Linux on the Desktop

webmaven writes "Mitch Kapor's Open Source Application Foundation just released a 34 page report on the Desktop Linux market, written by Bart Decrem, who has discussed desktop Linux previously. The OSAF is working on Chandler, which the press have generally described as an 'Outlook Killer', but it's really intended to be in a completely new application category, more similar to Lotus Agenda in some ways than what currently consider a PIM (email + contacts + appointments). The report goes into some detail about the current state of desktop Linux, trends, and various limiting factors, and concludes that while a revolution is not immediately in the wings, a trend can definitely already be discerned, and they expect adoption of desktop Linux to increase over the next few years, and identifies leverage points to accelerate the process."

Clippie

[whitelabrat]

Forget "Outlook Killer". Just get rid of the damn clippy guy!

Wow! : )

[Jonsey]

Linux is for desktops too?

Yeah, I'll go RTFA. : p

Re:SP

[BWJones]

Unfortunately you're right.

We need a revolution in usability.

Hmmm. Like OS X?

Ducks

Re:You gave the wrong link to OSAF

[The Bungi]

Fate worse than death: Slashdotting by mistake.

Of course this just bounces to a non-existent Yahoo group, so...

Re:Outlook

[M.C. Hampster]

Outlook should be banashed.

Are you sure you didn't find the spell check helpful?

I only want Chandler on my desktop if..

[mikeophile]

Clippy looks like he's meant to snapped into the butt of an automatic pistol and says things like this.

"I'm an occational drinker, the kind of guy who goes out for a beer and wakes up in Singapore with a full beard."

"The kid's face had as much expression as a cut of round steak and was about the same color."

"She opened a mouth like a firebucket and laughed. That terminated my interest in her. I couldn't hear the laugh but the hole in her face when she unzippered her teeth was all I needed."

What do you mean Chandler wasn't named after Raymond?

Re:Sure...

[Zork the Almighty]

I find the image of feet and the letter "G" offensive, that's why I use KDE.

My review:

[cK-Gunslinger]

Article: :-|
Document: :-)
Slashdot: :-(

Bottom Line: :^P

Re:What ever happened to the last "Outlook-killer"

[jason0000042]

Just take Mozilla Thunderbird and Calendar, integrate them into the kernel. Then put in a feature that allows an arbitrary host on the network run arbitrary code on your machine in the interest of letting other people invite you to meetings automatically.

That should infuse some of the old MS flavor into the dish. Should really get the punters switching to linux in droves.

Re:Clippie

[swordboy]

As you wish... [microsoft.com]

Nothing new

[ZoneGray]

Nothing new. I've had Linux on my desktop for years.

One of these days maybe I'll open the box and install it.

Re:Leverage

[repetty]

"no, no matter what anyone says Mozilla doesn't perform anything close to how IE does..."

And that's a bad thing?

Re:Clippie

[My name isn't Tim]

Clippy isn't as bad as that swastika in the middle of the OFfice Logo. I mean who could have missed that O_O http://www.microsoft.com/office/ look for your self in the middle of the puzzle

Re:Linux on the desktop...

[Ann Elk]

Being nearly Windows-free for the last three years or so has been really awesome.

This sounds like a line from an A.A. meeting.

Hello, my name is Ann, and I've been Windows-free for 3 years.

Everyone: Hi, Ann!!

Re:PDF?

[genglish]

Having precious few good PDF viewers on Linux should tell you something about its readiness as a desktop OS. If someone like you, adept enough to be reading /. and hold opinions about file formats and viewers, has a hard time reading a PDF file then that probably tells you more than that report ever will. Take it easy, Guy

Re:I like....

[Anonymous Coward]

Not if he stole the machine! ;)

They're not going for cuteness...

[Moskie]

..They're going for Kuteness. Get it right.

Re:Linux poised for desktop failure: Gartner

[WindBourne]

Gartner claims:
In 1999, they claimed that Apache was not that good and that IIS would crush it in about 1-2 years.
In 2000, they said that Linux would occupy about 1 % of the servers on the web (totally ignoring that netcraft already showed Linux as being on more than 10% of the web servers at that time)
In 2001, they said that .net would dominate the net by 2003
So, here is my prediction:
Gartner is worthless and will be losing a lot of money in the course of the next 2 years.

Re:The next few years..

[RajivSLK]

That must keep Bill up at night.

Yes, I can see him now... in his 50 million dollar mansion fistfulls of $1000 bills in each hand nervously cowering under his bed. Can't sleep the penguins will eat me. Can't sleep the penguins will eat me.

penguins... penguins... penguins... can't sleep.

But don't worry tommorow he has a swim in his money vault planned -- to take his mind of things.

Re:Linux on the desktop...

[Cyno]

This serious "flaw" with linux that you are talking about can very easily be resolved with a script.

We Linux/UNIX users/admins/developers don't really care right now whether you can see your devices or not. We care if the system is stable, bug free, has drivers for all the hardware, is secure and efficient. When you do things the right way the first time it always takes longer and it might even be a bit harder, but when its finished there will be no alternatives because noone else took the time to do it right.

Re:Commodification?

[RdsArts]

Are you kidding? I useify that work all the time.

Re:Linux is still waiting in the wings

[freeweed]

So bascially what you're saying is:

- RTFM
- if you don't get it, you don't understand computers enough
- distro zealotry is alive and well

Oh yeah, once again I remember why Linux isn't big on the desktop yet.