Yes it is truth... to day....but tomorrow...

Netherlands Adopts Open-Source Software
w.physorg.com/news116776328.html

Macedonia picks Ubuntu for 20,000 PCs
w.news.com/8301-13580_3-9819344-39.html?tag=nefd.top

Brazil adopts open-source software
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4602325.stm

Croatian government adopts open source software policy
linux.com/feature/56376

South Africa Adopts Open Source Software Policy
saschameinrath.com/2007/nov/05/south_africa_adopts_open_source_software_policy

Venezuela Embraces Linux and Open Source Software
venezuelanalysis.com/news/827

Norway's second city embraces Linux
iosn.net/government/news/bergen-migration
.....
I could go on, but it is enough.

two things every window fanatic should always remember
1) It is the absurd eulas that drove some of us away from Microsoft forever . Coupled with Microsoft's unethical behavior that is reported periodically doesnt help thier cause either(example: the OXXML crap)!!
But other companies should also take note. Your root kit exploits,etc means there will be none of your products in my home!!!

2)The best thing that windows lovers can hope for is that Linux hits it big. Only that way will Microsoft be forced to respond in a manner that benefits it's users. Even now the benefits windows users get are due to linux pressure.

Joe,
What I going say here, is that every new piece of software is up against the one that is already entrenched. GNU/Linux is not any different, as it really started about 1995, even though it was modeled on Unix, to run Unix programs, there is no Unix code in Linux. So simply put, it took time for the code of Linux to mature, perhaps 2002 to 2002, it did. But still Windows is the Rock, its hard to move, well entrenched.

Now your 94% of the market figure, well its most likely a netstat figure and bogus. Netstat has rewritten history and gone back and changed figures for linux recently. Netstat also uses all MS software in their so called testing of web hits to see what OS a user uses. The figures can be greatly fudged, depending on what country, what type of website, what type of detection software, is used. Also Netstat uses a lot of ex-MS upper employees, you get the idea. You will find that out if you research Netstat for the most part.

Here is an example; www.league2000.co.uk/e107_plugins/log/stats.php?4

And here is one probably closer to the mark;
www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

While it very hard to tell where GNU/Linux actually is on the desktop as far as a percentage, it is possible to say its increasing its market share. How about the article you (Joe) recently did, that a survey said that 44% of businesses planned to convert to non-MS OS? Mostly Linux and some Mac OS, BTW.
http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

and finially, a quote and a response out of your post here:
"Linux "also is an operating system that its users have near complete trust in," SJVN writes. Really? Which users?"

This should be obvious Joe. Its the users who use GNU/Linux and will never think about going back to Windose. Thank you for letting me post this.

"SJVN is an excellent dot-the-eyes and cross-the-tees kind of reporter."

You're kidding right? FakeStevejobs has pointed out numerous articles where SJVN plagiarized entire sections from press releases without attribution of ANY kind. That hardly sounds like dot-the-eyes journalism.

Joe, here is another reason that GNU/Linux may be about to increase in market share;

Everex Green gPC TC2502

The Alternative PC for the Masses

http://techgeeknews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=648&Itemid=63

"Everex, a longtime personal computer vendor, has unveiled its latest PC featuring Ubuntu Linux-based open-source productivity software and Google-based Web 2.0 applications, for a mere $191.99"

OS X, the other white meat.

Joe
Two things as far as SJVN is concerned:
His statistics .... figures don't lie, but liars can figure. OR There are lies, damn lies and STATISTICS !
Secondly
"My Linux-Watch colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols' definition of desktop Linux popularity is rather disturbing." Most non linux people find SJVN disturbing !!

Joe,
While SJVN's article proclaiming the increased popularity of Gnu/Linux is largely irrelevant, the main reason Windows is more "popular" is simply because it is pre-loaded on nearly all desktop and laptop computers offered for retail sale. Were Gnu/Linux offered as a pre-loaded operating system in equal numbers, I think we would see Windows "popularity" wane significantly.

Yes, Yes linux is a main stream desktop that's everywhere. The windows empire is about to collapse. So please DOJ and the rest of the VAM coallition, free Microsoft from the restrictions you have imposed for the benefit of the consumers...

