64 bits and ESR and world domination in 2008

[Ashley Aitken]

Hi David (et al.),

On 12/01/2007, at 12:53 PM, David Cake wrote:

> - Apple has the best 64 bit OS now, and this is likely to continue.  
> This isn't news, but its news that even the Alpha Linux nerds think  
> so.

Well, it's news to me.  I knew Apple had a 64 bit OS, of course, but  
not that it was considered the best 64 bit OS (according to some  
reasonable measure).

> - he sees the hardest obstacle to making Linux a desktop OS choice  
> for the mainstream as being iTunes. He's got a point, hasn't he? We  
> expect media integration in a consumer OS, and we expect plenty of  
> it, and open source is currently constrained, for legal not  
> technical reasons, from delivering a lot of that in a way  
> accessible to non-geeks.

That is a significant point.  Personally, I would even go as far as  
saying that it represents the end of any real chance for the "Linux  
on the desktop" movement.

As we move from just music to shows and movies the DRM in iTunes'  
content restricts us to Macs or PCs, and the DRM in Zune's content  
restricts them to Windows (I assume).

Of course, there will still be Linux users and they (the "Linux on  
the desktop" movement) won't give up overnight but I think they are  
fighting a losing battle (for sure now, if not in the past).

I guess we are seeing more of the extent of the implications of DRM  
now, as others have preached, e.g. they decide on the platforms where  
things happen.

Does OpenDRM [1] make sense?  I can't see (or even imagine) Richard  
Stallman (GPL3) negotiating a deal with the music and movie studios  
to get their content on OpenDRM :-)

Cheers,
Ashley.

PS I have nothing against Linux, and I'm a Unix user from way back ...

[1]  I thought I was making that up but now, having googled, I see  
there is an OpenDRM from Sun or someone else ...

--
Ashley Aitken
Perth, Western Australia
mrhatken at mac dot com
Skype Name: MrHatken (GMT + 8 Hours!)