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Why Desktop Linux Hasn't Taken Off

Posted by samzenpus on from the let-the-flaming-begin dept.

alphadogg writes "It's free, easier to use than ever, IT staffers know it and love it, and it has fewer viruses and Trojans than Windows. So, why hasn't Linux on the desktop taken off? When it comes to desktop Linux, the cost savings turn out to be problematic, there are management issues, and compatibility remains an issue. 'We get a lot more questions about switching to Macs than switching to Linux at this point, even though Macs are more expensive,' one Gartner analyst says."

2 of 1,264 comments (clear)

  1. Linux has won in my household. by dougmc · · Score: 5, Informative

    Let's see ... there's four Windows desktops and laptops and one Linux desktop/server in my household in common use.

    But looking at other systems ...

    Three Kindle Fires, running Android (Linux).
    Two original Nooks, running Android (Linux).
    Two smart phones, one running Android (Linux) and one is an iPhone (not Linux.)
    One Boxee Box, running Linux.
    One Chumby alarm clock, running Linux.
    I'm not sure, but the cable company provided DVR might run Linux. (The DirectTV Tivo I had previously certainly did.)

    In my household, it seems that Linux has already won. Just not on the desktop.

  2. Did anybody read the article? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This article is based on estimates from Gartner. They are both biased and ill informed. From the article:
    __________
    In addition, the free versions of Linux are only supported with free fixes for about a year, says Michael Silver, an analyst with Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner group. "You have to switch to the new version of Linux every year," he says. "Microsoft supports each version of Windows for ten years -- I don't have to pay any more money, and I still get security fixes. Even vendors that do offer extended security fixes for Linux, like Novell or Red Hat, they're going to charge every year for the privilege."
    __________

    The claims made by the analyst are simply false.

    The bottom line is that the desktop form factor is in rapid decline. Tablets and phones are eating away at them. In addition, most stores do not offer Linux preinstalled. The consumer, a mindless sheep, uses whatever is placed in front of them.

    The article is both a non-starter, and old news. What is the premise, other than FUD? Do they really think that Linux users will abandon their cherished operating system because they are at "2%" market share? No, the article is to put pressure on IT shops and software companies to abandon their Linux efforts.