Game up for Linux?
Microsoft last month released a “beta” or test version of Windows 7, its newest operating system for desktop PCs. Unlike Vista, which was derided by consumers and the technology press for being bloated, slow and problematic for many users, Windows 7 is winning plaudits from those who have installed it.
Windows 7 runs faster than Vista and works well on the new generation of “netbooks”, the low-cost, low-power laptops from the likes of Acer, Toshiba and Asus These lightweight, barebones machines typically sell for between R3000 and R6000, prompting many consumers who use their computers for Web browsing, e-mail and basic productivity tasks to shun more expensive notebooks.
Most netbooks are, however, unable to run Vista, causing a big headache for Microsoft — the company has been forced to continue selling and supporting the now eight-year-old Windows XP on these machines. Worse, the rise of netbooks has resulted in Linux, which is less demanding of system resources than Vista, gaining a toehold in a market that Microsoft had completely dominated.
The company is fighting back hard with Windows 7. The new operating system, due for release later this year, could spell the end for Linux on the desktop — before the free system, developed by enthusiast programmers around the world, has had a chance to establish a meaningful place for itself.
The problems for desktop Linux go beyond Windows 7, though. Ubuntu, the most popular version of Linux — its development is funded by SA-born billionaire Mark Shuttleworth — is looking increasingly dated.
Next to Windows 7 and Apple’s Mac OS X, Ubuntu and other Linuxes are looking old fashioned. Other than some nifty 3D effects, Ubuntu has not had a significant refresh of its graphical user interface since it was launched more than four years ago.
I’m not trying to detract from what Shuttleworth has achieved. He has been very successful in building Ubuntu into the world’s leading version of Linux. But Linux is still used on only a tiny fraction of PCs; the market remains dominated by Windows.
In a recent piece published by technology news site ITWeb, a journalist colleague, Ivo Vegter, lamented the situation. The problem, he notes, is that Linux is still too difficult for most people to use. It’s too prone to arcane problems that require commandline intervention. He writes: “By now, Ubuntu was supposed to be good enough to recommend to the average Joe. It isn’t.”
That’s harsh criticism coming from Vegter, who is a long-time Ubuntu user and fierce advocate of open-source software.
Linux’s problem may be the open-source business model that fostered it. There’s not a lot of money in open-source software — many developers give away their programs hoping to make some cash providing technical support. Development is often patchy, with programs too frequently abandoned by developers who have moved on to other things.
Also, trying to work with and guide developers around the world, most of whom are not on your payroll, is like herding cats. Much of the software that is included in Ubuntu is not developed by Shuttleworth and his team. So ensuring design consistency is difficult.
Though it remains a popular choice for computer servers, a fast and stable operating system from Microsoft in the form of Windows 7 means that the future of Linux outside the data centre is bleak.
That Linux hasn’t cracked it yet, in spite of Microsoft unleashing a much maligned operating system in Vista, suggests that it probably never will.
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