Desktop Linux is Dead and the Number One OS

Look at my Google alert for “desktop OS” today:

Never mind the actual stories these things link to. These headlines pretty much sum up the only two opinions you’re likely to find about Linux anywhere online. Either you’re a neckbearded loony for even considering desktop Linux or you’re weak-willed and lazy for allowing yourself to fall victim to any other OS.

I’ve got a Linux netbook that I still use fairly regularly, but it’s nowhere close to being my main PC—I’m usually on Windows 7 machines. Linux has some strengths (it’s free, it installs on a netbook with only 4GB of main storage, it doesn’t need antivirus protection, its performance is pretty good on even such a low-end machine) and some weaknesses (lack of software, difficult configuration).

Desktop Linux is great for some things and horrible for some things. It would be nice if I could read about it without being subjected to incendiary rants.

Related Reading:

Windows 7 Beta on Eee 900HA

Review: ASUS Eee PC 900A Netbook

Ubuntu Linux 5.04 Review