[Desktop_architects] Re: Portland: How to fix this situation
Otto Wyss
otto.wyss at orpatec.ch
Fri Dec 9 14:00:32 PST 2005
> I expect Wine will only be needed during the transition from Windows
to Linux.
> Once Linux achieves sufficient market share, app vendors will begin
delivering
> the Linux apps we need. Wine will still be needed thereafter, just like
> Cobol is needed today, but it won't be used for running new apps.
>
I think so too but there will be always some Windows-Only applications
which Wine is the only solutions. IMO this will always be the case in
the professional environment, so Wine should concentrate there. There's
mostly a sysadmin around for installation, etc. but the application
itself will be used by an average user.
In the same categories falls the terminal server but out of 20 apps one
won't run. Still terminal server should be considered for bringing
applications to Linux as well.
> The message might be "If you're not ready to invest in a full native
> port of your Windows app to Linux, you should consider using
> Wine to do a quick port of your Windows application to Linux.
> to judge demand for a Linux version of your product. Here are a
> few case studies of how this was done by ISVs in the past..."
>
When trying to improve the application shortage we not only need a
master plan but also a division into short term, medium term and long
term actions. In the short term supporting Wine and terminal server is
probably the easiest to bring applications to Linux. Then to port Linux
applications to Windows like Inkscape and Gimp have done.
In the medium term all the important applications of the master plan
have to be made wyoGuide conformant. Only then will they have a chance
to be true alternatives to the Windows counterparts.
And in the long or very long term all applications have to be made true
cross-platform as I've outlined in wyoGuide. In the end there is no
alternative since true cross-platform means simpler, better, faster,
etc. Even OpenOffice and Mozilla one day have to switch because they
can't afford to support their own frameworks. It doesn't have to be
today or tomorrow but the day where the switch has to be done will come.
To give you an idea about true cross-platform look into wyoEditor
("http://wyoguide.sf.net/index.php?page=editor.html", Linux screen shot
is here "http://freshmeat.net/projects/wyoeditor/"). It's more or less
just a wxWidgets wrapper around the Scintilla editing control for GTK
and Windows. True cross-platform doesn't mean all code has to be written
new, only the platform specific part.
O. Wyss
PS. is it possible to just be subscribed to this group? The OSDL
membership is rather difficult to get and answering through the web
isn't much better.
--
Application guidelines: http://freshmeat.net/projects/wyoguide/
Cross-platform Editor: http://freshmeat.net/projects/wyoeditor/
Cross-platform Filemanager http://freshmeat.net/projects/wyofiler/
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