[ Thanks to LogError for this link.
]
From the Michael Schwarz interview:
“In your opinion, where does Linux need the most software
development at the moment?“Simple answer: ‘It depends.’ It depends upon what you want
Linux to become. I remember the progression: ‘It’s a toy. No one
will ever use it.’ ‘It’s a niche OS. Unix programmers will use it
to develop from home. No one will ever run anything on it in
production.’ ‘It’s a server OS. No one will ever use it on the
desktop.’ Well, I use it on the desktop. Many say it is in ‘desktop
friendliness’ that ‘Linux,’ meaning Linux and all its associated
software, needs the most work. I’m not so sure. Unless the
Microsoft stranglehold on the OEM channel is well and truly broken,
I’m not sure we need the bulk of developers working on desktop
issues. I’d say that keeping up with hardware is a first, best
effort. Standards compliance is always nice. Improving the printing
infrastructure (which has always been a Unix problem) always helps,
although great strides have been made lately. I hate to say it, but
keeping up with .NET is important. If we want Linux to thrive, we
have to interoperate with the operating system whose name shall
remain Windows. Remember that the fact that Samba was a better NT
than NT was a big part of Linux’s uptake in IT shops. Otherwise,
the natural interests of the programmers who work on Linux seem to
do a good job of directing development efforts.“Oh, yes. If you really want Linux to dominate the desktop, it
has to run GAMES. The same 3D games as people go nuts over on the
other platform. Now, do I think this is where we should go? No. If
you want games, buy a PS2 or a Gamecube. Still…”