This quote from SJVN: "The first thing we can say about the Linux desktop in 2007 is that there are more users than ever,". Really? Where are they? Where I work the network Guru (self proclaimed I might add) doesn't know how to keep our own network up let alone using Linux in the enterprise or on one of his PC's. SJVN's reporting is more propaganda than anything. Let SJVN dream on----

Dave Says :
"Where I work the network Guru (self proclaimed I might add) doesn't know how to keep our own network up..."

@Dave :
Do they still have a job? And why?
Competence has nothing to do with 'Linux' but COMPETENCE.

Dave Says :
SJVN dream on----

@Dave :
Maybe you need to dream/wish you had a competent 'Guru', one that can keep a network working.
Better still, hire a Linux Guru, eh? It's Obvious that is what's needed.

How many Russian school kids are there?

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/22/1648209

"The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007"

#1. No Wow, No How: Windows Vista
"Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?" ...

Yeah, you horse buggy manufacturers just keep talking about how that new fangled horseless carriage will never make a dent in your long standing lucrative business. We have been on the low side of the exponential graph for years now, but the inflection point nears.

The best thing ever to happen to Linux = Windows Vista!

Fact : 90 percent of surveys are rubbish
Fact : 100 percent of numbers can be tooled with
Fiction : Windows has an answer to Linux
Fact : People are now waking up and taking note of something that has been around them for years.
Linux is a wonderful alternative, and thanks to Wine, and many great applications you can enjoy a far more efficient experience with less resources.
Now it's very the term you can't tech an old dog new ticks is very true. But take not to this. The low end budget PC Wal-Mart is selling had feed back from people who knew nothing about Linux but praised the OS.
My wife for example knows computers from a hole in the wall. So when her laptop crashed, I installed Fedroa 8 on it. She got the hang of it very quickly.
Bow those may be poor examples, but for the old school windows users. Yes I'm very sure to change over is extremely hard. But to scoff at the popularity of Linux is just plan ignorance.
With the sour taste that Vista left with people, downgrading back to XP, or just plain puzzled by it.
Will Linux take over? No, Windows still has a strangle hold on most office environments around the world.
With that said, couple of PC's I purchased in my workplace came pre installed with Vista, Vista looks nice, couple of nice wallpapers pre installed, other then that, nothing but a nightmare. Print spooler never worked with our network printer, things just didn't work, and to baby sit an OS is something I rather not do. So forced to downgrade to XP.
Now what did I gather from this article?
Mixed bag of feelings, seems like the fan boy windows got the better of this article.

cyber_rigger Says :
"How many Russian school kids are there?"

"Students Using PCLinuxOS in Vietnam"

"It is hard to believe that my 10th and 11th Grade Vietnamese and foreign students at the American International School in Saigon have been using Linux for about one month now. I am very impressed at how fast they were able to use Linux in a short period of time. ..."

'Linux "also is an operating system that its users have near complete trust in," SJVN writes. Really? Which users?'

You remind me of a salesperson I encountered once. Four of us had walked into a computer store because I wanted to find out about a piece of hardware. When the salesperson asked why that particular item I said because I knew it would work with my Linux system without issues.

Instead of giving me the information I had asked for he motioned toward a Windows XP system and arrogantly said "this is the desktop". I found this response rather inexplicable. Of course he was unaware that in this group of four young people there was only one Windows user.

Today I am a technician as well as a salesperson. My experience with GNU/Linux was a major factor in me getting the job. The most commonly used OS by our retail customers and business clients is still Windows XP, followed by GNU/Linux and Mac. Vista is a very distant last.

Your opinion is about as relevant to my daily experience in IT as that salesperson I met years ago, and he's long gone now.

I am not a tech guy, and I use Linux at home. Opensuse, to be precise. And no problem at all. one point. My girlfriend bought a new laptop with Vista preinstalled. She does not even know what an operating system is. Well, after one week she kept using my old HP with my newly upgraded Opensuse (nice eh? old hardware new system --> that's linux), while her new Toshiba and Vista stayed off on a table. I decided to give a new life back to the new Toshiba - how? By simply following my girlfriend's request to wipe Vista out and install Linux. So now we run two laptops at home, both of which have Opensuse installed.

As I am not a tech guy, I think this experience says a lot about Linux viability as a main system for a home/small business user. And, if Windows will keep leading the OS market in terms of share, well, I simply don't care (as long as enough Linuxes are around to stay in the market).

