The Importance of Fitting In

"Last week we took a look at proprietary software and how its integration might affect the Linux desktop. Is it good, bad, or somewhere in between?

"There are several reasons why proprietary software might be useful to the Linux desktop. People are used to the way it works, it could support proprietary data formats better, it might simply work better.

"Why is this an issue? Because if we want users to make the move to free software like the Linux desktop, then we should try and make it as easy as possible.

"Linux is gaining in popularity every day. So is solid, open software it strength, or the ability to integrate into the existing Windows monopoly? Perhaps it’s a bit of both."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Dear Netflix(Jan 28, 2010)
• What Would Life Be Like Without Windows?(Jan 28, 2010)
• Why Microsoft Suddenly Wanted to Be More Interoperable(Jan 25, 2010)
• Health Check: Moonlight(Jan 20, 2010)
• The rising importance of cross-platform applications(Jan 19, 2010)
• Dedication to Open Source and Open Standards Threatened in Leaked EU EIF Document(Jan 08, 2010)
• The EU and Microsoft Settle Browser Issue; Interoperability with FOSS Still a Problem(Dec 17, 2009)
• Officeshots: making ODF truly interoperable(Dec 03, 2009)