I think Linux has got this one :)

[hoppimike]

What do you reckon? I think Linux will eventually top OSX and Windows. I was really unsure for a while there but... Linux Mint and Android are just SO good... I reckon eventually the pressure will topple it.

Opinions?

Hoppi!

[bimsebasse]

If ChromeOS becomes big and Android also seeps into the desktop market in one form or another, definitely a good chance,

[animaguy]

Completely agree. I have owned a Mac. I have worked on XP, Vista, and Win7. I even trained on Win7 for certification. I recently spoke with a Microsoft gungho sales rep who could not identify me as a hardened linux user. The Microsoft rep was a newbie in his own way computer wise but it was obvious to me he is paid to be a salesmen and not paid to be a computer expert. He basically recited the company script on Win8. And with that and my own personal research, Win8 has a steep mountain to climb if they are going to compete with OSX not to mention linux.

Microsoft does have a customer base but that base is shrinking the more linux becomes user friendly.

Linux Mint is making an impact.

I read complaints from some experienced users but I dont look at those complaints as geniune reasons to go Windows, maybe Mac but only if you can afford the price, and it hard to pay for something once you are used to getting it for free. The money saved and the more beneficial it is to learn makes donating an option worthy of consideration.

The programs in linux are not quite there and there is room for development.

The forum support is unrivaled for linux and so is the technology. It all boils down to does the customer have the intellect to understand the real advantage of going linux?

Since I first started on Linux Mint 12 I have experimented with a lot of distros. These included:

PCLinux - not interested
Knoppix - not interested
Xubuntu - easy to somewhat hard
CentOS - hard but stable
Fedora - hard but unstable
Arch Linux - very hard

My laptop is now LM 13 And my desktop is CentOS 6.

All this was possible because Linux mint was stable and easy.

I am not really looking to experiment anymore. I contemplated Debian but decided not to bother. I am now focused on mastering Linux Mint and CentOS.

I currently have an activated iPhone only cause my sister gave it to me and I have an un-activated 32 gb Android.

Windows is not an option unless Win8 has something ground breakingly innovative which I doubt. I dont have much interest in biying a tablet and if I did I may go with an Android.

Windows and OSX for me are not very useful at this point.

[animaguy]

One thing about Apple. Apple is in the billions and their customer base is loyal and their main success is based in hardware design and engineering. There are rumors that the next big Apple issue is Apple TV. That does not seem to directly affect linux but my point is Apple will be around for a longtime.

Windows on the otherhand, some speculators are saying that Win8 had better be at least good for something or Windows could be in trouble.

But even if Win8 is a big flop, Windows in the past saved Apple from failure and Apple may do the same for Windows as pay back.

Linux however is going through what I believe to be a kind of renaissance or a silent and discreet surge in development.

We will see if I am correct with my assessment.

[hoppimike]

I agree animaguy

I think the next few years will be very interesting for Linux particularly if Linux Mint keep up their game - I think they're the strongest out there right now by some way. Yes Ubuntu technically has more users but I think the trend is going to start to favour Mint as its approach is stronger.

I don't MIND which distro of Linux does it - within reason - but... after all the stuff Ubuntu has pulled now I'm getting a little tired of them to be honest lol.. >.<

[bimsebasse]

If a major mainstream breakthrough happens it won't be with either Mint or Ubuntu, it will be ChromeOS or Android desktopified, there can be no doubt about that.

[hoppimike]

If a major mainstream breakthrough happens it won't be with either Mint or Ubuntu, it will be ChromeOS or Android desktopified, there can be no doubt about that.

ChromeOS... *shudders* lol

I really hope it's Mint ._. heh

[Garvan]

I have somewhat lower expectations. My calculations using data from http://marketshare.hitslink.com show that 3% of computers accessing the Internet, desktop+mobiles+tablets combined, are running Linux (counting Android as a Linux version). I think it would be a great achievement to double this.

Garvan

[animaguy]

I personally believe that Linux Mint as a standard development environment for Linux based software is where Linux Mint should go. Anything that caters to helping LM users to learn development would go a long way for LM as a distro.

