– Why desktop market share SHOULD be Linux’s priority:

Okay, a 90% market share for Linux is still far away, but imagine how much easier Linux-life would be then:
– all letters and spreadsheet in both your private life and in business would be in an open format;
– all authorities would likewise accept data in an open format;
– all web sites and web utilities would be created to just work under Linux;
– hardware manufacturers wouldn’t dream of bringing a product to the market without a Linux-driver;
– in the shops, new computers would be sold with Linux pre-installed.

The morale is, as far as I can see, that the more Linux users we are, the easier life will be, both for Linux users and Linux developers. And though Linux can survive as a server-oriented system, the Linux desktop will definitely attract even more users to the Linux camp

However, the most popular growth area OSes today are not Windows, Apple, or Linux (well it is Apple and Linux, but not the traditional Apple or Linux). The most growth area popular OSes that are being distributed today are the embedded OSes (phones, PDAs).

Android (a Google Linux system) is doing quite well. That is a definite advantage for Linux and possibly Google, An OS that works like an embedded or PDA type OS, but more powerful with more features, is a great advantage. Why?

1. Familiarity: Users are used to using their Cell Phones for calls, appointments, texting, etc. They will not be intimidated by an OS that integrates with and is a more powerful extension of their cell OS. This makes familiarity and adoption easier.

2. Ubiquity. As more people start using a full featured Web PDA based OS, the OS will become better advertised and supported. Apple has a winner in the IPhone OS, and Android is starting to garner major attention. This means more development, more apps, more opportunity, and more advertising.

3. Advertising: One thing Linux does not have is advertising. When was the last time you saw a TV commercial that mentioned Linux?

Most people do not even know what Linux is outside of IT. They know what Windows, and MAC are. If the Linux Cell or PDA OS becomes more popular, it will be advertised. We Linux fans should get in on the act and even offer to help the PDA/Cell Phone market with advertising.

4. OEM Confidence. If the Cell/PDAs have major acceptance, then the OEMs will not mind using a similar OS on their notebooks and desktop. It will be mainstream, not a niche market.

What Desktop Linux needs to do now, is make the OS superior for a User’s experience rather than copying Windows or Apple.

Actually Android and Intel’s offerings are a step in the right direction. Let’s face it, the mouse is out of date. A Touch screen aware OS is much easier to navigate and much more natural.

My PDA also gives me minor voice recognition for popular command usage. Why is it that no major Linux OS comes bundled with Voice recognition? Build a Linux that recogntizes voice commands for menu and dictation, as well as touch screen access like the cell/pdas and watch people come. it will be KOOL and kool does attract! How many people today are satisfied with a cell phone or cell OS that simply makes telephone calls?

P.S. Yes I do realize that touch screen is both a hardware and software issue. You have to have hardware to use touch screen as well as software that supports it. Linux, Windows, and MAC all support touch screens, but they are not common, except for PDAs and specialty applications. I say make it common. Make voice common. Make the UIs work the way people think, not computer geeks.

The easier and more convenient an OS or device becomes, the more popular it will become.

Linux is making it big time in the Cell/PDA and server markets. The former is a perfect strategy for Desktop growth. Since most user use Windows because it came with their system and they are used to it, adoption becomes easier when they are using something they already know and use. Android helps here.

I have used Linux exclusively on my laptop for over 3 years now, and as a management consultant having to interact with various documents to and from clients, data projectors from the stone age, and various company servers (including MS Exchange), let’s say that it has at times been an issue of commitment to a cause rather than pragmatic choice. I am a Kubuntu user, and even in the past 3 years there has been astonishing progress.

My one wish would be not to have to install a whole new system every 6 months, and yet to be able to install the latest versions of say Firefox and OpenOffice.org as they come out, like my Windows-promoting colleagues … Yes, I now about ppa repositories, and I have installed the latest versions, but they don’t work nearly as well, which means that if I want the truly integrated stuff I need to upgrade to Karmic … Is is truly that difficult to offer upgrades of the major software packages for current distros? To me that would show “the priority to have the user end up with something usable and within his/her niche”.

If you want to be critical to the desktop, then address the desktop projects and distros instead. And if you really need to address the kernel, don’t forget the other kernels like that of FreeBSD/OpenBSD/OpenSolaris/etc which can run the same desktop software.

Each of us that has their favourite distro, favourite apps etc have been through a lot to get to where we are. But even still to this day I find it difficult, more difficult than it should be, to report, track and help with bug eradication. Who do you tell, the distro, nah, it’s an upstream bug! Upstream.. Nah, check it with the distro first before speaking to us.

There doesn’t seem to be a single point of reference to cover GNU/Linux in general in a non OS specific way. Ubuntu with their “papercuts” program is taking a step in the right direction but what is needed is a global FOSS papercuts initiative at a single site that can collect and collate at the application level, distro agnostic. Focused from the upstream downwards instead of from the distro upwards. Certainly a lot of issues are distro specific but even more are GNU/Linux specific. If we could address those upstream then all the distros benefit. If it can be done in a global site (not a distro specific one), then all the better.

Improving ourselves is all we need to do to win. We don’t even need to compete and shouldn’t. Let’s just be better for our own benefit