subject: Current Disadvantages That Linux Is Facing - Can These Problems Really Be Fixed? [print this page] Linux has come quite a long way since it first came out in the early 90's. It has come to the point today that millions of people choose to use it as their desktop operating system of choice as well as many governments and schools around the world. There are some disadvantages that Linux is currently facing some of which might not have an immediate or even a long-term solution.
The first disadvantage is hardware. Some companies who make hardware keep their drivers closed source. This means that they do not let anyone see the code to make the drivers of the hardware. With Windows they will work and make sure the drivers work, but will not let the Linux developers make their hardware work with the operating system. Since it is their hardware, they have every right to keep it proprietary so some things just might never work because they do not want it to.
Another issue is DRM or digital rights management. This is where a company puts restrictions on digital media. Many of these work exclusively with Windows or in some cases Mac software only. It is impossible to get some versions of DRM to work on Linux because they are programmed to only work on Windows. If the companies were willing to work with Linux, this could be opened up to work with it, but they would rather have it closed to keep more control.
There will always be the issue of a company not wanting to share and be open with certain applications and hardware. Some business models need this type of protection to separate themselves from competitors. If you want to use Linux, some due diligence might be needed before buying new hardware or media to make sure the company is Linux friendly. In many cases, this is no different than making sure it's Mac friendly if on OSX.
