Desktop Linux: The Dream Is Dead

[Jason Carson]

That article describes my situation. I have Linux on my server and Windows
on my Desktop (Although I dual boot with Kubuntu).

I primarily use Windows for gaming. For other people the various programs
they use are written for Windows only. Granted that Linux has made great
strides in "usability, performance, and compatibility" but until the most
popular Windows programs (games and applications) are written for Linux
too the "dream is dead".

> Don't blame me for the title, it's taken directly from the article.
> I'll post a link to the full article after the brief excerpt.  Do you
> agree or disagree with his conclusions?
>
> "It kills me to say this: The dream of Linux as a major desktop OS is
> now pretty much dead.
>
> "Despite phenomenal security and stability--and amazing strides in
> usability, performance, and compatibility--Linux simply isn’t catching
> on with desktop users. And if there ever was a chance for desktop
> Linux to succeed, that ship has long since sunk.
>
> "Over the past few years, modern Linux distributions such as Ubuntu
> have utterly transformed the open-source desktop user experience into
> something sleek and simple, while arguably surpassing Windows and Mac
> OS in both security and stability. Meanwhile, the public failure of
> Windows Vista and the rise of the netbook gave Linux some openings to
> capture a meaningful slice of the market. But those opportunities have
> been squandered and lost, and Linux desktop market share remains
> stagnant at around 1 percent.
>
> "I should emphasize that I'm not by any means talking about the demise
> of Linux itself. New projections from the Linux Foundation credibly
> show that demand for Linux on servers will outstrip demand for all
> other options over the next few years. And, as I'll discuss at length
> in this article, Linux has already established itself as a dominant
> operating system on mobile and embedded devices ranging from tablets
> and phones to TVs and printers.
>
> "But for anyone who has longed for a future in which free, open-source
> Linux distributions would rival premium commercial operating systems
> from Microsoft and Apple on desktop PCs, now might be a good time to
> set more-realistic expectations. Though I personally wish that the
> opposite were true, the year of the Linux desktop will never come."
>
>
> http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/207999/desktop_linux_the_dream_is_dead.html
>
> --
> Sincerely,
>
> Michael Lauzon
> --
> The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
> TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
> How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists
>


--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists