Just recently, OSDL DTL conducted a survey regarding the acceptance of open source and Linux on the desktop. While there were definite biases in the survey (it hit the Ubuntu cycle), the results have been interesting. The top inhibitors of Linux on the desktop were:
Must be able to access ALL web content without major gyrations
Must be able to FULLY run Windows apps
The average user must be able to install and manage their applications
Applications missing from Linux which would enable desktop use are:
Adobe Photoshop
Macromedia flash
Macromedia director
Page Maker
Free Hand
Corel
dbase
AutoCAD
Quicken
(there are others, but these were the main ones)
The concensus was that Linux is great for fixed-use applications like ATMs and airline kiosks. It is good for technical workstations (mainly used by nerds and geeks). And, it is good for transactional workers such as point of sale, bank tellers, etc. Linux is OK as a commercial desktop and it sucks for laptops and mobile professionals (poor power management, wireless, interfaces to mobile devices,...).
The desktop market is not going to be an easy one crack. I must say that I agree with most of the comments that innovation in the desktop space will win over any attempts to copy MS. Linux has been playing catchup in the desktop space for too long. Both innovation in the desktop and killer apps are needed to move grandma off of her Windows machine.
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Applications missing from Linux which would enable desktop use are:
The concensus was that Linux is great for fixed-use applications like ATMs and airline kiosks. It is good for technical workstations (mainly used by nerds and geeks). And, it is good for transactional workers such as point of sale, bank tellers, etc. Linux is OK as a commercial desktop and it sucks for laptops and mobile professionals (poor power management, wireless, interfaces to mobile devices,
Check out the full survey results at:
http://www.zoomerang.com/reports/public_report.zg
Essay responses in the survey can be seen at:
http://developer.osdl.org/cherry/dtl/survey-repor
The desktop market is not going to be an easy one crack. I must say that I agree with most of the comments that innovation in the desktop space will win over any attempts to copy MS. Linux has been playing catchup in the desktop space for too long. Both innovation in the desktop and killer apps are needed to move grandma off of her Windows machine.