ubuntu the rising star, again, in 2008

[stijngysemans]

As opposed to last year, don't you think Ubuntu is really gaining market share, a specially in the sector of hardcore windows users and some games who are making the change and are coming to Ubuntu.

*This guys blog (http://www.fsckin.com/2007/12/28/top-linux-headlines-of-2007/) mentions that his web hosting company is using linux for gaming purposes.

*This year, finally, both my father and brother use Ubuntu, so are some friends and even a nephew.

*Together with the rise of Firefox, Thunderbird and Openoffice it's easier for people to make the switch.

Funny anecdote: A friend of mine, a music producer said to me "hey I'm really fund of Ubuntu. I think i'll be using it as my main OS."
I asked him if he will be using Rosegarden in stead of Cubase for his music. He said that he just would install Reaon and Ableton Live "because those apps also work under OS X, they also should work for Ubuntu, no?" :lolflag: It IS good that people think this, software manufactures will starting to take note of this change!

Finally for 2008, I think we will see even more people to make the switch. This is really a very good evolution!

(please correct my spelling mistakes, English isn't' my native language)

[forrestcupp]

Maybe this is "The Year of Linux."

I don't think there will every be a "year of Linux." But I am starting to think that we might be entering into the "Decade of Linux." This evolution is a lot slower than just one year, but things are looking better than they ever have.

[ARhere]

My current project...

I am supporting two local 'Ma&Pa' computer stores with Ubuntu CD's, documentation, and flyer's.

I got one of the stores to agree to a demonstration Ubuntu PC next to the Vista Demo. I will load the OS with Banshee, MP3/DVD Codecs, and Compiz-Fusion effects. A flyer will be posted that shows added "things" that you can do with a base install of Ubuntu that you cannot do with Vista, and the price savings!!

[Mad_Dawg]

It won't happen until people can be confident that they can just plug and play. And opening files/programs becomes simpler. It simply has a way to go before it is user friendly enough. But, happily, it is making headway.

[graphikeye]

Economists frequently refer to a theory called "The Tipping Point". That is, when a certain consumer product, or trend, or statistic reaches 20 per cent of the market, it increases its chances dramatically for gaining a serious entry into the market. I won't go into the details of the theory. My point is that most trends or products that were succesfully popularized were not due to strong advertizing campaigns. In fact, if you take firefox for example, at its inception it employed almost none of the advertizing behind giants such as IE and Netscape. Of course, the nature of an Operating System is slightly different (i.e. pre-installed with the machine you buy), but since major retailers are starting to ship computers with Linux pre-installed chances increase. However, my point is simply to briefly mention the Tipping point as an interesting perspective to look at things. :)