I bought into the Apple change and got my wife a Macbook this year. Honestly, it's just about the same to her as Windows. She doesn't care so long as it works. Her complaint is that files aren't always compatible between her and work - the same complaint Apple has always had against it.
Meanwhile I've been using Linux on the servers for 8 years, with Redhat and then Fedora. This year I switched the desktop (dual-booting Ubuntu/Windows). I use Windows less and less, but I prefer Linux (Gnome/Ubuntu). I'm switching my servers to Ubuntu too, so I can dev, compile and unit test on my workstation. It's pretty nice! Changing to Debian-mode is a little irritating but they're 98% the same.
The US isn't ready for Linux on the desktop but it's getting closer. Slow adoption of Vista is a huge blow to Microsoft, and a boon to Apple and Linux. Agree or not Ubuntu caught on at just the right time, and they really got it right.
Apple should have focused on their new OS being on time, but I guess they're too busy moving wheelbarrows full of iPhone cash right now to care too much.
In short - is this the year of Linux on the desktop? No. But it's the year Apple and Linux gain a big market share. Consider even 2% is pretty huge for a single year.
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I bought into the Apple change and got my wife a Macbook this year. Honestly, it's just about the same to her as Windows. She doesn't care so long as it works. Her complaint is that files aren't always compatible between her and work - the same complaint Apple has always had against it. Meanwhile I've been using Linux on the servers for 8 years, with Redhat and then Fedora. This year I switched the desktop (dual-booting Ubuntu/Windows). I use Windows less and less, but I prefer Linux (Gnome/Ubuntu). I'm switching my servers to Ubuntu too, so I can dev, compile and unit test on my workstation. It's pretty nice! Changing to Debian-mode is a little irritating but they're 98% the same. The US isn't ready for Linux on the desktop but it's getting closer. Slow adoption of Vista is a huge blow to Microsoft, and a boon to Apple and Linux. Agree or not Ubuntu caught on at just the right time, and they really got it right. Apple should have focused on their new OS being on time, but I guess they're too busy moving wheelbarrows full of iPhone cash right now to care too much. In short - is this the year of Linux on the desktop? No. But it's the year Apple and Linux gain a big market share. Consider even 2% is pretty huge for a single year.