windows 8 as an opportunity for linux (not)
I have been using *NIX systems since the late 1970s beginning with DEC PDP and VAX systems. I used SCO Xenix for years. I am now using UBUNTU. By no stretch of the imagination is Linux ready for the mass market. Leaving aside the absence of major business software mentioned in the article, there are a host of other issues. First and foremost, settings are spread all over hell and gone with inconsistent conventions for specifying similar parameters. The lack of a GUI in many cases hardly warrants mention. I've found it far easier to set up Apache, ftpd, and file sharing on Windows XP or Windows 7 than on UBUNTU (I've done it both on desktop and server editions). Freebie Linux software is often seriously inferior to freebie Windows software. For example, I've found nothing for Linux that is as slick and reliable as Imgburn. I've not found a dual pane file manager that matches what is available for Windows. In contrast, really good Linux programs are available in equally competent Windows versions (Audacity and Gimp for example). The conventions used in Linux desktop environments are often perverse. Why, for example, does Ubuntu mount external hard disks but not internal hard disks at start up? And, why does one have to install additional software to change this through a GUI if you manage to work your way through the documentation to find out what is needed? In addition, at a more personal level, I find that Linux lacks any industrial strength video editing software and the Japanese language support is patchy at best. Ironically, I've found that my prime use for Linux has been to repair munged Windows installations and as a host for Windows virtual machines.