[fletcher]

Here's my two cents, for what it's worth.

Win8 is too focused on touch-screen-ability, from what I have seen. And they have taken away many of the tools upon which computer users have come to rely, most noticably the start menu, which has been a mainstay of computing since there has been a GUI. MS has turned away from desktop development, it would seem. That will hurt them, as millions still want a desktop or laptop, not a smart hpone (although I have one of those) or a tablet, neither of which have as much utility as actual computers.

Mac is far too expensive for most people. And there is a llearning curve with Mac just as there is with Linux. I have not looked into it, but I bet that there is not the forum and community support for Mac like there is with Linux.

Ubuntu seems to have shot themselves in the foot with Unity. I have barely used it, since I did not like Ubuntu when I first used it three years ago, which is why I am on Mint. But from what I have read and seen on blogs all over the web, people do not like Unity. It is, apparently, not as user friendly, and I personally think it unattractive. Feel free to disagree with me on either of those points. One of the great things abotu Linux, in my opinion, is the disagreement. It helps build stronger distros, and expand usage.

ChromeOS may be very good. I have never tried it. I do not like the Chrome browser, so if that is any indication, I would not like ChromeOS. I do know, from what I have read, that ChromeOS is very minimal. It is basically just a browser, it relies heavily on the cloud, and it is difficult, it would seem, to install, for instance, an office program. Many people want to have more control over their data, and I would expect most people would want things like office suites and an email client installed on their own machine, not in the cloud. But I could be wrong.

I do not know if Google ever intended Android as more than a mobile OS. I likew it on my phone, and the tablets I have checked out are great. I do not believe it is ready for the desktop, but who knows. Maybe it could be developed and expanded for more use. I see the same problems as with Chrome, however. It is still Google. after all.

Then there is Mint. Mint was started to be a usable distribution that could appeal to a lot of people. And it has only gotten better at that. MATE and Cinnamon are perfect examples. I never liked Gnome at all, and went with xfce, then LXDE, when I came to Mint. But I like Cinnamon, and t is now my desktop of choice. It made a convert of me, and I only tried it because Mint discontinued my DE of choice. And from all reports, MATE is a great DE, too. So instead of creating an unpopular DE that seems to be more tuned for touch screen, such as Ubuntu did, the Mint developers found and made good replacements for Gnome. Better than the original, in fact. Mint is also noob friendly, as it is set up to be easy to use. I never thougth the same about Ubuntu, even on 9.04. Mint can be used and learned pretty painlessly by new Linux users. So can many other distributions, like ZOrin and Zeven and others, but I have found Mint to be by far the best and easiest to make your own.

I think Linux still has a long way to go to become a major player. That is fine with me, though. I am happy with it the way it is, and I have seen many boggers speculate that too many users too quickly might ruin Linux. But with the misdirections and misfires coming out of Redmond, the price of anything Apple, the cloud and mobile focus of Google (not to mention the privacy concerns that many people have), and the issues with Unity (I also think Ubuntu is still way too brown out of the box and too hard to customize), I think LM is well placed to gain users. And with the great support for this distribution, it can nly grow and get better.

[hoppimike]

I just can't believe how far it's come in the 9 years I've been using it. It's basically gone from unusable to usable lol

9 years ago, only a really technically-minded person could use it really. These days, I reckon Linux Mint is a piece of cake!

[bimsebasse]

fletcher, ChromeOS has abandoned the browser centric approach, it now has a standard desktop. I don't particularly like ChromeOS, that's not why I hold it up as the only real threat against Microsoft/Apple, it's because Google have all the machinery, the dollars, the connections, the brand, the whole setup required to actually become a player in the desktop market - Mint and Ubuntu are miles away from not even being close. I think a lot of users who have Mint/Ubuntu in as part of their everyday life forget just how completely invisible and unknown both are out in the streets among your average joans and joes.

