Will ’08 Be The Year For Desktop Linux?

Something not mentioned too often in year-in-review articles is that a ton of people tried out Linux for the first time. While it’s true Linux didn’t stick around as their primary OS for most, the fact so many people tried it out is a huge step towards making Linux more mainstream.

This brings several things to light:

1. Linux awareness is much higher. Mention it to a friend and there’s a high chance that friend actually knows what you’re talking about instead of giving back a deer-in-the-headlights look.
2. Interest in using Linux has spread. Many people took the time to download a distribution, burn it to a disc, pop it in their computers and try it out. Whether it was a CD-sized distro like Ubuntu or DVD-sized like Sabayon, many actually took the time to go thru the whole process just to see what it was all about. And even if it didn’t work to expectations, the fact people tried is what counts.
3. There is a continued interest in Linux. Even for those that did try Linux (including yours truly) and didn’t particularly care for it, many are watching the distros in the hopes something will come around that will allow us to use a free operating system full time. You can scan over DistroWatch.com right now to see all the popular distros. If you’re wondering "So.. what’s out there that’s available and in wide use?", DistroWatch is where you want to be.

What attracts people to Linux?

You can go on all day about Linux reliability, the huge list of open source software available for it, the speedy nature of the OS and so forth. None of that is in dispute. But I’ve found what attracts people most to Linux are three things.

1. The price tag.

It’s free. Free is good. It is nothing short of amazing that you can download an entire OS that’s truly usable and not cost a dime.

2. Breathes new life into older computers.

Many of us have an older computer lying around somewhere that was probably relegated to the closet years ago because it’s just too darn slow. Maybe it’s an older box that’s too slow for XP or OS X. Dusting off that box and installing a lightweight Linux distro will turn it back into a usable computer again in many instances.

3. Escaping corporate shackles.

A growing number of people are developing large disdain for retail operating systems because, simply put, they don’t feel they’re getting their money’s worth.

This disdain can be summed up in one question:

If seemingly no one can deliver a retail operating system that works 100% on delivery, what’s the point in paying for it?

Even if Linux doesn’t do everything in exact perfection, the paid OS offerings don’t seem to be much better. So if we have foreknowledge that yes, there’s going to be issues.. why pay?

What will turn me over to Linux completely?

I talk the talk, but can I walk the walk?

Said very plainly: I want to have a setup that is more or less identical to Dave’s (owner of PCMech).

Dave doesn’t use Linux. He uses a Mac Pro. On that Mac he uses OS X 10.5.1 (a certified Unix OS) natively but on one of his screens has Windows XP running full time in a virtual environment. At any time when he needs to do some Windows-only stuff, he just switches over to that screen, does what he has to do, then goes right back to OS X.

This to me is an ideal setup because it makes the transition from Windows to OS X gradual; the learning curve is far more manageable and you don’t have to have separate computers.

My vision, if you will, is to do the exact same thing except having a Linux as the primary OS and XP in a virtual environment. This will afford me the opportunity of using Linux full time while still having the convenience of going to XP on an as-needed basis.

For the Linux fans that read this, I already can hear you saying "But you can do that already!"

Yes, I know you can do XP virtually right now in Linux using VMWare server.

My issue is that the desktop environment in Linux hasn’t really gotten the multi-monitor thing right just yet. Multi-monitor (particularly for those with nVidia video cards) runs great with some distros but still has a bit of development to go.

However, the time when desktop environments in Linux do multi-monitor correctly – on first attempt to use – is very, very close.

Will Ubuntu 8 be the catalyst?

Lots of eyes are on Ubuntu 8 right now and so are mine. If I may make a bold prediction, that distro may be the one that truly kicks Linux into high gear as a replacement OS.

Ubuntu 7.10, while great, is an "almost there" OS in my estimation. In the way it works it is so close.. oh so close.. to being the be-all/do-all OS that people can easily use without the need to go to the command line. But at present you still have to do that.

It’s not that I can’t get around a bash prompt, but manually editing an xorg.conf file in vim just to get dual-monitor working is a bit ridiculous considering that Windows and OS X can do it easily direct from the GUI.

The validated hardware for Ubuntu is growing exponentially, so when 8 comes around, it’s very likely that everything I use now will be 100% compatible – and not just internal hardware. Digital cameras, camcorders, printers, specialized mice, keyboards and the like should all recognize without issue.

Seriously speaking, I would consider it quite cool to run a box not powered by an OS that has a logo of a multi-colored flag or a fruit. The price is right, the time is near, and I’m crossing fingers…