Alex

"Among this group of presumed Linux enthusiasts, only 40.6 percent have the operating system running on half or more of their desktop PCs. Among this group, the percentage should be a whole lot higher."

Why should it be? The majority of applications are written for windoz. If anything else, that number is reflective of the number of applications/functions that a typical person can do on a linux platform, not the popularity/usability of the OS itself. If that's the case, one could presume that 40% of applications out there can be replaced with open-source equivalents. That's an outstanding accomplishment.

"The Linux Foundation survey doesn't speak for the masses of IT organizations." "This survey is no cause for celebration. The survey respondents are self-selected and, presumably, they are more amicable to Linux than other folks"

Of course the survey is composed of Linux-minded individuals. Would you respond to a survey for product X that you've never used before? You probably wouldn't even know the survey existed. So yes, you're right, Linux may not be popular with the masses. Or maybe people use it but didn't respond to the survey, or know it existed. I think people just haven't had the time to try out linux, or are too tech-stupid to even know what an OS really is. They are probably too busy choking on the sour taste of Vista as Microsoft crams it down their throats (try buying an XP preloaded machine these days).

This article, and the comments on it, are hysterically funny in so many ways.

To start, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols is a plagiarizing hack of the first order. His definition of "journalism" is recycling, word-for-word (including the mistakes), press releases from self-serving organizations, companies and individuals. eWeek should be (but, of course, isn't) embarrassed by this kind of crap.

Second, Linux is about as much a threat to Windows as measles. There is very little evidence that in mainstream markets where real software gets sold that Linux on the desktop has any meaningful presence, nor is it growing.

To the extent that any X OS is gaining ground on desktops in the software-buying world, it is MacOSX. There, the growth -- small, but measurable -- has been confirmed by many independent analysts. It is especially interesting that much of the Mac's appeal is in its laptops, a platform on which Linux tends to perform very poorly (lousy power management among the chief reasons) and MacBooks very well.

Ironically, the Linux fanboys need to hope that MacOSX continues to grow its market share, since -- as a cousin OS -- its software base is relatively easy to port to Linux, especially for academic and technical uses.

Finally, the greatest threat to Windows market share, other than MacOSX, is Vista. Microsoft's new OS is a nightmare that won't end, and if it doesn't get this dog under control soon, both MacOSX and Linux could be the beneficiaries.

"Second, Linux is about as much a threat to Windows as measles. There is very little evidence that in mainstream markets where real software gets sold that Linux on the desktop has any meaningful presence, nor is it growing."

And therein lies the problem. Linux isn't sold. It's downloaded for free. Some vendors are trying to start selling Linux as a desktop OS, but they are a long ways away from accomplishing that goal. You can't look at the "software-buying" world to get a real measure of the impact and usage of Linux. And by the way, Linux is "real software". It runs better than a lot of "real" software I know.

I see people making choices based on the actions MS has made. Is this unilateral or only for MS the monopoly.
We can't guarantee that any other company may not do the same or something just a scrupulous as MS.
So when a Linux company or Apples does something similar to an action that MS has done then do we bail on them as well and move on to the next vendor?
Has the Linux community black list Novell for the dealings they have done with MS and the fact that they look questionable. Is that not considered a questionable action and if a company performs a questionable action we black list them.

Joe,
its too bad that there are no really reliable figures for desktop linux percentages, but that is the case. Netstat is most likely aligned with M$ as a just the facts type organization,but then again, it could be just the way they count. But a couple of points here as to why figures can be off, if you add in sales of OS, as linux is downloaded for home desktop use for free. If you count hits mostly in the USA, or Britian, Japan, you will end up with a mostly solid M$ count again. Linux is stronger in most of Europe and countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, India, and Europe.

But I think your focus would be better on "is Linux gaining desktop market share, and will this trend accelerate." GNU/Linux is a very good OS, and it would be nice to see it grow. As this would be even a great thing for Windows users, even the ones that will never want to use Linux. As the competition is a good thing, increased market share by Linux will do two things for computer users.

