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The Year of Desktop Linux


Almost every year for the past three, four, even five years we have had claims that the year to follow was going to be the year of desktop Linux. The following articles are of no particular relevance but serve as proof of how at the end of every year someone feels that the following year will be 'the' year:

2007 the year of desktop Linux? - Seems like hype died down in 2007
2008 the year of desktop Linux - Going strong again in 2008 though
..and of course, one for next year:

If we think of the year of desktop Linux as being the year in which it begins to grow in popularity then we've passed that year over a decade ago. If the year of Linux is actually the year where it takes majority share then i think we still have a few to go. But i think the year of desktop linux should rather be thought of as the point when Linux finds favour in the minds of influential individuals giving it much deserved credibility. Eric Schmidt, Paul Otellini, Michael Dell, Samuel Palmisano and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo are a few of those influential individuals.

Having gained the favour and financial backing of very powerful companies, i believe that Linux and open source can finally say that it's has had it's "year". Whether it was 2008 when the cogs started turning or 2009 when the products started rolling out, Linux has now reached it's critical mass and with the inertia of a zero dollar price tag, the force of a massively collaborative developer base and the smooth path now being laid by wealthy corporations, Linux is comfortably steaming toward an open source future that would bring a tear to Keith Curtis' eye.

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