[linux-audio-user] Attracting more Linux audio developers

[Brad Fuller]

Ivica Ico Bukvic wrote:
>> bounty to persuade them. slowly, people are going to realize that
>> windows is a dead end. sometimes all you have to do is wait, and help
> 
> <rant>
> Actually, realization will be a rather quick once Vista spreads and it turns
> out to be ridden with the same security issues XP had 5 years go. Now,
> average user may not care/understand this much (likely they will probably
> continue believing in the motto "reboot/crash a day keeps bugs at bay"), but
> for developers, it will be a no-brainer.
> 
> OTOH, given that Linux market has actually shrunk over the past few years,
> and we are yet to return to the market cap of our micro-Renaissance of the
> 2000/1, the lack of the critical mass/paying customers will likely be a
> deterrent to the aforesaid migration from commercial developer perspective. 
> 
> All that being said, Universities have and will continue to be bastions of
> Linux and if my recent meetings are any indication, at least as far as
> Virginia Tech is concerned, its adoption in education sector will continue
> to grow exponentially...
> </rant>
> 
> Ico
> 

Developers will be drawn to where the money is, unless it's a love. And, 
that's MAC and Windows right now. I seriously doubt that is going to 
change with Vista and the problems that may come with it. Problems are 
just something to be solved. Developers need to eat and since the vast 
majority of OSs out there are MAC and Windows, they'll stay there. It's 
a numbers and survival game.

I see more interest in developer tools that can author the application 
in one environment and deploy to several. That is until the OS 
completely goes away - which will be some time from now ;-)

It is interesting that universities are moving more and more to Linux 
and other FOSS. In the long run, this might turn out to be a tactic that 
eventually infiltrates Linux into homes and to creators of music and 
other art because of their exposure in school. I don't know how 
successful Apple was with it's education initiative in the past. I heard 
that it was successful a number of years ago. But, I see High Schools 
with PCs, not MACs (though, I don't have the real numbers, just a 
personal observation.)

-- 
brad fuller
  http://www.Sonaural.com/
  +1 (408) 799-6124