Hello,

I have the impression of seeing more and more people installing machines with Linux for home/personal purposes. Linux/*Nix/BSD is not now only for companies.

The XP is prolongating of 2 years the support, due to Vista is too heavy for old machines due to a "No want wants vista"-like.

Linux is getting more and more fans / new users. Compared to few years, 2-3 years, the progress are huge & tremendous ! Now the Desktop are comparable to windows, more powerful, more complete. Application/software are now, tend to be now, comparable to Windows. Hardware is accepting everything and drivers are all there working. Just still some knowledge, a bit is needed for newbies.
(Compiling kernel is made for everyone almost. well it's easier and it works perfect)

I guess that in 5-10 years, Linux will be a major actor on the market of computers.

Long life to Happy Penguin !

I wouldnt say exponential just yet, but I have seen a few people at work say that they are going to install it, without anyone trying to talk them into it. I imagine if the next windows version is as much of a flop then there will be a big move to linux.

I don't know, Microsoft certainly has outdone themselves with Vista. I can't imagine Windows getting any worse, but I'm sure Windows codenamed "Vienna" will make me eat my own words.

As for me, I am in almost dire need of a new system soon. I really don't know how much longer my old K6-II system will hold out. 9 years of constant use, and only one or two components to be switched out in such a long period of time is incredible. The next computer I build is going to be running Linux only. I have no plans to install XP on it, and it is certainly not going to be used for any heavy gaming. I have been looking at hardware, and I just hope when the time comes, i have great luck in getting the right board and best components for Linux.

Are you just guessing that Linux is increasing in the desktop usage or are you actually based in some statistics? Because, I think (thus assuming) that the number of Linux users is pretty much the same it has been for a long time. Sure, perhaps a lot more people are trying it out, but how many of those go back to Windows or keep dual-booting is nobody's guess. I don't quite believe that dual-booting is a big plus for Linux, if you still can't get everything you need running.

I feel very comfortable in a Unix environment, but there are some areas where it feels just broken. The GUI is the first thing I can think about. In my previous work, we had FreeBSD as workstations and Gnome just disappointed. Upgrading it was scary, it felt like always something would break. And more often than not, it did. Even Ubuntu crapped on my with a few updates. I've recently got a new job and, although they use Java, the company is very Microsoft centric (MS MySQL server, Windows XP, Office, Windows server, etc). We have far less trouble than I had with Unix as workstation.

Now, without being an arse, I don't think you were being serious here. Even nvidia, one of the fews that really support Linux out there, has no available drivers for Linux and the Geforce 9 series as far as I know. Lots of people out there are still having trouble with their wireless connections as well. Sure, some open source applications are fantastic, like Amarok, but in Windows, I use Foobar2000 and it is just great. It also has a smaller memory footprint than Amarok.

Don't take me wrong here. I like Linux a lot and my post was not trolling. I do want to see Linux on the top, but just saying that is is on the top or getting to it now, is just fooling yourself. There is still a long, long way to go...

i think alot of people will try ubuntu and distros like that, but at the end of the day, and however it sounds, ubuntu is the windows of the linux world.

by that i mean you have your system configured the way the ubuntu guys configure it.

even if everyone currently using windows today switched tomorrow, relatively few of those people will want to spend much time (or any at all) configuring fluxbox, or working on the commandline etc. they wont even care about the community.

these people will be windows users in linux clothing, but the clothes will be in very bad taste, probably like the bright green fluorescent shellsuits of the 1980's, while we shall be wearing bespoke savile row suits.

Desktop use:
Windows = 95%
GNU/Linux = 2%
A loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go!!

It's hard to determined the actual usage of linux as a desktop or server. I agree the use of linux has increase some, but not exponentially. Any increase of linux usage is always a positive thing.

If linux could get driver support on the latest hardwares i.e soundcards, scanners,printers,..etc
and get major applications like photoshop ported to linux, this can give linux a boost.

Window$ may have the market share, but linux/unix will always be my choice of OS.

-linux rules

I remain very doubtful that Linux will be widely-accepted in home environments.

The problem with the "home user" is ...

1. There are bezillions of them.
2. The profit-per-install is probably less than $30 apiece if they don't call for support.
3. You're in the hole the very first time, if they do.

Think "your Mom." You get to the point where you resent her every call because "she's going to ask you another dumb computer question." How do you suppose a company feels about it?