Porting Linware to Windows is bad for Linux

[Aloone_Jonez]

Just a thought, but porting Linux software to Windows is bad for Linux. One of the main advantages with Linux is the wide selection of really good  open source Linux software, and if the developers port all this to Windows people are less likely to bother switching to Linux.

I mean why bother?

Suppose someone is happy with Windows and all they want is some decent free software, and if they can run all of the great Linux software why should they go to the bother of installing Linux?

[Refalm]

Open Source software is great because the source is open and free to do anything with it, including porting it to multiple Operating Systems.
If the author of a piece of an OSS project is choosing not to port his/her software, someone else will.

And besides, OSS for Windows will make people more interesting for alternatives to freeware, shareware, spyware and general commercial BS.
If only some IT people I know, knew the difference between freeware and free software.

[Aloone_Jonez]

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
Open Source software is great because the source is open and free to do anything with it,

I agree, open source rules.

 

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
including porting it to multiple Operating Systems.

This is also an advantage, for example porting the gimp to Windows is good for the gimp, but it's still bad for Linux.

 

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
including porting it to multiple Operating
If the author of a piece of an OSS project is choosing not to port his/her software, someone else will.

There is nothing to they could do to stop them but  porting Linux software to Windows sould be discouraged.

 

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
And besides, OSS for Windows will make people more interesting for alternatives to freeware, shareware, spyware and general commercial BS.

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad if lots of people used openoffice and Firefox and didn't bother switching to Linux, it would be still good for open source software even though it would be very bad for Linux.

 

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
If only some IT people I know, knew the difference between freeware and free software.

I wish the company I work at would use more open source software.

[Refalm]

Maybe that could be easier. If you only use what Windows XP gives you, and never use any of the provided alternatives, Windows is more than hell. It's the hottest of living hell's ever to be conceived by man, with a little help from the devil himself (Bill Gates).
In this perspective, this makes Linux look like pure heaven, which it is.

However, people who use OSS on Windows have skimmed down Windows so much that the hell freezes a bit.
And from experience, I know that myself, and many others first used OSS on Windows, then switched to Linux.

Even better: using OSS on Windows makes the switch to Linux a whole lot easier, resulting in the culture shock being less and people sticking more to Linux. And isn't that what we all want?

[mobrien_12]

quote:Originally posted by Refalm / BOB:
Even better: using OSS on Windows makes the switch to Linux a whole lot easier, resulting in the culture shock being less and people sticking more to Linux. And isn't that what we all want?

I agree.  One of the things that keeps people from switching to Linux is that they can't run their favorite programs (Photoshop, Word, etc.) on Linux.    Get them used to wonderful programs like the Gimp and OpenOffice, and soon they can ask themselves "Why am I putting up with this expensive, invasive, insecure, virus laden, spyware ridden, BSODed, bloated, DRM'd OS when I can run all my favorite software on Linux (or freeBSD)?"

[Digit]

quote:Even better: using OSS on Windows makes the switch to Linux a whole lot easier, resulting in the culture shock being less and people sticking more to Linux. And isn't that what we all want?

kinda the point i was going to make.

I've yet to make the move away from hell though i know it is hell.  havnt updated my version of hell since microshaft stopped supporting win98.  WinLinux is downloading as i type.  a gentle first step.

had i been exposed to more open source long ago i would have made the leap long ago too.

Just because some of the open source software gets ported to win OSs doesnt negate all the other reasons to move from microshaft to linux and freedom.

i like the future where people who use Windows can use some open source and linux software, and also, vice versa... the linux users using windows software (via Wine) should they need to.  people with sence wont move back to windows.  i've never heard of anyone go to linux then switch back to windows.  ... not recently anyways.  maybe years ago.  times have moved on.

anyways... enough rambling from a linux noob for now.