'New Media' Operating System

[Pauly]

I've heard talk about Linux teaming up with 'Lotus' (IBM Division) to create a new media operating system. Supposedly the operating system will not be released until there is enough compatibile software to release to cater for its users. They are claiming it will be 99% error free where as Microsoft can only boast a mere 72%.

I haven't seen anything official on this yet and I could of been mislead, but if anyone has a link to a news report or anything please let me know :)

[the_pm]

Sounds like Lindows to me. Very stable. Very fast. Very select few applications work on it. Until they can bridge the gap to Windows/Mac or convince software manufacturers to support the OS, I am and will remain unimpressed by such efforts.

[Dan]

The thing that gets me is: how easy it is to make it user-friendly.

All you need is a one-click install, a very dumbed-down interface, and pre-installed software.

Linux already does this, but still can't just accept the fact that it will either be technical or sell, you can't have both..

Feel free to kick me if this is too OT. :)

[ethicaldesign]

A little off topic (but kind of related), I came across this recently:

http://www.yellowtab.com/

They've taken up development of BEOS (an operating system that I always thought had a lot of potential, and was sad to see flop). This looks like it might be quite promising. A brief history of beos nd how they've taken over development can be found: http://www.yellowtab.com/company/history.php

[BigBison]

Yeah, I like BEOS too. It's interesting to note the resurgent popularity of the Amiga platform, now that there are new clones available. As to IBM and a new consumer OS, hope they don't cave like they did the last time. Anybody remember OS/2 Warp? What was wrong with it? It was pulled from the market because it was considered a commercial failure. This, despite a massive, well-regarded advertising campaign (Remember the nuns? Some of the best spots ever.) that managed to sell 5 million copies of the OS within the first three months of release. Deemed a failure and discontinued. If that was a failure back then, how many copies would a new consumer OS have to sell to be taken seriously now? This is why, despite my enthusiasm for competing OSes, I don't think Windows is going anywhere for a long time.