1. Bring down the price of M$ software, as they will have to compete with free and better.

2. If Windows continues down the road with bad OS such as Vista, PC users will move to the Mac, unless they see Linux as a viable alternative. PC makers will be hurt by this move to the Mac, which appears to be at some level happening.

Note to ger; Nobody has blacklisted Novel Suse in the linux community. Although many linux users have moved away from them because of their agreements with M$. But that is a personal choice of those users, not of any organization.

"And therein lies the problem. Linux isn't sold. It's downloaded for free. Some vendors are trying to start selling Linux as a desktop OS, but they are a long ways away from accomplishing that goal. You can't look at the "software-buying" world to get a real measure of the impact and usage of Linux. And by the way, Linux is "real software". It runs better than a lot of "real" software I know."

MagicOneXXX -- no real argument here. What you say is true.

I was using the expression "software-buying world" to define a market space. Part of the problem with Linux is that somebody's profits (or shareholder equity) needs to ride on the success of a user-friendly desktop implementation of the OS. That is going to require a commercial package. This implementation needs to include a high-quality desktop GUI that is more compelling than Vista and at least roughly equal to MacOSX. And it is probably going to need a tie-in to a specific hardware manufacturer who will certify its boxes as fully compatible with the commercial version of Linux. Otherwise, one of Linux's chief weaknesses -- lack of compatibility at the driver level -- remains a problem.

Ralph M Says :
"There is very little evidence that in mainstream markets where real software gets sold that Linux on the desktop has any meaningful presence, nor is it growing."

MagicOneXXX Says :
"And therein lies the problem. Linux isn't sold. It's downloaded for free. ... It runs better than a lot of "real" software I know."

@MagicOneXXX :
There are those who know, and those who don't know they don't know.

@Ralph M :
I hope you get a clue for X-mas.

layta...

@_ :
**These are my opinions only and in no way are they meant to offend anyone. If for any reason you feel the need to contact me in any way regarding these post, especially for inappropriate wording or a perceived derogatory statement, please feel free to contact me. I am all over the Internet and you can find me there.**

layta...

Ralph M
I like the driver support issue. Is this why I can't get OS/X on anything other than a Mac? Why can’t others do it but MS did. Make drivers for many pieces of hardware and make them work with the OS (that is XP don't know about Vista). Why can't Apple or Linux make their OS work for thousand of pieces of hardware, and have a driver for all of them? And to have support for all that hardware as well. Come on if MS could do it then why can't anyone else do it?
Don't tell me MS designed something with sound ingenuity and the WDM concept works. Would this not work for other or would it be hypocrisy for others to copy/design like MS?

ger Says :
"Why can't Apple or Linux make their OS work for thousand of pieces of hardware, and have a driver for all of them?"

@ger :
Hardware manufactures write their drivers for their proprietary hardware.

@ger :
I hope someone buys you a clue for X-mas.

To ger;
Quote;
"Why can't Apple or Linux make their OS work for thousand of pieces of hardware, and have a driver for all of them?"
------------------------------------------------------
It works on all my hardware. Its know (Linux) to have more hardware support than Vista. So please stop spreading FUD about that which you do not know about.

Most linux distros have live cd's, so you can test to make sure your hardware works before you install it. Where as Vista only has a program that works badly at best that must be installed in xp.

Wait,...wait... let me get this straight: Windows fanboi doesnt agree with Linux fanboi.
Im shocked.

C'mon Joe, we know how far your nose is up Ballmer's rear end, we know how delusional you get.

I use three OS, plus some Unix at work, and I triple boot my Mac with Vista (a step down from XP), OS X and Linux so I know them all pretty well. I also despise Aero, Compiz and the Mac eye candy but the Linux once seems to be the one people are always impressed by.
Linux is what I use at home for the kids and home PC's (my wife needs some Windows apps which she runs virtually from Linux so her Thinkpad is a dual boot) as well as for my parents even though dual boots are mandatory because of the games anchor but honestly, its a lot less work keeping it working and I dont throw out old boxes.
(My friend Art has a computer store and loves Vista because its great for his business and sales.)

