Posted on Monday 1st of January 2007 at 14:27 in Linux

Another lost year for Linux? I think not

I found myself reading an article on Mainframe.gr explaining how 2006 was another lost year for Linux and I couldn't help myself but write this response in disagreement. I found that 2006 was the building of a bridge between Windows and Linux, it may not be complete yet but there's already governments coming across. Let me share my thoughts on Linux in 2006.

A year of big gains
While the operating system market is still dominated by Microsoft and shows little sign of changing that doesn't mean that all other options have failed hopelessly because there were some significant gains made over the past 12 months. Below are some good examples:

tux

IBM will not use Windows Vista - but will move to Linux desktops
IBM cancelled their contract with Microsoft last October which means that they will no longer use Windows for their desktops. Beginning July, IBM employees will begin using a Red Hat-based platform.

The City of Chicago goes Linux, saves over 85% in the process
Big elements such as the vehicle registrations system, online job applications, restaurant inspections and more were migrated to a Red-Hat system in order to reduce costs and improve support, performance and scalability.

Munich opts to use Debian version of Linux
The city of Munich has opted to use the Debian version of Linux for a high-profile, 14,000-computer installation, passing over Novell's Suse Linux despite its regional popularity. Another massive win.

Ubuntu is noted as being #27 in PCWorld's 100 Best Products of the Year
Clearly a great result being placed above the iPod, iTunes, Google Desktop, Flickr and other good products.

Linux cuts Kent Police system costs by 90% by using SuSE
Kent Police has cut the cost of running its major criminal investigations system by 90% using Novell Open Enterprise Server, the company's version of SuSE Linux.

Kerala (an Indian state) goes Linux
Children in 12500 high schools in the state will not be taught Windows. Instead instructors are lining up Linux for them. Another good win for Linux.

Venezuela's Government Shifts to Open Source Software
According to government sources in Venezuela, the South American nation has announced an official policy that exclusively calls for the use of open source software in that government.

Korea migrates 120K civil servants to Linux desktop
The Korean government is to buy 120,000 copies of Hancom Linux Deluxe this year, enough to switch 23 per cent of its installed base Microsoft user to open source equivalents. So another 120,000 users.

Dell refunds Linux users who ditch XP
Dell, a massive player in the computer market have obviously accepted the need for this as an option for those users who do not wish to have Windows. A reasonably good gain as far as the consumer is concerned.

...and that little thing with Microsoft and Linux hooking up and many more.

Short of support?
So clearly it's been a bad year for Linux with bundles of governments opting to ditch Microsoft and use it, awards, continuous PR and an alliance with Microsoft - how more wrong could the year have gone? Obviously there's a sense of sarcasm in my writing because it's been quite the opposite of "a lost year".

User experience is key
The article in question also returns to slightly tired material which everyone is already aware of - that Linux just isn't quite ready for the mass-migration of Windows users YET. It may not be as perfectly simple as Windows yet and it may still require the reading of tutorials/forums to perform some tasks but 2006 was a massive step in the right direction as far as the user is concerned. Distros such as (K)Ubuntu and PCLinuxOS (amongst others) focused on developing a more intuitive interface to help non-Linux users find their way around. So it may not have put the ball in the back of the net but the ball is in the air.

Too many distros?!
Another point made is that the element of choice offered in the GNU/Linux world is a bad thing... I'm not going to argue with this because it's clearly a matter of opinion which I disagree with. The same goes for fast release cycles, I think that is a great thing - to have regular updates but he author makes a valid point, regular updates = regular risk. I disagree but a valid point is made.

Conclusion
The user signs off with a "Good luck in 2007 Linux :P" and I feel that the element of sarcasm may be ironic because I think 2007 will be a good year for all things Linux. Ubuntu will continue it's development towards being a user-friendly system (as will the other leaders on this front). With any luck this will be the year that a Utopian system is developed to allow for a reasonable Windows user conversion. So, 2006 may have been a year of development lacking the massive shift away from Windows that maybe some people expected but it doesn't make it a wasted year.

I'll finish as the article began, 2006 was the building of a bridge between Windows and Linux, it may not be complete yet but there's already governments coming across. A toll free bridge at that.

If I've missed any major wins off, please comment them in.

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Showing most recent 18 of 18 comments

ubuntu rools! BG has a thorn in his side...

by http://www.sugarusa.us on Sunday 15th of April 2007 at 17:23

I was a heavy Windows user but got turn off by Vista and all its restrictions.
InstalLShield is now own by Macrovision;You Know that little program that install programs on your computer - oh yes!Macrovision owns it.And guess InstallShield and Macrovision is all over the registry in Vista.
Vista secure?Think twice!More security against the casual hacker for now but it’s wide open for the powers to be.DRM,restriction,total control of the desktop(i.e updating Windows even with Windows Update off) etc;it’s the new MS.I installed Feisty on my second partion and guess what?I don’t miss Windows except for games and a few apps.I think Linux is finally coming out the shadow.Make it happen guys.

by fanfi on Saturday 31st of March 2007 at 06:03

A few points to keep in mind:

1. Often these press releases are wrong - it’s the marketing department or vendor with a message which it wants to get out, while the organisation knows that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

2. Those organistions singing the praises of their deployments are not going to say "we messed up", which is more often the case then not.

