Jack Wallen: What's the biggest difference in Linux today vs. Linux of 10 years ago?
Matthew Miller thinks we need to start with the ubiquity. Ten years ago, it was cute to find a TV that ran Linux. You probably have Linux running on your lightbulbs, because it definitely powers your TV. It is everywhere. Ten years ago Windows-based server were pushing back against Linux. The cloud is almost completely Linux now. Anything that isn't a legacy app is too much trouble to port. From tiny devices to the most powerful mainframes and supercomputers.
Jack Wallen wonders if Linux has an "Achilles heel".
The rise of the internet as an open communication platform led to the growth of the free and open-source software movement. We need that to continue in order to realize our vision, and I don't think we can take it for granted.
One thing that I think is troubling is the fact that Chrome is often the only way to make sites work. The upstream project is open source, but not a community project, and very few people run it themselves. I would love to see that change, but I would also like to see Firefox return to its former glory.
Miller also said Fedora's next release is focused on simplicity. ("When the OS gets in the way, it drops from the conversation I want to have about big ideas to ... well, the boring technical details that people never want to deal with") And he also shared his thoughts on what Linux needs most. "What I'd really like to see more of are more non-technical contributors. I mean, yes, we can always benefit from more packagers and coders and engineers, but I think what we really need desperately are writers, designers, artists, videographers, communicators, organizers and planners. I don't think big companies are likely to provide those things, at least, not for the parts of the Linux world which aren't their products." "We need people who think the whole grand project I've been talking about is important, and who have the skills and interests to help make it real."
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