I also helped some local kids install various Linux distros on about 3 dozen computer at a retirement home. Most computers were between 1 and 5 years old (Xfce was used on the PIIIs and ran like a charm) and about 1/3 never used a computer before. 4 were new computers.
Open Office, Thunderbird but mainly Gmail/Yahoomail, Gaim for instant messaging, Firefox, VLC and the usual suspects.
I talk to the kids to see how its going so far and its been positive and rather quiet since we did the switch this summer. Which is more or less what I witnessed with my immediate family and friends who I told about 18months ago that I wouldnt be doing any more tech support since I was spending way too much time on it. 10 people took me up on my offer to dual boot their machines and my time savings has been phenomenal.

So anyone who says that Linux is not ready for Joe Q Public is either lying or clueless. If retired folks can grasp the concepts of such hard to use software such as OO and Firefox, Im pretty sure anyone can.

The first Linux I agreed was ready for my family was Ubuntu 7.04 and PCLinuxOS. Once we passed that threshold, all the FUD became moot. It is possible for newbies and Win converts to function perfectly well in Linux in about 90-95% of the time. Of course, the are killer apps that are needed often in Windows (just like in Mac) so I always recommend a dual boot or some other virtualization solution like Parallels which is faster.
Because of the price, the vendor lock-in and limited hardware and a few other Mac things, I've stopped recommending Mac to newbies.
Linux is easy to use. Now its a question of marketing/FUD, monopolistic practices, OEM vendors and the politics and money of pre-installs and while Linux is equal if not superior to Windows on technical merit, it doesnt have the know how of Redmond.
I dont see anything right now, nor a company (Canonical is small fry), ready to give Linux the push on desktop it needs so all changes will be gradual. Its ok, there is no rush. An EEE here, a Dell pre-install there, some 200$ Walmart jobbies is a good start and gives the push some needed momentum.

But Linux is not going to have it easy. The ease with which you can breathe back life in old computers (and cut down sales of new machines) is simply stunning. That wont make it popular with manufacturers but definitely with consumers.

Btw, the 50 or so machines that I've installed Linux on all had Windows as their primary OS so officially they count as Windows machines and nowhere are they registered as Linux machines (I didnt make 50 DLs)

And I can put money down right now if you want to do a a side by side Vista/Linux install.

Robuka

I first became acquainted with Linux about three years ago when my son, who has a computer engineering degree by the way, introduced me to Ubuntu. I've been using it on and off since that time. The Ubuntu distribution is maturing rapidly and It seems to get better all the time. There are other members of my family that use it as well.

I know one thing for sure, Microsoft could care less about its honest consumers. I really don't like being teated like a pirate. In fact, it offends me greatly. I've already been able to minimize my use of their products. I rarely ever use Internet Explorer (I prefer Firefox and Opera). I just stopped using Office 2003 and don't miss it at all (I really like the Open Office Suite).

One of my life's goals is to break completely free from MS's heavy handed tactics. If I keep letting them manipulate me I have only myself to blame.

Choose freedom.

I know at least to new linux users thanks to the asus eee pc, they don't care that its not windows. they just wanted something with net/pdf/productivity

Webstats are not a good indicator - I spend 8 hours a day, surfing from windows while at work.
At home I have 3 Linux boxes, plus my Dad has one,
and the time spent surfing there is much less... eg I will be playing games / messaging / movies / mp3 playing.

Also part of the problem as analysts don't see small percentages as mainstream deployment. I would consider MAC OS a major deployment although its only a single digit percentage... so when does linuxs single digit with the highest OS yoy growth become mainstream?

Another factor that leads microsoft centric thinking is that US == World. which it doesn't.
Also, the fact that a huge chunk of the microsoft deployments are illegitimate is another factor. e.g if those users had to pay up to be legal, would it still be windows?

You have any proof that the survey is 'self-selected'? Do you really know what you are talking about?

To robuka kenderle,

Best to not be so hard on Joe. Heck, I accused him of being held hostage to the advertising bucks of Micro$oft myself, but as I look back I really don't think that is the case.

Joe, I think tries to be fair, although this "tone change" is not a good thing if it obscures the truth. The thing I do believe is that Joe has Mac and Windows experience, but very little, if any hands on experience with Linux. Which is why he he just seems to get it wrong so often on Linux.

I do believe that Joe will do his homework, and we will see him download and try some GNU linux distros in time. Chips recommends PCLinuxOS and Mepis. www.distrowatch.com
--------------------------------------------------
As a technician that repairs computers and cleans windows viruses from them, I feel your pain windows users. There is a better world over here in Linux, where the software is free, and no one is spying on you, or crashing your computer.

