I just read another "great" article about how Windoze will not be upseated by Linux.  This made me think of my recent post, about Linux doesn't really want to become the next Windoze.

Still, I think the writer has it all wrong.  The jist of the argument is that Linux will succeed only if Windoze fails.  I don't think that is even an option, the failure part.  As I already wrote, nothing delivered on most of the desktops of the world will likely go away anytime soon.  And with "the company" stance on licensing, you can be sure no major manufacturer can afford to ship PCs without those lovely licenses.

So where does that leave the Linux world?  Simply put, I think better off than ever, see, it's not a failure of any OS or browser or player that has cost any company anything, it's always been the innovation and functionality of the competition that eventually swamps the boat.

Firefox is a great example.  It's done wonders through innovation.  Despite IE not being upgraded, or worse, businesses which push software many times over past any useful lifespan, it was Firefox's ingenuity and a better idea that caused folks to move. 

When you look at the innovation in the open source camps the past year or so, then it's a matter of time before folks cry out for their choice of OS.  My compiz desktop is one of the sweetest innovations I've seen in years.  My productivity on that desktop is almost freaky.  The ability to keep on task and thought, despite the web's multitude of detractions, is the prime mover for me.  I merely open one side of my cube to browsing, one to production or gaming (work or play), one for my music player of choice (Songbird, right now) and one for email.  I also open another browser on the same side as the one already open, and move anything I really like, but don't want to focus on right now, over to another copy of Firefox.   I can easily see about 8 open descriptions of what browser pages I have open, and still not get the command line all filled with links that I can't find.

So, when I am working, the focus of my efforts can be very small, with less distractions on my immediate screen, and better ways for me to keep items aligned.

Post it notes on the screen - Woohoo!  Simple and effective.  A lot less junk on the physical desk.

Excellent applications that provide equivalent work environments, or in some cases, even better functionality.  These are all the parts of having a superior desktop operating environment.  That's what will win over end users, one desktop at a time. 

Cloud computing levels any advantage MS used to hold.  Every past year, at tax time, I HAD to break out a Windoze PC for my beloved TurboTax.  Not any more, thanks to the cloud.  And with Firefox free to roam the web, everything works just fine, even if the website can't figure out what a Debian OS is...

You see, it's no longer an even field, the Linux desktops of today are superior to Vista for sure.  MS is only hoping, much like it did for IE vs. Firefox, that the fox is not in the hen house.

Later,

ezsurfer