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Desktop Linux: The Dream

Sad penguinDespite 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 really hope the verdict of the article is wrong, but I happen to agree with most of its rationalle.

Linux and open-source software development tends to cover its own needs. They are two fantastic communities with different mindsets from the average PC user. As much and as hard as they work, their direction is not where this other, way larger community of the PC users would like it to be.

As a consequence, the comparatively small Linux & Open Source communities grow slowly and their products don’t reach that many more people. It’s not that they fail the rest of us. It’s that they are not after pleasing us…

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