When William the Conqueror took the throne of England, the French language became the official language of the land. It was the exclusive language of law, of government, of the upper classes. The English language was left to the poor, the lower classes.
That Old English language started with humble beginnings and with no government interference to keep it pure; no wealthy patrons to keep it alive. It was free to shrink into obscurity or die off altogether. It was also free to grow, to expand, to change and evolve, to take on whatever form whenever it was needed. It split into many dialects as it evolved, each one having a different twist on grammar, each one borrowing different words from different non-English languages.
And yet, those fragmented languages with a common base (or kernel, if you will), without government and wealth to support them, coalesced as it evolved from Middle English and then to what we know as Modern English. Sometime during those later phases, nationalistic feelings arose in England and English was increasingly used, displacing the French language. It took many centuries for the Old English to evolve into Modern English, a century or so to displace the once-pervasive and backed-by-wealth French language in English government and law.
But it happened. And not because of strong government and business support, but rather due to the lack of such support; support that would have held it back, suffocated its attempts to--however clumisly--evolve and innovate.
It would seem that English was the original open-source language. And the lessons that it teaches about rising from obscurity and contempt to the forefront of the world stage are not lost on Gates and Balmer.

The "freetards" and "Linux fanboys" state that open-source software, led by the Linux kernel and underpinned by the GNU software suite will take over the world.
Some drunk on the street corner states that the world will end next Tuesday.

To many, both of those statements are completely and utterly false. And yet one causes a great outpouring of anger, and the other causes little more than a bemused chuckle.
First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.
It would seem that we're pretty much past the ignoring and laughing phases, and are now well into the fighting phase.
Those who remember history are condemned to watch those who don't repeat it.

Brain Says :
"It would seem that we're pretty much past the ignoring and laughing phases, and are now well into the fighting phase."

@Brain :
BINGO!!

robuka kenderle Says :
"Wait,...wait... let me get this straight: Windows fanboi doesnt agree with Linux fanboi.
Im shocked."

@robuka kenderle :
As the saying goes;
A Linux fanboi is a Linux fanboi.
A Mac fanboi is a Mac fanboi.
A Windows fanboi is IGNORANT!

@_ :
See disclaimer above.

Most Windows users know nothing about Linux and aren't qualified to compare. Most Linux users have used MS products extensively and really understand the quality Linux computing experience. I wouldn't trust most people's opinions if they aren't running mixed environments or Linux alone. People know only what they use and inertia is a big factor with Windows users. Most Windows fanbois don't know Linux. It's just that simple

btw... this side rendering far out to the right...

in firefox...

LAS really made a good point there.

Another thing about Linux adoption, which is what this article is all about, is OEM's selling pre-installed GNU/Linux.

Dell is adding Ubuntu on more models now;

Dell loads Ubuntu on select Inspiron models

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/12/18/dell.tries.ubuntu/

Quotes; "Dell recently announced that it is shipping systems loaded with Ubuntu Linux v7.10 and feature DVD playback. Currently loaded in the Inspiron Desktop 530 N, and the Inspiron Notebook 1420 N systems in the US – with English, French, and German models being offered later this week – these machines represent a first, but large, step by the computer manufacturer, as it seeks to eventually offer Ubuntu with its entire product lineup as an alternative to Windows."

Anyone who believes Linux on the desktop doesn't have a big future doesn't understand people, software, history, and certainly IT history very well.

Go find someone from Wang or DEC to explain it to you.

I'll give you a hint it involves economics, friction, and something called the "network effect".

---

RalphM,

It doesn't sound like you know much about Linux or the consumer space, or OSX internals either by your statements.

---

robuka kenderle,

If you find much use for Parallels, check out virtualbox.org for virtualization, GPL (ie. Free and free), small, polished, feature rich, stable, and available for Lin/Win/Mac.

Microsoft called. Your check is in the mail.

chips,
Here's hoping Dell offer Ubuntu pre-loaded on all their models sooner rather than later - particularly the more expensive models.

I guess Ubuntu fell victim to Linux' stigma of "the-OS-when-you-can't-afford-windows" and so gets only preloaded on the bottom of the barrel Inspirons.

