2009 is the year of th Linux desktop ...

... according to Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation.

Jim makes a bold prediction on his blog, stating that Linux will ship on more desktops than Windows and the Mac next year.


So why such a bold claim? Well Jim believes that the winning factor, is fast boot.

That's right, folk are so mad for fast booting machines, that they will dump both Windows and the Mac in droves.

I would certainly agree that a lot of big companies (HP and Dell) are using Linux to provide instant on and that will certainly see it being shipped on a lot of systems over the next few months.

The problem that I see with Jim's prediction is that he is assuming that MS is not working on its own fast boot system, that will allow folk to do basic browsing and emailing, without having to load the full operating system.

The other more obvious problem with his prediction, is that folk actually don't care that much.  Most people I run into just leave the machine on standby, in which case they're up and running in about five seconds

Yeah, I'd really like to take a hit in functionality to get a system that boots in seconds. That's why I use Dell's MediaDirect feature so often.

No wait, I tried MediaDirect for a day or so before getting rid of the partition. It's fun, but in the end it's just way more practical to boot the actual OS and do your mailing and music playing from there.

I don't give a damn that Windows takes 40 seconds or so to boot, really. And if I did care, I'd just put my machine in sleep or on standby and get back to Windows in 5 seconds.

I'll agree with him that Linux will be shipping on a lot of desktops last year, though, what with Splashtop being embedded on motherboards now. That technically counts as Linux shipping on a desktop. Will it actually be used broadly? I doubt it.

They are indeed ignoring the fact that Microsoft may be working on instant on:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/15/microsoft-survey-hints-at-instant-on-os-concept

"linux freaks prove once again they don't 'get' the market"..

I also really don't like those 'quick boot' things, all they do is boot into an os thats minimalized to crap.. so if I want to do anything else I've gotta then stop what I'm doing, unload that os and start loading the real os.. resume what I was doing to then open a pdf or somethign stupid..

Every day I happen to read something stupid.
every year linux desktop?  2006- 2007- 2008 - now 2009 ?
I would like to remind everyone that downloads from torrents of Windows 7 prebeta
outweigh the download of ubuntu 8.10
If up to now someone use Ubuntu in dual boot with XP or Vista

Dovella said:

Every day I happen to read something stupid.
every year linux desktop?  2006- 2007- 2008 - now 2009 ?
I would like to remind everyone that downloads from torrents of Windows 7 prebeta
outweigh the download of ubuntu 8.10
If up to now someone use Ubuntu in dual boot with XP or Vista

When released WIndows 7, the user immediately remove the partition Ubuntu dedicating the entire space WIndows 7


this is year of WIndows 7 + Umpc+ Multitouch
and  Windows 7 IS ROCK!!

GoddersUK said:

Dovella said:

*snip*

I dual boot Ubuntu (via WUBI) and Vista, and I don't plan on removing Ubuntu.

Not that I would loose much - 9/10 times the boot doesn't even make it to the full command line - going to some thing called "busy box" that really seems to not do anything at all.

98% of the consumer user who has installed Ubuntu,(dual boot)  you know why he did so?

Inutility one




Inutility 2


Stop, no more reason

Dovella said:

GoddersUK said:

*snip*

98% of the consumer user who has installed Ubuntu,(dual boot)  you know why he did so?

Inutility one




Inutility 2


Stop, no more reason

GoddersUK said:

Dovella said:

*snip*

Do not knock Compiz, Compiz is cool because it has absolutely no useful function or purpose what so ever!





EDIT: BTW - love the description "inutility"

CannotResolveSymbol said:

GoddersUK said:

*snip*

People make a big deal about Compiz because of the stupid crap it can do (I can catch windows on fire and put fish inside my desktop cube--  woohoo!!), but Compiz actually makes pretty big leaps in terms of overall polish when compared to a plain X11 server (through simple stuff like compositing and drop shadows).

Dovella said:

CannotResolveSymbol said:

*snip*

No, if i wont (stupid) Cube on windows were is a problem? those who do you want?

CannotResolveSymbol said:

GoddersUK said:

*snip*

People make a big deal about Compiz because of the stupid crap it can do (I can catch windows on fire and put fish inside my desktop cube--  woohoo!!), but Compiz actually makes pretty big leaps in terms of overall polish when compared to a plain X11 server (through simple stuff like compositing and drop shadows).

GoddersUK said:

CannotResolveSymbol said:

*snip*

Wobbly Windows!

I really love those. (That's something that after using Linux make coming back to Windows feel like coming back to the past).

littleguru said:

Ion Todirel said:

*snip*

I hope he didn't shoot himself, as he said in another thread...