BadgerFiles

Will the Linux desktop rise up and crush Windows? That’s the question the Linux community puts forth every year. Certainly, a window of opportunity for the Linux desktop exists in the wake of Vista. We’ll see how it plays out, but the latest numbers from the Linux Foundation Desktop Linux Survey point to some interesting results:

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols at desktoplinux.com provides some early analysis of the Linux Foundation survey:

• “Vast majority of Linux desktops (68.4 percent) are deployed in SOHOs (small office / home office) and small business settings having one to a hundred PCs running Linux”
• Linux on the desktop is more popular than server installations among respondents
• Companies run a mixed bag of distributions

My home office deploys 4 systems: 2 Linux, 1 OS X, and 1 Windows. I stopped depending on Windows for my desktop OS four years ago, or so. I even used a powerpc version of Fedora Core for two years as my primary workspace and x86 version of Debian as my secondary workspace. I barely knew what my OS X desktop looked like.

The tipping point for me has been the widespread adoption of open source applications, such Firefox, OpenOffice, Gimp, and thousands of other cross-platform applications. The ability to run my same suite of applications on any OS, really diminished the importance of the desktop for me. If I move systems, I just suck up my directory structure (docs, music, etc) and move it. Sophisticated web applications continue to reinforce the disposable desktop idea.

Actually, I don’t believe desktops are entirely disposable; they’re just utilitarian and generally boring. So, when I’m choosing a tool, why wouldn’t I opt for a tool that offered me freedom and choice over virus and spyware defenders? I still may choose OS X sometimes. It’s the the freedom of choice that matters much more than the selection, if we’re willing to take the time to make an informed choice. Otherwise, our wool gets wet in the pasture when it rains.