What's Holding Linux Back?

Appealing to Enthusiasts and Gamers

This is a very tough issue and frankly, not one I'm so sure that Linux need worry about. Microsoft has spent years trying to make the PC a gamers dream, but they have failed time and time again. It seems as though Windows XP may help, but there is the fundamental issue of keeping a machine stable and secure while still providing gamers, who may have a great deal of disposable income, with a good experience. With the unfortunate failure of Loki Software, gaming on Linux has taken a fairly serious blow. It is not that Linux is not capable of being an effective gaming platform, but some key issues need to be settled first, and some additional industry support must be sought out.

The issues mentioned most often are the lack of definitive standards for accessing system hardware and the lack of a single windows management system. I am not sure if some type of "Direct X" solution would be worth doing on the Linux side, what with all the trouble it has caused on the PC side, but surely there must be a way to come to some form of agreement in the Linux community. Personally, I have been a fan of KDE from early on, much more so than Gnome, and with the serious increase in KDE functionality, stability, planning and execution, I think they have the momentum needed to fully eclipse all other potential environments. I believe the adoption of a single, core desktop environment, like KDE, could go a long way to showing the industry that Linux has its act together and is very well supported by the masses.

The Linux community could work with the KDE group to ensure that key technologies are implemented consistently. They could work with vendors to ensure that a standardized set of development tools were folded into the KDE environment. They could help to develop application suites not only for gamers, but enthusiasts as well. Multimedia mixers, recorders and overlay applications could be developed that supported the full range of audio capabilities in modern hardware. Just as KDE is working to build a basic Office Suite to serve the needs of consumers, others can work with them to build a Multimedia suite that handles MIDI, DVD and digital audio mastering in a robust and professional way. MP3's are just a small part of the picture, which could include standardized video capturing and editing suites, multi-channel studio mixing applications and more.