I might sound like a broken record, but i wish one would hear more about Linux' strong points other than it's price tag.

You write -

Linux "also is an operating system that its users have near complete trust in," SJVN writes. Really? Which users?

I assume that by "its users" SJVN mean Linux users - perhaps you should read the quotes that you are inserting in your article.

so vendors don't see a benifit of making linux drives? just as much as end users don't see a benifit with linix. is mac the same or is it because it is a closed architec. did ms by any chance pay for drivers to be built? is it market share along with time and money. who would want to waste time making it for less people and not recouping the expenses to make and suppport the driver software.
sent vai blackjack

How many users do you think would stick with Windows, if the shoe was on the other foot and Linux was installed as standard on the machines they bought?

Do you really thing all those users would choose to pay for the install hell that they would put themselves through?

Wake up.

The funny thing is that you see Linux everywhere in the business world, but there are no "sales figures" on which to base its market penetration.

So why not just let the Micro$oft fanboys think they will always have at least 94% of the desktop market. They will all be surprised when the little boy points out that the emperor has no clothes. In the meantime, Linux will continue to grow and mor epeople will benefit.

As for the absurd accusations gthat SJVN is a plagiarist, I think he answered these pretty well in his article: "Grumpy Fake Steve Jobs" (dated Dec. 11, 2007). He writes:

Some of you may be wondering why Daniel Lyons, aka Fake Steve Jobs, is on the war path against me.

It is not, as he would have it, that I am a plagiarist.

Like all reporters, I write stories based on press releases. It's one of the things we do when we can't find someone at the company to tell us what's what with their company or group's latest news. And, I might add, more often than not, I then have the pleasure of listening to someone read to me from the press release.

Sometimes I make it clearer than others that I'm working from a press release. The key phrases to look for in such stories, both by me and other reporters, are "according to a company statement," "according to CEO Joe Cool of Joe's Camels," or, "In a statement, Joe's Camels claims that there are no such things as cancer causing camels."

So, what is the explanation? Why is Lyons attacking me and my work?

I believe you'll find the answer in this letter I helped write two years ago about the poor quality of his work.

His current attacks on me, indeed the entire Fake Steve Jobs site, only goes to show that the concerns I expressed then were well-founded.

I can only wonder what Forbes believes it's gaining in continuing to provide a platform for Mr. Lyon? Is twisting stories, calling people names and publishing insulting photos really what Malcolm Forbes wanted for Forbes?

Why do people keep saying Linux and Vista need to work on their driver support? If you hardware doesn't work in that OS, it is the fault of the hardware manufacturer, not the OS producer.

People who keep saying this are mindlessly following the masses and haven't really looked at how things work. If you produce a video card, as a hardware producer it is your responsibility to provide the driver for whatever OS you want it to run on.

As the end user, it is your responsibility to make sure the hardware you buy has driver support for your OS. All three major OS's have plenty of compatible hardware. This means there shouldn't be any major issues getting any system up and running.

Joe, one significant correction to what is otherwise a fairly good piece (and a few other corrections that are related but are for older pieces).

Dell has offered Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a Desktop on the Precision line of enterprise workstations for a number of years; likewise on the PowerEdge server line (but, of course, this is about the desktop and not the server). And the RHEL version included was one with full Red Hat network support.

As CIO for a small educational facility, I find Linux on the desktop to be popular with many academic users, professors and students alike. Windows is certainly still the majority system, but Linux use in the mainstream by students is on the rise, at least among the students I have seen. Likewise MacOSX use is on the rise; I've seen a lot more Macbooks lately, some of which are dual-booting to Linux, and some are triple-booting OSX, WinXP through bootcamp, and Linux.

To correct some other issues with some of your previous entries, the previous pieces inaccurately have said that Office and other Windows software doesn't run on Linux (tell that to my Microsoft Office install on Linux that I use daily, thanks to CodeWeavers CrossOver Professional); or that driver support is an issue (on my Vista-Ready laptop, the Vista install was ten times worse than the Fedora 8 install, because F8 included all the drivers I needed out of the box). I ended up blowing Vista back off the drive and taking the plunge to single-booting Linux (for support reasons I run VMware Workstation to get WindowsXP, but that gets booted maybe once a week).

