"For those still waiting for the year of the Linux "desktop," I
regret to inform you that it has already come and gone.
"Through the efforts of the open-source community, in
conjunction with independent hardware and software vendors, as well
as Web developers, Linux is well beyond its toddler years and is
almost past its rebellious teenage years. Did you notice?
"For many people, the answer is "no." I, for example, have been
a Mac user since 2002 and haven't touched Windows for more than
five minutes at a time since then. I've also not necessarily been
the biggest advocate for desktop Linux over the years, with RedMonk
analyst Stephen O'Grady pummeling me for my ignorance.
"But in my new role at Canonical, I've switched to using Ubuntu
on my Lenovo ThinkPad X200s and have found Linux comfortably
routine. Like my Mac, it just works--no drama with day-to-day
Internet activities like e-mail, Web browsing, IM, Twitter. It lets
me do all the things I used to do, and still largely with the same
applications I used on my Mac."