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FEATURE: Linux on the desktop is going to happen...



Date:    Thu, 4 Jan 2001 06:58:25 -0800
From:    Soundara Rajan <nssr@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: The Linux Internet Dream

The Linux Internet Dream
Contributed by Peter Revill
osOpinion.com
December 29, 2000


According to the author, Linux on the desktop is going to happen.

I have been reading with interest the arguments being thrown
back and forth between the average Joe and the Linux elite.

The argument centers on whether Linux belongs on the desktop. Those in
the average Joe camp argue that Linux needs to be easier before it
will succeed on the desktop market. When asked why they figure the
operating system is so difficult to use, the default argumentative
response is that the command line interface is too cumbersome for most
individuals and that editing system-related text files is too much to
ask of the common user.

Those in the Linux user camp then give the obvious response that
command line interfaces take a bit longer to learn but pay back with
speed. The Linux supporters also say that there is a multitude of GUIs
for Linux. This is true, despite the fact that many go so far as to
suggest that Linux does not belong on the desktop.

For those individuals that adopt this second mode of thought, let me
tell you something about Linux on the desktop. It's going to happen.

Parallel Paths

Since Linux was an incarnation that came about as a product of the
Net, it has seen growth patterns similar to those in the Internet
realm. Linux can be seen much like the Internet in terms of earning
money, that is, as a service delivery model. No one earns money by
selling Linux, they earn money by providing services for Linux users.

(Except for Linux distributions sold in stores, where money is
technically earned both ways, even though you can download their
distributions anyway.)

Linux is currently going through the same stages the Internet did. It
started off as a geeks-only area, but some very smart companies -- IBM
and so forth -- saw the potential for the OS, just like very smart
companies -- Netscape -- saw the potential for the Internet. These
companies are the ones that are going to bring Linux to the home user.
This business method has much in common with those early adopters that
brought the Internet to the home user.

Linux will become easier to use because, like the early days of the
Internet, the difficulty in using it turned off a lot of people.
Companies like Netscape helped make the Net easier for the average
Joe. This is similar to companies like Eazel who are currently working
to make Linux significantly easier to use.

Winding Roads

I believe that in the future, a certain learning curve will of course
be required for using Linux. That curve will be similar to the current
learning curve required for the Net. A basic amount of information is
required to use the Net. A person must of course understand what a
browser is, what a www address is, what an ISP is, what a modem is,
and so on.

This same sort of learning curve will have to be traveled by the users
of Linux. They will have to learn what a command line is, and they
will have to learn about multi-user systems. Companies will attempt to
make it simpler, but much like the Net, they can only make Linux
simple up to a point where it can't get any simpler.

By analogy, with the Net you need to know about Web addresses and
ISPs, etc., but you do not have to get into the nitty gritty of it
unless you want to. Linux will be much the same. People will have to
learn basic things, but much like the Internet, the payoff is worth
it.

Quick Turns

When I began thinking about this comparison, a thought occurred to me.
Remember when the Net was first starting to get popular and Microsoft
realized it was heading in the wrong direction?

It was then that the software giant pulled off a quick-as-it-could
turn into the right direction. As Linux continues to grow in
popularity, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft will be able
to reverse its direction and do so quick enough this second time
around.

Of course, the difference with Linux is that even if Microsoft manages
to turn in time, there will be more than just one browser in
competition. There will be loads of Linux distributions working
against Microsoft that it will have to tackle. The primary question at
hand is whether the company's vast resources will save them this time.

What's Ahead?

In the end, Linux will become an all encompassing OS that is
relatively easy to use, and at the same time, remain a leader in those
areas where it's pushed to its limits. The bottom line is that Linux
is great for both newbies and powerful computer users, just like the
Net is.

Source: http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/6355.html

================================================ 
Peter Revill  (nervlord@xxxxxxxxxxxx), the author, is a 16 year-old
fan of Linux who feels he needs to give back to the community. He
awaits the day when he may fully remove Windows without his brothers
complaining to his mother.
================================================