3. Alot of this is hype, they have purchased licenses, not actually deployed anything.

This is not to say Linux isn’t catching on.

by Lionel on Thursday 4th of January 2007 at 15:27

For the person who couldn’t find an administrator account under Kubuntu, isn’t Kubuntu a sudo system? See http://www.sudo.ws/. Then type ’sudo command’ instead of logging in as root.

by Bill Harris on Thursday 4th of January 2007 at 08:33

And... .What about french parliament goes to Linux? :)

by Trevi�o on Wednesday 3rd of January 2007 at 18:08

Of course they should. But at the moment they are only educated to use Windows. Macs might be a bit expensive for schools, but a couple of them would be good. I’m not saying that everybody has to use Linux and nobody should use Windows. The problem is that most of the people are not aware of such a nice alternative that Linux is. And if everybody used Linux, we wouldn’t be free of viruses anymore.. But something like a 20% market share would be nice, maybe game developers would start porting games then, too.

by Kaur on Wednesday 3rd of January 2007 at 11:09

>Kaur - I agree but I think that children should be educated on Windows as well as Linux, because as the world becomes increasingly dependant on computers there will be a higher number of Linux machines (whether the market share changes or not).

It would be useful to involve Apple products too because there’s nothing more embarracing than a crippling reliance on one product (I spent a good 10 minutes trying to work out how to turn a Mac on when I was younger, it still haunts me)

by Seopher on Wednesday 3rd of January 2007 at 06:49

Schools is where it should start, it’s hard to make people switch from Windows to Linux, but when they’re familiar with it from the beginning, they probably will keep using it. Linux isn’t harder to master than Windows, it’s just that everybody is used to it. When you give a computer to a person who has never used it, he will probably learn to use Linux just as well as Windows. I wouldn’t say that Windows is easier to use when you have the same amount of experience. We have to start from the children.

by Kaur on Wednesday 3rd of January 2007 at 06:41

I have in the past month installed Kubuntu onto a partition on my hard drive and am dual booting with Windows XP. I found out that I couldn\’t run an administrator account with it, everything I found online about the subject wouldn\’t work. So I kept trying other types of Linux. I am now trying Fedora Core 6 and it seems so far to be the one I was looking for. I prefer the KDE desktop and I really like the PIM Kontact. I believe that I will be using Linux for most of my computing and very soon only be booting into Windows for when I want to play a game. I play games frequently but I do like a number of the open source games so I will play those and the Windows games that I like. I would say that I am being converted to Linux and my father is taking a look at it too. If we both like it a lot, we will probably be installing it on my sister\’s computers and her kids as well. Since we are their only tech support they will have to migrate. Heres to Linux getting better and better.

by Dan on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 21:59

I cannot use Linux because I do programing on Z-World controllers and the only development software they have is for Windows. I also have not found any Linux software to interface maps with my GPS. I had Linux on my computer for over a year but found I spent about 80% of my time in Windows because there was no software I could find to do what I needed to do.

Even my hobbies won’t let me use Linux. I fly electric radio control model aircraft and the speed controls I use are programed from my computer and they only make the software for Windows.

I finally just took Linux off my computer.

Tom

by tmoody on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 19:51

I am an Ubuntu user who still has to keep XP around for a few favorite Apps, but I’m happily working my tail off to make sure that I NEVER have to buy a copy of Vista. All those wonderful Windows innovations like Data Execution Prevention have left a sour taste in my mouth. I can only imagine the pain that will be Genuine Advantage.

by hendoc on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 16:13

The major problem is with multiple and unorganized distros. No doubt about it. If we reach a state where all devices/peripherals work flawlessly without dealing with out forums or referring to workaround we can make it possible. Basically Linux should reach a regular desktop user who doesn’t know much about internals of OS.

by Amar on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 12:51

Wouldn’t the wealthiest be more likely to get what they want rather than settle for something less? Are you saying that only the poor choose Linux?

by U2 on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 12:50

I think vista will help Linux. There are alot of people that use the same Windows Product key for a household. That is anywhere from 2-5 computers. When vista come out these people will have to buy Vista because of the new Genuine Advantage. I think these people will be the ones moving to Linux. These are the people that have windows on a commuter just so they can check email, use the internet, and play music, etc. I really think this will make more people move to Linux.

by jae1227 on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 11:59

Having switched to Ubuntu this past summer, I can definately see why others are taking a liking to it. If Linux is this great with only .37% of the population uses it, just imagine what it will be like once that number jumps to 10-20%.

by Salgat on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 08:31

People keep expecting to see their neighbors switching to Linux. Let’s face it: Americans are some of the wealthiest people in the world. They will be the last to switch to Linux! Foreign governments will be the first to switch, so they don’t have to rely on U.S. software. Venezuela, Korea, and Kerala are examples. Something to look forward to next year is the distribution of the $100 laptops, which will flood third world countries with thousands of linux based laptops. A whole new generation of linux gurus will emerge! (who will probably be experts at writing memory efficient programs ;-)

by kwilliam on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 07:53

[...]9 instances of Linux overtaking Windows[...]

by www.toptentoptenlists.com on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 06:44

Great article! Here are a few additional reasons (in spanish)
http://my.opera.com/suribe/blog/show.dml/639564

by suribe on Tuesday 2nd of January 2007 at 02:52