Also, when I replaced the motherboard and graphics card in my desktop at home, running the older Fedora 7, not only did everything work perfectly, but Fedora came up with a dialog letting me reconfigure the hardware on the fly, and then brought up my desktop in the full resolution without downloading anything at all. And it recognized and immediately began using the new ethernet, the new sound, and the new chipset on the new motherboard.

The Windows XP install on the other partition required a CD (ethernet card, audio, chipset, etc on new motherboard not supported by XP) to get running again, and then required reactivation BY TELEPHONE (while they did reactivate, it was a significant annoyance, and being asked if I was pirating Windows (yes, the voice on the other end asked me if I was installing on more than one PC) was a low blow). Oh, and I had to reactivate Office 2003, too, which was an even less wonderful experience. That is simple? And not only did XP forget the resolution I had set up, but it rearranged my icons for me. How helpful.

The only thing hard was when I upgraded the Adaptec Ultra160 SCSI controller on my boot drives to a PCI-e U320 controller; this brought both operating systems to their knees; neither would boot at all (and neither had a helpful error message).

I was able, after some sleuthing, to get the Fedora install booting again thanks to the Fedora LiveCD, in about a half hour. I still haven't figured out how to get WinXP to boot again, even though I've tried a number of things. Reinstalling is not an option that I am willing to do for what little benefit XP gives me on that box; particularly since I'll have to reactivate yet again (if they will let me, that is).

But to my surprise, for my professional audio production work that is the reason for that box's existence, I'm finding the software available to run natively on linux is as good if not better than the Adobe Audition that I used on XP. The Echo Layla drivers are even more stable on Linux than on XP. So I haven't missed XP yet on that box at all (Office 2003 under CrossOver on Linux handles the few files that OpenOffice.org doesn't).

Joe, I challenge you to try a modern Linux with CrossOver Professional and see what you think; you might be surprised at how much more stable than the typical XP install modern Linux+CrossOver can be.

@Random CIO :
Your post was a better read than Joe's article.
You injected real world problems and solutions.
Hence, Joe's article not based on reality, just FUD.

Random CIO Says :
"Joe, I challenge you to try a modern Linux with CrossOver Professional and see what you think; you might be surprised at how much more stable than the typical XP install modern Linux+CrossOver can be."

@Random CIO :
That's not Joe's objective.

Joe Says :
"I've used Red Hat, SuSe, Ubuntu and Xandros."

itsme Says :
"Microsoft called. Your check is in the mail."

Maddog Says:
I can only wonder what Forbes believes it's gaining in continuing to provide a platform for Mr. Lyon? Is twisting stories, calling people names and publishing insulting photos really what Malcolm Forbes wanted for Forbes?
@Maddog:
When Malcolm Forms Sr. was alive and well, Forbes Magazine was dedicated to the sheer unadulterated joy of business. Not of money, not of greed, but of the joy of the journey and the celebration of the many, many different ways to take that journey.
After he passed away, the magazine became a forum for whiny rich people who complained about not being rich enough. I let my subscription lapse and haven't looked back. And nothing I've read since then has made me regret my decision.
So, no, I don't believe that this is what he wanted for Forbes Magazine.

Forrester is on crack as are you if you think Forrester and Gartner provide remotely correct stats. Entire countries have moved to Linux and they are still at a 2% usage statistic for Linux for the past 3 years. I must ask at this point who is funding their research, MS?

When Windows users load a GNU/Linux distro on their computer, they may not be impressed, but they are definitely surprised at what Linux in 2007 can do. When they scratch the surface and compare, they find advantages that are stunning and favor GNU/Linux every time.

Former Windows users like myself are delighted how easy the switch can be made thanks to the Linux community. The great myth of Linux is that you have to be an expert to use it. No, that's only with Windows, as it's a magazine/columnist/expert driven OS.

Given that Linux distros aren't "sold" you can never measure "market" share accurately. However, it's undeniable that Linux users are growing exponentially. Start by looking outside the US.

Sean Says :
"Forrester is on crack..."

@Sean :
Forrester's crystal ball is crack...

zaine_ridling Says :
"...it's undeniable that Linux users are growing exponentially. Start by looking outside the US."

@zaine_ridling :
For starter why they don't start by "looking outside"...