliers to use their platform, it might be the first step in making development for Linux a no-brainer.
Okay, there have been efforts like Autopackage, but that never did got much momentum. The fact that it imposed a totally new way of working for the people building the packages might account for that. I truly believe CNR.com might be the way to go, considering not all games/programs will be suitable for distribution through services like InstantAction.com. It isn't known yet if InstantAction will provide Linux support, so best to keep your options open.
I remember Edward Gardner from Maxgaming, responsible for Lore and Kachinko (both available on Linux) to be very glad about how Linspire was doing things (in the comments of that post), so that's another good sign.
To be continued. Support for Red Had and OpenSuSE is in the works, so let's hope other distro's (Mandriva, Gentoo and Xandros come to mind) get their plugin soon and see this platform get the support it deserves.
As a software developer/distributor, that part is the biggest nightmare of them all. Linux is very complex software, constantly changing, and for most software, different distributions differ just enough to impose a totally different way of handling software for them.
For the distribution of your software, instead of having 3 major OS blocks to write software for, al of a sudden you have Mac OS, Windows and a multitude of Linux dialects that differ enough to be considered small OSes themselves. Instead of 3 platforms, you suddenly have 10 of them. The Linux market on it's own isn't that much of a behemoth, so this further splintering is for many interested parties the proverbial last straw, and Linux gets tossed aside.
Today, the first step in ending that seems to have been taken by Linspire. In their latest newsletter Linspire unveiled the start of their CNR.com software service. And that new offering is written in such a way that today they already have support for Linspire and Ubuntu systems. Combined with the fact that they encourage commercial suppliers to use their platform, it might be the first step in making development for Linux a no-brainer.
Okay, there have been efforts like Autopackage, but that never did got much momentum. The fact that it imposed a totally new way of working for the people building the packages might account for that. I truly believe CNR.com might be the way to go, considering not all games/programs will be suitable for distribution through services like InstantAction.com. It isn't known yet if InstantAction will provide Linux support, so best to keep your options open.
I remember Edward Gardner from Maxgaming, responsible for Lore and Kachinko (both available on Linux) to be very glad about how Linspire was doing things (in the comments of that post), so that's another good sign.
To be continued. Support for Red Had and OpenSuSE is in the works, so let's hope other distro's (Mandriva, Gentoo and Xandros come to mind) get their plugin soon and see this platform get the support it deserves.
About the author
#2
12/05/2007 (6:32 am)
I use CNR and it works great and its a good day for the linux community
#3
12/05/2007 (8:22 am)
Good summary.
#4
I'm having a hard time believing that the Linux community as a whole will embrace the idea of a software-provider service with a commercial interest, marketed as a package-management system.
My experience from the linux/open-source scene is very cynical in that respect.
Most of the time the community gathers to an uproar if anyone tries to add-and-charge-for-it to the linux system, no matter good or bad initiative.
What the linux world needs is an open-sourced frame-work for distributing software, agreed upon and supported by the major distributions without ties to any specific one.
An installer-service built in to the core of the OS, acting as a transparent layer between GUI and file system, tracking changes to it to ensure consistent dependency of user-installed software. All this while providing the user with a single double-clickable "icon" that installs and an easy gui to uninstall if the user so wishes. This could eventually become the standard way for both closed and open-source developers to deliver non-core software due to its simplicity, much like the way you have "installers" in Windows or OSX.
Each distribution (or community there of) would be responsible to adhere to the standards of that frame-work to ensure that the same package would be deliverable on any supported distribution.
In short, what I'm trying to say: the linux world needs to co-operate to reach universal standards that enhance the usability of the OS.
Historically that has been the one hurdle that linux never been able to conquer.
For me, a long time (now ex-) linux user; OSX is what linux should have been all along.
12/05/2007 (2:02 pm)
One package system to rule them all ? I don't think so.I'm having a hard time believing that the Linux community as a whole will embrace the idea of a software-provider service with a commercial interest, marketed as a package-management system.
My experience from the linux/open-source scene is very cynical in that respect.
Most of the time the community gathers to an uproar if anyone tries to add-and-charge-for-it to the linux system, no matter good or bad initiative.
What the linux world needs is an open-sourced frame-work for distributing software, agreed upon and supported by the major distributions without ties to any specific one.
An installer-service built in to the core of the OS, acting as a transparent layer between GUI and file system, tracking changes to it to ensure consistent dependency of user-installed software. All this while providing the user with a single double-clickable "icon" that installs and an easy gui to uninstall if the user so wishes. This could eventually become the standard way for both closed and open-source developers to deliver non-core software due to its simplicity, much like the way you have "installers" in Windows or OSX.
Each distribution (or community there of) would be responsible to adhere to the standards of that frame-work to ensure that the same package would be deliverable on any supported distribution.
In short, what I'm trying to say: the linux world needs to co-operate to reach universal standards that enhance the usability of the OS.
Historically that has been the one hurdle that linux never been able to conquer.
For me, a long time (now ex-) linux user; OSX is what linux should have been all along.
#5
I am however very much against cnr.com. Their client has already been criticized for it's security, and their flagship product Linspire (formerly Lindows) doesn't have a good security rating either.
... and they also have some very loyal trolls.
12/24/2007 (10:43 am)
I'm really glad someone finally took up the idea of making a single, unified packaging format for all distributions. Autopackage was nearly there, but they were anti-commercial as I understand, which kind of hampers things for commercial developers.I am however very much against cnr.com. Their client has already been criticized for it's security, and their flagship product Linspire (formerly Lindows) doesn't have a good security rating either.
... and they also have some very loyal trolls.
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