Rebuttal to The Linux Desktop is Dead

[hhh]

This is an article that directly comments on the PC World article...
http://blogs.computerworld.com/17183/is_the_linux_desktop_dream_dead

The other thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1600171) was locked as it got reduced to a Win v Linux fanboi fest, but I wanted to post this as it's brief and on point.

I'm sure KiwiNZ et al. will lock this the minute it turns into a flame war, so maybe keep it on topic?

[HermanAB]

The simple fact is that it doesn't matter. Linux and Free software don't need market share to survive. Selling more copies of Linux at $0 a copy does nothing for the bottom line of any developer. The desktop market is ultimately just a huge nuisance and a head-ache that Linux developers do not need and do not depend on and do not make money from, so desktop Linux is just a huge non-issue to a developer.

Sure Canonical likes to take on this head-ache and tries to make money from it through Ubuntu, but Canonical doth not Linux make.

Despite all that, there are billions more Linux systems in the world than MS Windows systems (mostly cell phones and routers). So Linux is the de-facto OS market leader, by an enormously long shot, without even trying.

[Khakilang]

I think most of the user do not want to venture into the unknown territory of Linux and stick to what other people use. Only people with computer knowledge who dare to take the challenge. Hence the market share.

As for me I always look for something new and different to work with my computer. So I tested Linux and all its quirks before I settle in using it permanently. I also may try OpenBSD, Haiku, OpenSolaris if I have the time.

The article I think is lame and I don't know how much time and resources they spend into doing their own research and survey on Linux desktop. They could just simply pluck it out several article from the web and create their own.

[lancest]

The simple fact is that it doesn't matter. Linux and Free software don't need market share to survive

Agreed. The desktop market share isn't the key factor.

[KiwiNZ]

We have had this discussion and closed it. There is no real need to revisit.