Linux Magazine: Waiting for the Year of the Linux Desktop

“Can Linux cut it on the desktop? That was the question Linux
Magazine asked its readers three years ago, promoting an interview
with Corel Software CEO Michael Cowpland. At the time, Corel wasn’t
alone in making a play for the desktop PC. Other companies, for
example Eazel and games maker Loki Software, built their businesses
around what they saw as a promising Linux desktop market. But all
of them were wrong.

“Three years later, Corel is out of the Linux business, its
former CEO hounded by Canadian securities regulators, and Eazel and
Loki have gone belly up. With less customer shipments than the
Macintosh, the Linux desktop remains a minority player.

“And yet, the Linux desktop dream seems closer to reality than
ever before. In fact, the resurgence of interest in client-side
Linux might just be one of the big stories of 2003. Red Hat–which
two years ago seemed to be moving out of the Linux desktop
business–is readying an enterprise desktop offering, as is its
rival, SuSE, and, most intriguing of all, so is Sun
Microsystems…”

Complete
Story