Hello, this is at the same time a question and a marketing opportunity to support Linux Manjaro. Asus announced at the latest Comdex Fall its Asus Zenbook Space Edition in memory of its first appearnce in Space 25 years ago thanks to NASA. Having Linux Ma,jaro working fine on it would be to my point of view a great association, rather than having its features only running Windows.
A few questions about the compatibility:
1/ what about MyAsus features support on Linux ?
2/ what about being able to support the dedicated OLED screen on the cover of the notebook ?
3/ what about the compatibility with external graphics docks (to use external video cards while at the office) ?
That is not up to Manjaro either. If Asus cooperates with the upstream kernel developers, then you would see the fruits of that cooperation percolate down into the various distributions, including Manjaro.
Well with such a reply it means = use Windows and keep Linux into its ghetto … the question is who will hold the problem and have serious discussions with ASUS to make them collaborate = be more proactive than spending time saying that Linux is far far from Windows in terms of desktop / portable computer use. Here is a good marketing opportunity at much more interesting level than unknown Linux PC brands or Pine Phone that only aficionados use … FYI at the end of the 80s when I was one of the founders of IPC Computers we dealt with Microsoft at the same level as Compaq because we did the 1st step to contact them and propose a win-win deal, otherwise nothing would have been done.
If Manjaro were a big corporation with dozens ─ or perhaps even hundreds ─ of developers and lots of money to spend, then such an endeavor would be feasible. But Manjaro is no such thing. It is a community-driven distribution with only a handful of developers, and with a few partnerships with hardware vendors. What you are suggesting is simply not realistic.
Furthermore, the fact that GNU/Linux only has a small market share on the desktop says nothing about its usability.
The desktop market share of GNU/Linux is low simply because of Microsoft’s OEM deals ─ you buy a brand-name computer and it comes with Windows pre-installed. Sometimes the manufacturer even nullifies the warranty if you put anything other on there than the OEM Windows installation it came with, and hardware vendors partaking in this OEM agreement with Microsoft are contractually forbidden from supporting any other operating systems or offering machines without an operating system installed.
The above in mind, most consumers don’t even bother installing GNU/Linux on such a machine, even if only because most consumers have never even heard of GNU/Linux ─ it’s not a commercial platform and it’s not being advertised anywhere ─ just as most people would probably not even manage to install Microsoft Windows on their computers if it didn’t come pre-installed.
And yet, in the server rooms, on mainframes and on supercomputers, GNU/Linux is king, because the professionals know how good it is. It has supplanted almost all proprietary UNIX systems, and it powers more than 80% of the internet, with the *BSDs and still a few proprietary UNIX systems taking up most of the remaining ~20%. Microsoft’s market share on servers is ridiculously low.
And as for that usability, well, I myself have been exclusively running GNU/Linux on my own computers for well over 20 years now, and I have never ─ let me repeat that: never ─ had a need for anything else, least of all Microsoft Windows. I wouldn’t even know how to use Windows, because to me, that whole system just doesn’t make any sense.
FYI when we started IPC Computers in France, we were 7 people we grew up to 250 then sold it as for WIndows vs Linux, the only way to change the physionomy of the market is to work on having preinstalled versions. As Manjaro is a great version, user friendly compared to Arch, based on rolling release, with a great support, it would make it be a perfect candidate. As for Asus or similar companies, compared to the 80s they are now big companies and they can support OSS as far as they find an interest into it … it also means having a budget on their side as far as it makes sense in terms of marketing. Manjaro + KDE have the perfect image for such a deal … Keep in mind too that many public actors as well as countries like China and some others are looking for alternatives facing Windows … maybe a good timing to get out of the Linux ghetto and stop crying when for example Linus Tech Tips says that gaming is not working either under Linux … if nobody does a first step it goes nowhere …
As I have explained higher up already, Manjaro does have a few partnerships with hardware vendors, but these are small-scale, and so is the Manjaro team of developers. Our focus is on quality, not on quantity, and even though there is the Manjaro GmbH ─ which is a separate entity from the Manjaro distribution ─ I doubt that @philm’s ambitions would be so grandiose.
In the end, do not forget that others have gone down this route before. Canonical is a far bigger and by now also older company than Manjaro GmbH, with a lot more money in the bank, and Mark Shuttleworth too has failed in his grandiose ambition to become the third big player alongside Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Tuxedo Computers and Starlabs are continuing to work with Manjaro and sell really great machines with Manjaro preinstalled, at very good price and great configuration.
And did you heard rumors from ASUS that they are willing to support Linux? Maybe they can persuade NVidia to be more friendly regarding the linux drivers for their GPUs too?
An artist friend of mine wanted to marry Claire Danes, it didn’t happen …
Ahm … I think most linux users came to linux from Microsoft and Apple ghettos and actually got amused by that challenge that had nothing to do with hardware vendors partnership.
Knocking on doors can be done by anyone, for whatever genuine reason. Some developers put their eyes on whatever hardware, bought it and start coding whatever support was needed for linux.
As for the models you mentioned, the desktop might just work with whatever linux distribution, while the laptop might lack some features and most likely, in time, will get added to a wiki as this one Laptop/ASUS - ArchWiki
Thx for the link to the Asus ArchWikii that made me discover another site that i didn’t lknow yet https://asus-linux.org/ and seems to be dedicated to improving Linux support on Asus products.
as for WIndows vs Linux, the only way to change the physionomy of the market is to work on having preinstalled versions. As Manjaro is a great version, user friendly compared to Arch, based on rolling release, with a great support, it would make it be a perfect candidate. As for Asus or similar companies, compared to the 80s they are now big companies and they can support OSS as far as they find an interest into it … it also means having a budget on their side as far as it makes sense in terms of marketing. Manjaro + KDE have the perfect image for such a deal … Keep in mind too that many public actors as well as countries like China and some others are looking for alternatives facing Windows … maybe a good timing to get out of the Linux ghetto and stop crying when for example Linus Tech Tips says that gaming is not working either under Linux … if nobody does a first step it goes nowhere …