I have been calling this The Year of Desktop Linux ever since Vista reared it's ugly head. It's now October, and while a couple of very fine Linux distros have appeared, it's not a "surge". According to Market Share, a site that tracks browser and OS penetration and trends, Linux use has double this year, but it's still only .81% of September's market. Even Windows 98 is .89%. Meanwhile, Mac OS is only a few hairs higher than Windows 2000.
Market Share is presented by Net Applications. From their web site:
Since 1999, Net Applications has been a leading source of applications for webmasters and eMarketers. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Net Applications distributes its services through over 7,000 partners and affiliates.
[Update 10/16/07] Dell reports that after four months desktop Linux accounts for about 1% of their total desktop sales. Conversely, server Linux soars.
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Linux Distros
What Linux distros would would you suggest and why?
re: Linux Distros
Use the 'Search Community / blogs:' feature at the top of this page, enter 'Ubuntu' (no quotes), and I think you will find the answer.
I'm currently doing some tests on Mandriva Linux One 2008, but my gut tells me it's not going to replace Ubuntu.
linux disto
my recommendation is PCLinuxOS 2007
it installed well on every PC I tried, is fast (running a 3D desktop with Beryl on a 4 yearold laptop with 64meg shared memory)
It simply delivers ..
I should add that I've tested a lot of distros ... this one is the best I've found, and it's top of the list on distrowatch.
Dave
re: disto(sic)
DistroWatch ranks Ubuntu #1 and PCLinuxOS 2007 #6. In fact, the list that PCLinuxOS tops is the list of CDs one can buy for $1.95 from OSDisc.com. If you click on over to OSDisc you will find that Ubuntu is their #1 Best Seller -- PCLinuxOS 2007 comes in #4.
PCLinuxOS is a Mandriva derivative, created in 2003 by a former Mandrake (now Mandriva) developer. I'd like to try it out, but it won't work on my machines -- the LiveCD doesn't include drivers for NVidia or ATI video. I see it comes with a huge bundle of stuff, some nice and others not needed -- I prefer my Linux to come with only the basics and an easy package manager that lets me get anything else I might want.
Try the Mandriva Linux One 2008 -- the video drivers are included in the LiveCD version. I'm still testing with it, so the jury is out.
What? Doubling the user base
What? Doubling the user base isn't a surge? - If the rate of uptake continues at the present rate, by 2014 Linux will be the dominant OS - Yep 6 years is a while but allot of people use Windows!
re: Doubling
Ah yes, the old "I'll give you a penny and double it every day" routine.
Yes, a user base of .81% today, doubled every year, will be a dominate OS in the year 2013 with nearly 52% of the market. In the year 2014 it will have 104% of the market -- presumably expanding off planet.
But you raise a very good point -- it HAS doubled this year. Perhaps this really is The Year of Desktop Linux after all.
Linux Languishes
One of the problems with the human race, particularly businesses run by humans, is the need for indecent profits.
Therein lies the problem with linux. There are no huge profits to distribute to the "food chain". Linux does not require quad-processors for the desktop, does not need software that has a 1000 to 1 resale to profit cost.
So, how will Big box stores, software companies, and hardware manufacturers survive.
On the other hand, linux does offer functionality, nice gui interfaces and robustness, and because of open software, probably the most bugfree software in the world.
Leslie
Linux distros
The reason why everyone thinks his favourite distro is best is because it is the first one he seriously tried. It just worked, so he is really pleased with it, but actually, they almost all just work, they are almost all good stuff - hence lots of different favourites.
re: fav distro
I've tried a few dozen over the past many years in my search for The Linux Desktop -- until this past year they didn't "just work" (Ubuntu motto). I've had Linux fail to properly detect all the hardware -- something even Windows 98 could do. Oh, I'm sure I could go out and put together a box just for Linux, but that's not the point. In order to "just work" Linux has got to perform on existing hardware -- boxes built for Windows.
Yeah, yeah, "level the playing field". Sorry. Life is like that.
re; Leslie
I'm not so sure you can make the less-bugs claim. I think that there are just as many bugs in Linux as there are in Windows -- only the bugs are detected, reported and corrected in much less time.
Your contention that Linux is slow because no one is making money off it makes a lot of sense. No one is marketing Linux the way Micro$oft hyped Vista.