Samsung is Bringing Linux Desktop to DeX … What About Windows?
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 19, 2017
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115
Samsung announced today that it is bringing a Linux desktop environment to its Continuum-like DeX docking solution for the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8.
“Although it’s in trial phase, Linux on Galaxy is our innovative solution to bring the Linux experience on PC to mobile, and then further onto a larger display with Samsung DeX,” an uncredited Samsung blog post reads. “Now developers can code using their mobile on-the-go and seamlessly continue the task on a larger display with Samsung DeX.”
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So that rationale for bringing Linux to DeX doesn’t ring true to me: The market of potential customers who are both Linux developers and Samsung enthusiasts must be very small. And that leads me to speculate that this move is, in fact, about something much bigger. Something that starts with “W” and ends in “indows.” Think about it: Windows Mobile has failed. What if Windows 10 (on ARM) came to Galaxy DeX?
So that is interesting. But let’s focus for now on what Samsung is actually doing. Which is … bringing Linux to DeX. For some reason.
If I had to guess—and I do—the issue is that the native DeX environment is semi-useless because it just lets you stretch standard Android apps out to bigger sizes, and interact with them using a keyboard and mouse on a PC display. There’s just not a lot going on there.
So Linux is coming soon? And … Windows? I bet it happens.
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Conversation 115 comments
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shameermulji
<blockquote><a href="#208730"><em>In reply to Mark from CO:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Great point, and agree. In the Android world, Samsung and Huawei are the only two device makers with any semblence of brand cachet. There's Google Pixel as well but those devices don't sell anywhere near on the scale of the other two major brands.</p><p><br></p><p>"<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> And that leads me to speculate that this move is, in fact, about something much bigger. Something that starts with “W” and ends in “indows.” Think about it: Windows Mobile has failed. What if Windows 10 (on ARM) came to Galaxy DeX?"</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">This is what MS' Surface team should be working on => a mobile / phone device showcasing the power of Windows on ARM. Why leave it to someone else?</span></p>
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Bats
<p>What about Windows? Doubt it.</p><p><br></p><p>I would imagine that it would be absolutely doubtful that Samsung would work to put Windows on DeX, unless they have a deal with Microsoft to do it. We are talking about licenses and monies…it'll just get messy. LOL…not worth it.</p><p><br></p><p>Linux is easier, because it's free, open source, and Samsung havs a lot of software engineers and developers to customize the OS to fit Samsung's needs.</p><p><br></p><p>It's also worth nothing that Paul Thurrott does not know Samsung and their mobile business. Samsung is not about working with companies, they are about beating them. If Samsung had their way, they would break free from Android and use nothing but their Tizen OS. They never market their Galaxy phones as Android, but rather a product by itself to go up against Apple. </p><p><br></p><p>Furthermore, like I have been saying for years….Windows is only an operating system. What benefit can one get for putting it on a phone and thus the desktop? No one cares about the operating system. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft should be very very scared of Samsung here. We are talking about another invastion to the desktop space in addition to ChromeOS. Not just that, but with Samsung highly promoting Bixby, I can see where Samsung is going here. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208833"><em>In reply to offTheRecord:</em></a></blockquote><p>These days "runs on pretty much everything" mostly consists of x86/X64 or ARM. But from a user's perspective the portability of a kernel isn't the only consideration, it's the portability of the entire OS and the applications you want to use. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208756"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>The mere existence of WSL doesn't imply that "there are a lot of developers who use Windows but don't use Visual Studio". There are many different questions that would need to be asked about how WSL is used or not used to understand what's happening, but all of the answers require hard numbers as input which we don't have. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208852"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>"You really believe WSL isn't MSFT responding to a perceived need?"</p><p><br></p><p>It's hard to determine MS's motivations. I'm not sure how MS would know what percentage of Windows PCs were using these tools. One could speculate that MS's emphasis on HTML for creating Metro apps was a response to a perceived need but look at how that turned out. I would imagine that people who were deciding between Azure and AWS were savvy enough to realize that the availability of a Linux subsystem on Windows clients wasn't relevant to Azure capabilities. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#209122"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>"WSL exists to maintain the Windows license revenue stream even from people who really don't need to run Windows."</p><p><br></p><p>That would be somewhat irrational behavior on people's part to buy an OS they don't need particularly people who want to use Linux tools when they are almost all tech-savvy. I think the idea that people were abandoning Windows just because it didn't support Linux tools is just pure speculation. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#209198"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>I would hardly expect WSL's capabilities to be a superset of Linux as host OS.</p><p><br></p><p>I would speculate that the younger devs at MS were indoctrinated (err educated) with the open source philosophy and the praise of Linux in college. In other words, they may have just wanted to use the same tools as the "cool kids". They work at MS, but do they really embrace Windows? Who knows?</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#209206"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>Your characterization, not mine. I'd call the Wix installer a Garage project gone wild. </p>
