"I have a problem with the question "Is Linux ready for
the desktop?" It's become the basis for many fierce debates, both
within and without the open source/free software communities. Often
accepted as an article of faith amongst the debaters is the
requirement that the mythical "Joe Sixpack" be comfortable using
Linux in order to warrant an affirmative. I say hogwash to both.
The question is bogus. The article of faith is lame. Forget Joe
Sixpack. The only question you need to ponder is the one over which
you have some control: Are you ready for Linux on your desktop(s)?
Think about it. Who is this Joe Sixpack, and what gives him such
magical powers? Why is it that when -- or if -- GNU/Linux is
suitable for his desktop it will be for everyone's desktop? Are you
personally linked at the hip to Mr. Sixpack in such a way that you
follow his choice in desktops without question? Sort of silly,
isn't it.
The real war is over Linux on your desktop. It is a war of
attrition, not a cataclysmic Armageddon. Every day more users are
finding a Linux desktop -- whether Red Hat, Debian, or whatever --
to their liking. Not because Joe Sixpack likes it, but because it
offers more performance, stability, and security for the money. It
does the job. It works. True, the Linux successes in the real war
come by the ones or twos. They have been overshadowed by the
phenomenal rise of popularity of Linux in the server space. But
they are happening."
"Another year has gone by--an eternity in
software-development terms--and it's time once again for PC users
to ask themselves: Is Linux ready for the desktop?
A few recent factors may set off this line of thinking,
including the hostile reaction to restrictive new software licence
terms from Microsoft and new developments in the Linux world. But
experts say there are a number of factors aside from the quality of
the software itself that can affect the practicality of making the
switch.
For the past few years, Linux has been riding a wave of hype
that originated in the middle of the dot-com boom, and had to do
with the surprisingly quick penetration of the open-source
operating system into the Web server market. The hype has
disappeared, and taken many open-source start-ups along with it,
but Linux evangelists say the case for the operating system is
stronger than ever. "Everybody has been saying that Linux is over
because the dot-com boom is over. But Linux predates the dot-com
hype," said Jacques le Marois, president of French Linux
distributor MandrakeSoft."
"It was a big year for Linux in 2001, from IBM's $1
billion commitment to the introduction of the latest feature-laden
kernel updates.
At vendor Red Hat, 2001 saw the introduction of new Linux
applications including an e-commerce suite, a database, and
operating system versions for the IBM S/390 mainframe and Intel
Itanium processors.
For SuSE Linux, it was a year for further refinement of its
operating system offering and the release of its own new versions
for the S/390 and Itanium.
So what's in store from Red Hat and SuSE, the two major Linux
distribution vendors, in 2002?"
"The end of the year. Traditionally, this is a time to
pause and reflect on the happenings of the old year as well as the
possibilities for the new one. Last year at this time I wrote my
first "crystal ball" piece and made ten predictions for the year
2000. Looking back on them now (the URL is given in Resources),
I'll say that while I did no better than a coin toss, it could have
been much worse.
I'll give myself the Golden "Hammer on Nail" award for
predicting that " the Microsoft appeal of Judge Thomas Penfield
Jackson's rulings will result in his findings of law being
overturned, but his findings of fact will stand. The breakup of
Microsoft will be abandoned on appeal, and the lower court will be
ordered to come up with new, less drastic remedies. Under the Bush
administration, the DOJ will lose its zeal for pursuing the case to
a just conclusion, and no substantial or effective remedies will
ever be implemented."
I think I also deserve a Silver "Close But No Cigar" medallion
for speculating on a merger between VA and Red Hat. The Cardinal
Fedora did pick up some VA assets in the form of the migration of
management and workers from the VA Professional Services division
to Red Hat, but it wasn't an acquisition or merger."
"No, that's not a typo. I know 2002 is the year that's
going to start right after midnight, December 31. But 2003 is the
year Microsoft is going to stop full support for Windows 98 and NT,
and generally slow down patch and bugfix activity for all pre-XP
Windows versions. In 2003 an awful lot of Windows users are going
to be faced with the choice of either buying new hardware that will
run XP or moving away from Windows. And at least some of these
people (and companies) are going to look at Linux as an
alternative.
To begin with, they're almost certainly going to see easier
installations and more hardware drivers. Commercial Linux
distribution publishers are racing to see who can come up with the
simplest and most complete GUI-based install utilities. So far, the
winner is ... users.
Advances in Linux installation ease over the past two or three
years have been nothing short of fantastic. Those who complain
about too much diversity in Linux, and wish there was only one
"main" Linux distribution and one Linux desktop GUI choice -- a la
Windows -- overlook the benefits of competition. This competition
has driven, and is still driving, the rapid pace of Linux usability
improvement."
"Looking back over the past year, I think most people
would have to agree it has been a ground breaking time for open
source. While it is true that open source companies suffered just
like the rest of the tech sector from poor economic conditions,
those same conditions have also made open source appear even more
attractive.
Before I delve more into the economic aspects that have affected
the open source industry, lets take a look at some other major
events that happened in the past year. It all started with a bang
when the long awaited Linux 2.4 was released January 4, bringing in
many notable improvements, not the least of which was built-in USB
support.
Within just about a month, we also saw the release of KDE 2.1,
which finally brought the open source desktop up-to-par with its
non-open counterparts. KDE 2.1 was what KDE 2.0 should have been,
adding a good helping of polish and better flexiblity, not to
mention great looking anti-aliased fonts. The rest of the year was
also kind to KDE, which gained even more great features in KDE
2.2.x, and now is hurdling toward KDE 3.0."
