Linked by Robert Gering on Tue 17th Sep 2002 18:11 UTC
First, a little background. I am a Windows user who has been using Windows since 3.1. I am not a programmer or a developer, I am a user. I process photos, use the internet, e-mail, write letters, play the ever important games and even use it to develop my comic strips. I am not computer illiterate and I use my computer with confidence and skill. Now with that said. I hate Windows.
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Where I work, I had a chioce of HPUX, Linux, or NT with a terminal connected to an HPUX box. I chose Linux, and I have to say that I love it - the freedom that I get to change every aspect of my box to my liking and the amazing set of tools.
That being said, desktop Linux still has a ways to go before it beats out any desktop Windows or Mac. In order for Linux to be firmly seated on the desktop it has to better - much better - than what is currently offered. Most home users are not going to drop their Windows desktops and a good deal of their current Windows applications to go over to something that is just as good.
I have tried Redhat NULL and in many ways it is much better than Windows in that it is simple and does not offer too many options up front (the Windows Control Center is a mess compared to the Redhat Control Center). Redhat NULL is still not, at least for the desktop user, a huge improvement over what is currently out there. I could see it becoming the defacto in places that want a strong set of tools packaged with a nice interface - Dreamworks, Disney, etc.
Give it a few more months, though. The last 6 months have seen amazing improvements in the overall interface of the free desktop projects. I could see it really catching on when more serious eye-candy is introduced (for example - real transparency).