Predictions for 2008 (S5E7)

[Aq]

Do you think we were right about what's going to happen in 2008? If not, what do you think is going to happen? Speak the truth here!

[garwaymatt]

I predict that you will be wrong about some of the predictions

Here are a few I have thought of:

1. There will be an increasing number of device manufacturers using their own customised Distro on their hardware, particulary for mobile Devices. It will be the year of Mobile Linux.

2.Microsoft will make increasing patent threats against the vendors who didn't sign up to their protection racket. They have been quite quiet about this recently.

3. The BBC will not release a true cross platform version of iplayer

4. There will be at least another one 'kick jono in the bollocks' segment, probably over something canonical does.

5.The popularity of Ubuntu amongst hardcore linux geeks will peak, as they will rediscover the delights of Gentoo and suchlike.

6. One of the lugradio team will switch the distro they use permanently .

7. OOXML will have serious difficulties getting ratified as an iso standard.

[R.Smith]

At the risk of playing it safe, my predictions are as follows:

1) GNU/Linux will finally boot natively on the Wii, most likely with the aid of a firmware vulnerability.
2) I second the prediction that more OEMs will start to pre-install GNU/Linux.
3) #2 will result in more specifications being opened and, thus, more Free drivers.
4) KDE4 will not live up to its hype.
5) The init scripts will be replaced by a binary program, like init-ng.

[garwaymatt]

One I forgot from earlier, Hardy will be delayed, like Dapper.

[Allix]

I will be brave and suggest a few.

WOW will support a linux version, it will proberly be bundled with cedega/wine. The fact that its supported will be important for non-technical gamers to feel linux can run mainstream games.

Non-specific to linux but blu-ray/hd-dvd will be forever cracked and therefore linux will be able to play any disc.
This might even persuade the defenders of AACS to give up, and together distros will start releasing blu-ray/hd-dvd isos.

Bigger deployments of linux in the government and schools, one country will suggest odf as a national standard for documents.

[tuxtorials.com]

I'm never to hot on predictions but here goes

1 > Microsoft will release the long awaited Service Pack for Vista that will break the OS in a pretty impressive way, resulting in a massive virus outbreak that will cripple the internet.

2 > Following on from the above, those who bought a PC with Linux preinstalled (and Linux users!) will suffer very little and thus the takeup of Linux will start to rise

3 > Microsoft will panic, and throw a few random IP lawsuits around worrying half the new Linux users to death resulting in them waddling back to Windows.

4 > Somehow, a new company will rise from the SCO ashes

5 > Finally (and somewhat putting myself out on a limb here) the UK Government will embrace Linux in a big way; possibly by using it in their departments as a Desktop or by passing a law making it mandatory for companies to offer a choice of OSs on any PCs that they sell.

That's my two pennies worth anyway!!

Chris

[Drom Kapult]

Here are mine.

1. Novell's "The Linux that works with Windows" campaign will, after it's initial success, fail miserably in turning people on to Suse, causing a 3rd quarter net loss for Novell.

2. There will be less applications in a default Ubuntu install that rely on mono and more that rely on python.

3. Epiphany will be built with the webkit backend on most distros.

4. Wengophone will fix their Linux audio problems but people will still use skype.

5. Linux still won't have any accessibility solution that works and doesn't cause random crashes and glitches.

6. Pidgin will not become more reliable and will be replaced in Ubuntu and other distros by empathy or some other telepathy front end that "just works".

[Mig21]

Begging you pardon, but some of your predictions this year just sucked

The 'concrete' (or whatever you called them) predictions were pretty fuzzy, and what is it with predicting things that have happened already?

For example Walmart is the store in every town, one's your parents shop Or were you talking just about the UK?

[garwaymatt]

I suppose that in the UK, walmart = Tesco and Asda(part of walmart anyway)

These already sell linux pc's:

tesco

Asda sell the EEE, but it has been removed (Sold out?)

These are online, but you can reserve and pick up from the store, so I guess thats halfway there.

[Drinky]

For example Walmart is the store in every town, one's your parents shop Or were you talking just about the UK?

Yes I was talking about the UK. I know Walmart sell Linspire and the Everex gOS PCs in the US, but we don't get those here.

I suppose that in the UK, walmart = Tesco and Asda(part of walmart anyway)

These already sell linux pc's:

tesco

Asda sell the EEE, but it has been removed (Sold out?)

These are online, but you can reserve and pick up from the store, so I guess thats halfway there.

I was talking about Asda/Tesco/PC World/Currys/Dixons etc and specifically that they will be on the shelf, in the store, not just online or in a catalogue. However, I didn't know Asda had been selling the Eee PC. My local Asda didn't. I'm quite impressed by that though. I think pretty much everyone has sold out and are awaiting stock in the UK, though they might have just come back in most places by now. Efficient PC had quite a few I think so maybe they still do.

If you want a meatier prediction:

SCO will be bought by IBM. They will Open Source SCO Unix, thus restoring access to source code of the original AT&T Unix System V lineage of Unix after over 20 years. Linux won't copy anything from it

[Mig21]

SCO will be bought by IBM. They will Open Source SCO Unix, thus restoring access to source code of the original AT&T Unix System V lineage of Unix after over 20 years. Linux won't copy anything from it

Now that's a lugradio-style prediction

[Foaf]

My predictions:

Concrete prediction
Gmail will come out of beta

Bullshit prediction
A LugRadio presenter will become an employee of a high profile FOSS-based company that isn't Canonical(e.g. Mozilla Corporation, RedHat)

[Allix]

SCO will be bought by IBM. They will Open Source SCO Unix, thus restoring access to source code of the original AT&T Unix System V lineage of Unix after over 20 years. Linux won't copy anything from it

[chrisp]

My predictions:

Concrete prediction
Gmail will come out of beta

Bullshit prediction
A LugRadio presenter will become an employee of a high profile FOSS-based company that isn't Canonical(e.g. Mozilla Corporation, RedHat)

If redhat are listening I can be contacted at ....

One of my other predictions (that was rejected due to dullness) was that Redhat will become a billion dollar turnover corporation.

I was also going to predict Cannonical making a profit and my experimental porcine aviation project succeeding, but you have to trump me in the yeah-right stakes with gmail coming out of beta

[tuxtorials.com]

Bullshit Prediction
Microsoft will Open Source it's entire range of titles