2008: Not the year of the Linux desktop

The new year is less than a week old but the talk has already begun. Yes, we are hearing that hackneyed old saw again – this will be the year of the Linux desktop. Some so-called pundits say it directly, some in an indirect manner but they aren’t holding back.

Those with a stake in something like this coming to fruition – the biztech media, several so-called pundits and businesses which stand to gain monetarily – are the ones behind this rash of articles.

Were Linux to gain serious marketshare in the business space, then all these people would see their bank balances start to swell. And in order to try and achieve this objective, any and every means will justify the end. The logic is the same as that employed by one venerable newspaper publisher many decades ago: “You send the stories and I will create the war.”

What exactly do people mean when they say that a particular year will be the year of the Linux desktop? Do they mean that the number of people using Linux on the desktop will outnumber those using Windows? Even the most ardent Linux advocate and fanboy would say no.

Read more at iTWire