Desktop Linux Will Not Make It?

Martin Girard predicts a terminal future for desktop Linux (via Linux and Open Source Blog). The crux - Martin says the biggest reason is that Linux is built by technologists for technologists and not for the average Joe who is a technophobist. For the common man, an operating system is just an utility, no passion and no will to do more about it, and today Linux is driven by passion from the technologist who is a different animal.

While I agree with what Martin points, I would like to voice a contradictory future. I think desktop Linux is picking up, slowly but surely. There are some encouraging facts. Other than the friends I know who are ready to try Linux after looking at my notebook, adoptions are happening on a bigger scale, since there are some attempts at simplifying Linux for the layman. At least 20% of my circle of non-technical friends have ordered Ubuntu CDs. I think now is the time for the Linux community to focus more on the end user, whether it is the techie or the corporate guy or the home user. However, Linux faces the challenge on multiple fronts because of its multiple facets.

Open Source, should be for the end user

Before you think that I am saying open source is a problem, let me clarify that I am a vocal advocate of the open source. Linux has been the pivot in the open source community, there is no bigger project that exemplifies and complies with the open source ideologies. I agree with it, but not at the cost of the user’s convenience or needs. The controversy of including non-open source binaries has been killing adoption of Linux. There is merit to the argument that proprietary binaries violates one of the basic principles, but we need to think if open source is there for the sake of itself or for the user.

The man himself recently advised including the binaries to make it work with other peripherals. They say that, the root of open source development is a personal technical itch. I develop what I want, not what others need. This has to change. Open source developers can probably start with their personal need, but they can include others to build a solution that they can use.

Geeky experience

The average Joe, a technophobist, gets a geeky experience on a Linux desktop. He needs to understand the technical jargon and worry about knowing complex commands to install/remove an application or start surfing the web. Linux, can be split into three distinct parts for the purpose of this discussion - the kernel, the utilities and the desktop environment. The kernel is the core and is something that the end user need not worry about, but the utilities and the desktop environment is what the end user sees and uses. The blame for geeky experience falls on this interface.

However, it is changing, Ubuntu has been praised for bringing Linux to the desktop. Most of the hardware works by default and more importantly the computer works without any specific action by the user. May be it is not the ultimate yet, but it definitely has a huge head start.

Not Just Cost

The popular perception is that Linux is beneficial because there is not cost to it, it is free. Freedom from charge is just one of the many benefits, the real benefit lies in freedom of choice, freedom from vendors, freedom from hardcoding. This results in higher customization and higher personalization. Different users can use the same OS differently. A good example is the choice of Gnome or KDE desktop environments for using the same distribution. There are in fact more.

The downside of this is that too much choice scares away the technophobists. Which is why users should be able to use the installation by default, without taking any step. However, if required, the customization is available and open. I have installed Kubuntu on my notebook, but Gnome is still available to others who use my computer. This can create a highly tailored environment which can help me increase my productivity. Isn’t that what we want from computers at the end of the day! I think Linux enables this better than others.

Desktop Linux will spread as more and more people find it useful and easy to use. Linux community should consciously take efforts to simplify it and make it usable by the common man. It will grow slowly, but surely.