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dontbe evil
<p>How put windows in an android phone??? They should make a windows phone first</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208836"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yes, but also because people "with large monitors, keyboards and mice" already had a more cost-effective way to run Windows desktop software. </p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208856"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>I'd imagine in a hypothetical scenario where Linux was available through a docked phone that most people using it would already be Linux users so a significant increase in Linux use seems unlikely.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208821"><em>In reply to c.hucklebridge:</em></a></blockquote><p>Continuum was just a solution in search of a problem. Even if it could have run all Windows apps when docked, it still would not have been a cost competitive way to achieve that functionality. </p>
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dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#208809"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I was talking just from a technical point of view</p><p><br></p><p>p.s.</p><p>windows phone doesn't mean windows phone/mobile os … could be also a windows on ARM phone, in theory</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208970"><em>In reply to dontbe_evil:</em></a></blockquote><p>The problem with a Windows on ARM phone is that it would still be a small screen device that isn't suitable for running desktop programs. The problem with such a phone with a Continuum-like capability is that it's a tethered approach that requires more peripheral equipment than a desktop PC. </p>
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skane2600
<p>I think all of these schemes regardless of what OS is targeted are pointless. Not a suitable experience on a phone and (at best) just a more expensive way to run on a monitor through a docking station.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208911"><em>In reply to JG1170:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Microsoft was first to realize that a dumbed-down, safer, simpler Desktop interface/platform was needed"</p><p><br></p><p>I don't know if that was MS's motivation with RT, but so far the market hasn't shown any great interest in a "dumbed-down, safer, simpler Desktop interface/platform ". Chromebooks are the closest to the characteristics you describe but still have only a tiny share of the market. The Chromebook market is primarily primary and secondary education where the need for a "locked-down" device is more attractive than it has been for the market in general.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208828"><em>In reply to JG1170:</em></a></blockquote><p>Orders of magnitude more "normal" people use Windows than do savvy tech people. If Samsung makes stand-alone DeX computers their relationship to the overall desktop market will be about the same as the Essential Phone's relationship to the smartphone market.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208839"><em>In reply to JG1170:</em></a></blockquote><p>And how would you know why most people use Windows and how they fell about it? When you make vast generalizations without any evidence to back it up you only weaken your argument.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#208962"><em>In reply to Cihilt:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Windows is a piece of junk , everyone that uses Linux knows this."</p><p><br></p><p>While it's easy to believe that most people that chose desktop Linux prefer it over the OS's they didn't choose, saying "everyone" is bit bold. In any case, "everyone" in this context is still a very small percentage of computer users.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#209112"><em>In reply to lilmoe:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>"Office? It's already available on DeX."</p><p><br></p><p>The full version of MS Office doesn't run on Android.</p><p><br></p><p>"A developer community that is largely ignored by the consumer space"</p><p><br></p><p>Why should a developer community care about using tools in the consumer space, particularly in the case of Linux which really isn't a consumer space product?</p><p><br></p><p>"Rich UI"</p><p>Another undefined generality like "modern" and "sleek". </p><p><br></p><p>"DeX is a HUGE threat."</p><p><br></p><p>Dex's current market share makes Windows Phone look like a sales winner. It's an accessory to a couple of high-end smartphones by one smartphone maker. Let's evaluate again when its usage gets above the noise level. </p><p><br></p><p>"If they manage to make their Linux implementation a viable consumer oriented platform, which I believe they will (with the help of their hardware expertise and a massive Linux community), then we'll have a serious contender here. They are the most qualified to pull this off. This is desktop Linux's golden chance to break into the consumer market."</p><p><br></p><p>Here's the problem: The "massive Linux community" isn't interested in creating a specific vendor's implementation as the "winner". If they did, they would have done it long ago. Samsung is a decent company but they might as well be Jon Snow when it comes to creating a desktop OS. </p>