[Desktop_architects] The reason Adobe does not want to port Photoshop?

Jeremy White jwhite at codeweavers.com
Thu Oct 12 05:54:36 PDT 2006


> If I understand correctly the main problem is not the development itself but 
> rather issues around deployment, correct?

Well, the main problem is market size.  If there
was a huge market, ISVs would bitch and moan and gripe (like me :-/),
but they'd overcome the challenges and make Linux Desktop products.

But I think you anticipated my rant correctly - the big problem
I've having right now is around deployment.  We're in the process
of essentially doubling our already oversized Linux test bed to include 64 bit distros,
and that's just grating on my nerves.

We're trying to do a simultaneous release of a product for the Mac
and for Linux.  For the Mac it's pretty easy; we have a variety
of Macs for testing just to be safe, but the truth is, once it
works reliably on one Mac, we're pretty certain it'll work on all others.
And a developer with a Mac Pro can reliably support a user with
a MacBook.

For Linux I have all these many multiple flavors (doubled by 64 bit ness),
and I have no certainty that having it work on one will mean it works
on all, so I literally have to run test grids with complex spread
sheets, and even then I still suspect I'm doing no better than about
75% 'real user' coverage.  Now I admit that Wine is a worst case;
most 'normal' applications don't suffer as badly from things like
SELinux changes as we do.  But all apps suffer from the difficulty
in making a menu...  And a developer with Debian and KDE has a
hard time supporting someone with Fedora Core 5 (64 bit) and Gnome.

Now that diversity is not a bad thing in of itself; part of the power of
the Linux Desktop is the whole vibrant ecosystem.  I, personally,
am tickled that I have the choice to run XFCE, for example.  And
in my most forgiving days I think I can be grudglingly persuaded
that Red Hat is learning interesting things with SE Linux.

We just have to be aware that there is a negative side to
that sharp edge, and agree with and support developers that
are trying to overcome the problems it creates.

> 
> 
>>   And all that for a market full of people who would really rather
>>     your product was Free, and in the final analysis, are rather
>>     reluctant to part with cold, hard, cash.
> 
> 
> I disagree on this one. The all-for-free concept is pretty much the current 
> consumer mantra, the people who are part of the Linux market are just more 
> vocal, people from other markets just pirate silently.

Yes, I should retract that.  That was mean spirited of me, and wrong.
We've in fact been supported for years by the generosity of Linux users
who can get Wine for free and still choose to send us their money anyway.

We've been discussing lately around our office how you can have 99 people
write nice things to you, and 1 person write a diatribe - and it's
the diatribe you remember, not the nice things.  I fell victim to that;
I'm sorry to all of the great 99 of you that have been supportive.

Cheers,

Jeremy



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