[Libdlo] Response to questions about longevity...

[James]

First, I need to reconfigure my mailing list options so that I can respond directly to posts instead of "responding" by adding new messages.

Second, I read the latest threads, and it seems as though there is a genuine concern among some of us about whether this thing is going to take off. I suspect strongly that it will -- because this is a great idea, and great ideas (not always) but often do take root. Here is why this is one of the best ideas in computing to come along in quite a while, in my view:

The USB display uses so little power that you can use it with a laptop anywhere, even when you don't have an outlet to plug into. You can literally use it at the beach, on an airplane, or in a car. You can use it on a bus or on a train. The little 7" Mimo and the 9" DoubleSight are two tiny products with great potential. Yes, it's true that if you have a Windows laptop, it's easier to use it -- but with the growing interest in Linux, that will change.

It's really that simple. And with mounting public support for Ubuntu in particular, I believe that the USB monitor system will not only become the defacto standard for extended desktops -- I believe that it will replace the VGA monitor. This is especially true now that USB 3.0 is well-nigh on its way, and will make the USB system an extremely attractive way to add peripherals to your computer. USB 3.0 promises to be the fastest bus on the planet -- rivaled perhaps only by memory, and by the CPU itself.

I love my little DoubleSight monitor. For me, using this has made it possible for me to put together a system that will, one day soon, be able to run entirely from batteries. And this is a system that technically is a desktop, but the mainboard and other peripherals will draw so little current that it will run for hours on a single charge. Try that with a VGA monitor, even the type connected directly to your laptop, and you will see why this is such a great thing.

Ubuntu got a major shot in the arm because (at least, as far as I know) it got picked up by Dell for their little Dell Mini netbooks. And I have seen a lot more interest in Linux ever since. Especially in these economic conditions, most of us need to save money. The cost of buying and implementing a USB monitor makes it worthwhile.

So -- those are my two cents. Tell EVERYONE within earshot about DisplayLink. No, they don't pay me to talk them up -- believe me when I say that I'm actually a bit miffed at them for not releasing their own Linux drivers, and for not being more involved in their development now. But if we want for the public to get behind this, then we need to become "DisplayLink advocates."

Enjoy.

James
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