Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Are there any things in Linux that need to be started over from scratch? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 6 months ago by sepulcher@lemmy.ca to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I'm curious how software can be created and evolve over time. I'm afraid that at some point, we'll realize there are issues with the software we're using that can only be remedied by massive changes or a complete rewrite.

Are there any instances of this happening? Where something is designed with a flaw that doesn't get realized until much later, necessitating scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch?

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[–] gnuhaut@lemmy.ml 30 points 6 months ago (12 children)

GUI toolkits like Qt and Gtk. I can't tell you how to do it better, but something is definitely wrong with the standard class hierarchy framework model these things adhere to. Someday someone will figure out a better way to write GUIs (or maybe that already exists and I'm unaware) and that new approach will take over eventually, and all the GUI toolkits will have to be scrapped or rewritten completely.

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Desktop apps nowadays are mostly written in HTML with Electron anyway.

[–] jmbreuer@lemmy.ml 25 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Which - in my considered opinion - makes them so much worse.

Is it because writing native UI on all current systems I'm aware of is still worse than in the times of NeXTStep with Interface Builder, Objective C, and their class libraries?

And/or is it because it allows (perceived) lower-cost "web developers" to be tasked with "native" client UI?

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Probably mainly a matter of saving costs, you get a web interface and a standalone app from one codebase.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 months ago

and a mobile app sometimes

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Are you aware of macOS? Because it is still built with the same UI tools that you mention.

[–] jmbreuer@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

Aware, yes. Interested, no - closed source philosophy, and the way Apple implements it specifically, turn me off hard.

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