Linux.com: The Portland Project: No Silver Bullet for Hairy Problem of Multiple Desktops

"When OSDL announced the first release of its Portland initiative at LinuxWorld Boston in April, heralding it 'a breakthrough in desktop Linux,' I muttered my skepticism to a co-worker. He expressed surprise at my reaction, noting that the initiative employs extremely smart people. I don't doubt their intelligence, or their sincerity, but I wouldn't bet a penny on the project living up to its initial claim, because you can't conjure a silver bullet out of intelligence and sincerity.

"The Portland project is an effort to unify the Linux desktop by specifying and implementing a common set of APIs that all applications can use, and by supplying tools to assist application developers. Its primary target is third-party independent software vendors (ISV), a group that the Portland project leaders describe as interested in deploying software on Linux, but held back by the fractious dueling-desktop-environment mess..."

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Related Stories:

• SearchOpenSource: OSDL and the Linux Desktop: The Road Ahead(Aug 21, 2006)
• The Register: Desktop Linux Relies on the Kindness of Strangers(Jun 28, 2006)
• DesktopLinux: What's Next For the Portland Project(May 26, 2006)
• DesktopLinux: Bettering the Linux Desktop--Portland Progress(May 10, 2006)