April 21, 2006
Look Out, Microsoft
I’ve said, now that I’m getting more and more experienced in Linux, that I don’t believe Linux is quite ready for prime time. It’s not that I think Microsoft is a good product, but for normal end-users, it simply works. Most software vendors and hardware vendors don’t do much to support Linux, on the other hand, because there are so many flavors and issues to be supported that it would take too many resources. Until now.
Linux Distributors Unite on Standard
In a move to make the freely distributed Linux operating system a stronger alternative to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows, a group of major Linux distributors announced Friday they have united on a standard set of components for desktop versions of Linux.
The standard created by the Free Standards Group should make it easier for developers to write applications that will work on Linux versions from different distributors.
Linux has a firm foothold as an operating system for servers — it’s popular for hosting Web sites, for instance — but has only a few percent of the desktop market.
That’s partly because, Linux, created in the early 90s by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds, is really just the kernel, or core of an operating system. For a Linux computer to perform meaningful tasks, more software needs to be added that does things like presenting a graphical user interface.
Unfortunately, those added software libraries differ among Linux distributors, making it hard to know if an application like a word processor will function on a particular Linux computer.
“One of the big things that’s difficult is consistency, and that’s Window’s biggest strength,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Free Standards Group.
If you buy a Windows program, you know it will run on a Windows computer, and Linux needs to work the same way, Zemlin said.
“If you really want to become a broadly adopted and used technology, you have to have that degree of standardization,” he said.
Linux is close to being where it needs to be. Linux is secure, powerful, configurable, and has certain features (such as a package management system) that blow away Windows. That so far has made it a wonderful operating system for power users. But the average computer user doesn’t want to be a power user. They want a computer that turns on and works. They want everything done for them. That is where Microsoft has been able to make strides, even if they’ve lost in the security and features realm.
Either way, though, this is good news. As with any natural monopoly, Linux may not beat Windows, but it’s growing strength in the market will force Microsoft to innovate again. Whether Linux wins or not, it’s entrance as a viable competitor will raise the level of both systems, which is only good for the consumer.
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