[RETNUH]

fletcher, ChromeOS has abandoned the browser centric approach, it now has a standard desktop. I don't particularly like ChromeOS, that's not why I hold it up as the only real threat against Microsoft/Apple, it's because Google have all the machinery, the dollars, the connections, the brand, the whole setup required to actually become a player in the desktop market - Mint and Ubuntu are miles away from not even being close. I think a lot of users who have Mint/Ubuntu in as part of their everyday life forget just how completely invisible and unknown both are out in the streets among your average joans and joes.

This. I agree with this completely. Mint and Ubuntu have the goods, but they lack the means to become a major player.

[Asimov]

My verdict: unlikely.

Why:
1- Because, for historic reason, desktop have been build with a lot of keyboard shortcut. The first generation on desktop was created by peoples who didn't need a mouse. Mainly xterm's users. For theses guys the mouse was more a toy than an asset. The consequence : Linux have the most sh*tty keyboards layout of all the OS. MacOS have at least 6 layers keyboard. Linux barely 3. Now you know why MacOS is THE OS in the editing world!

Desktop designer must stop grabbing out the Cntrl, win, alt for the desktop. The keys should remain free to be used as dead keys.

2- API on Linux do not support combine events ( ex: Shift key + Right Clic on the mouse) . That a huge handicap when are creating short-cut for an application like GIMP or Blender. For theses kinds of application the professional will always chose the Mac for is keyboard.

Too bad the Mint team is putting energy on a fork of Gnome. Enlightenment already support combine events ...

[animaguy]

I openly dispute the concept that Mac and Microsft have monetary advantage over the linux open source community.

If you are an IT graduate from a reputable college, then of course MS and Mac will heavily recruit for your skills, however, that is no guarantee you will work for them. It is still possible for you to work for a company that uses Linux as their base operating systems for the computers.

If you did not graduate with a BS in IT, chances are you have no shot at getting a job working for Apple or Mac, and it doesn't matter how innovative or tech savy you are, without a degree you are out of the running.

The Linux community is an all comers are welcome arena and you are judged right from the get go by your accomplishments.

The Linux community has a solid business model and the open source aspect is misleading. Developers are the users who tend to take action and the possibility of invention is ripe with possibilities.

Plus developers under the Mac and MS umbrella do not get to work on what they want to work on. Their projects are based on customer demands, shareholer demands and business politics.

In the Linux community you can work on anything youvwant to work on and nothing is stopping you. You have a lot of flexibility to stay in line with the rapid technological changes if that is what you want or you can keep on working on projects that may not be currently the "next big thing" today but that eventually catch fire in the coming future.

Linux developers can always find jobs with a solid resume of computer skills and open source commits and expertise in niche specialties.

I have a great deal of respect for Jobs (may he rest in peace) and Gates but Apple and MS are really just faceless corporations that can go bankrupt if the tide changes at the wrong time.

Linux is a community of computer enthusiasts who do not have to be constantly watched by shareholders and stock portfolios.

There is a lot for thw linux community to work on but the progress is real. There was a time when you could spend a day with 50 floppy disks just to download a linux distro.

Now it takes about 15 minutes to download an iso, 5 minutes to burnt it on a DVD/RW and 15 to install the distro.

The rest of the time after that is spent on either beta testing software and/or development.

[animaguy]

My point is money can buy you an employee. But the money isnt going to keep enthusiasts from doing the things they enjoy doing.

The Linux community is based on unpaid developers doing the things they enjoy doing and thats experimenting with computers.

[bimsebasse]

animaguy - it must be a mystery to you then why Linux only has about 1-2% of the desktop market.

[animaguy]

Read your history.

Big Blue (IBM) used to be the evil empire until MS and Mac took it down in the 90s.

Apple is currently on top of the world and MS is struggling now.

Some are saying if Win8 turns into anothe Vista flop, that could break the back of MS.

Linux is still flying under the radar and is getting stronger with newbie friendly distros like Linux Mint.

I actually like the fact that Linux Mint is under rated as an OS.

Apple is scared of Android cause it took away a lot of smartphone business away and it isnt having a hard time staying current with the Tablet market either.

[animaguy]

bimsebasse,

my understanding is the higgs bosom discovery was made on a linux computer

[bimsebasse]

O.............K

Let's leave it there, then!