The Linux evolution has had many steps. To start with, there was a kernel. Then the kernel got a compiler etc. That's what the history books say.
When I started to use Linux, it was pretty much a Unix-like OS with X-Windows. Command line was inevitable and there were no good GUI apps included in a standard Linux distribution. This is more than 2 years ago.
Then came the evolution of the desktop. KDE came around, and due to licensing issues, Gnome was invented. KDE and Gnome fought to become good desktop systems, and KDE was always a little ahead. Then came this small company named Eazel, who made the Nautilus software, and Gnome started to develop an Outlook clone named Evolution.
People then started to realize, that all is is no good, unless there are desktop applications. Since the commercial application vendors were slow to port their apps to Linux. Sun bought StarOffice and turned it into an open-source project (OpenOffice), KDE created the KOffice project, and Gnome tried to assemble the different Office initiatives, including AbiWord and Gnumeric, into a Gnome office suite. A lot of other applications have also evolved, and are including in the major distributions, and some are not included. For instance, my favorite CD writer program, KreateCD, isn't included in Red Hat Linux yet. Since all these programs are open-source, they borrow source-code from each other, and for instance the Microsoft Office import/export filters from StarOffice/OpenOffice are not only used in StarOffice.
Current status is:
- Desktop is user friendly.
- StarOffice 6.0 is around the corner and will mark a breakthrough for Office suites on Linux. It will most likely be included in most distributions.
- The amount of desktop applications is rising fast, making it less necessary to buy commercial applications.
- There are hundreds of simple games included in modern distributions. For instance, there are more than 80 card games in a standard Red Hat Linux.
- Tools to develop applications are also advancing a lot, and the newest versions are as good as many commercial products.
- Many applications today have a higher quality and more features than the equivalent Microsoft versions. For instance KMail/Knode vs. Outlook Express, Kate vs. Notepad/Wordpad, Gimp vs. Imaging/Paint, Konqueror vs. Windows Explorer, etc. This will most likely also happen to the more advanced applications.
- Today there is much software available for free on a Linux, localized, that doesn't exist localized on Windows at all.
- System administration is now largely possible using GUI tools, although some troubleshooting are easier to do using command line tools. A lot of work is put into this right now.
- Networked applications (.net alike) are already present.
The next two years will bring:
- Most of those rough edges you see now will be fixed.
- The number of free, high-quality applications on Linux will rise fast.
- Installation routines on Red Hat Linux etc. will become as easy as they were with Corel Linux, Mandrake Linux etc.
- More distributions will use a graphical boot procedure, sparing the user any text-mode experience whatsoever.
- Performance will rise. Linux has always gotten faster and faster (on the same hardware!), and will continue to do so.
- It gets more secure and more Linux distribution companies will start to offer security mechanisms like those Red Hat does (Red Hat Network).
- Growth of Linux on the desktop will make this a market that is focus on in the media.
- Linux will start to be offered in computer shops to consumers.
Lars. |
