Yes the hardware issues have come along way over the years. Still far behind in many areas such as DVD, USB, and multimedia, and pim devices. I think you have to look what you're using the desktop for to see if Linux meets your needs. As it stands today it might get by in some office or business environments with the cost factor being a big advantage. If you're a typical home desktop person into multimedia, desktop publishing, gui style web publishing and all the point click and go programs of other OS's then you're into a lot of soul searching. If you're a family man with kids that are serious gamers, they likely will leave home if you switch to Linux.
DVD, worked great here out of the box...But with that one legal issue that prevents encrypted DVDs from working (packman website has SuSE 8.2 rpms that have this functionality). What issue are you having with USB, multimedia and pim devices? Then again, my PS2 plays DVD's on large TV's... What is a typical home user? In my experience its just this; Someone who uses their computer for two functions, e-mail and simple word processing. The more proficient may get into using their digital camera that they got for Xmas. Serious game machines equals Playstation or Xbox...PC game sales fell by 2% and quite a few computer stores that I have been to have reduced the amount of PC titles.
Don't get me wrong here I can't say enough for all the people who code and put their heart and soul into getting Linux this close to the MS market. Today's Linux desktop takes a giant step forward and two back. Why because the other OS's are moving ahead much faster with hardware and user friendly programs. There are a few desktop programs that I can't say enough good things about in Linux but still way to many not coming close or don't exist.
Any examples of programs that you have missing? Last time I asked this to someone it turned out that they were referring to a specialized program at work that was written in house.
I also think the Linux community of users and developers are some of the quickest reacting to problems, fixes and needed software than any group I have been acquainted with since the Amiga. The Linux community reacts
I owned an Amiga 500, it was the best computer I ever owned. Take a note on what did it in, SOFTWARE support. Linux needs desktop software that equals other operating system today not tomorrow. The constant game of catch up or something close will never make it happen. Then you have the favorite Linux problem solver, crossover programs. All this shouts is Linux can't do it, it needs windows!!
Actually, from following the crossover list its because companies had to use it due to contractual reasons. Few individuals use crossover, or because one silly application needed a plugin that only runs on Windows. Even the Mac has its own version, its called Virtual PC. But ultimately this is more the sign of a monopoly if anything. I too had an Amiga 500, and an Amiga 1200 plus a bunch of accessories. And what did it in? Hardware. NOT software. Software follows hardware, still remember getting titles that had features removed because of the limitations within the hardware. Still also remember my first PC with its DOS prompt. What did it have over the Amiga at the time? Not sound, the Sound Blaster Pro was more beeps compared to the Amiga, but it came down to much better graphics, visually the 486 with its VGA card beat my poor Amiga and hardware updates were slow in coming to the Amiga...Then throw in a confused Commodore management who failed to adjust and released a confusing product line (Amiga 600) this all lead to its downfall. The Amiga 500 only had a little trap door underneath for upgrading one slot. That was a major pain as you tended to need more of everything :). However, for its time the Amiga was one of the best. The Atari ST was the other computer...Gosh, those endless arguments...
I can see Linux growing as a office or business desktop. Years or maybe never for a home desktop unless some of the big software companies like Adobe and others see it as viable home desktop. More then likely Linux will be on one drive in my extra computer. My next main home desktop purchase later this year will be a Mac with OSX. Looks something like Linux and has everything a desktop user needs now!!
People have been saying that it will go through the business channels for sometime, very much like Microsoft did in the 80's...Mac OS X is fine in its own regard, but its not as configurable as Linux, nor is it as open. Before anyone spouts off that they are Open Source, only parts of it are. Quite a few key areas remain under heavy lock and key, which they will remain to do so. Adobe wouldn't change a thing, what is required is a successful OEM to market directly to the public through heavy advertising. This will in turn put a lot more pressure on firms like Adobe to then produce the software. Its only ever the other way around if the firm started on a particular OS. Unfortunately most software firms started on DOS/Windows...
quickly to needed software and linking to new hardware I believe, but with anything lacking the full resources available to them that M$ has or Apple has in full time dedicated to the project workers, some things take a bit longer to iron out all the bugs. It's not from a lack of trying though, as these Linux guys & girls surely stay up late at nite fixing, building and making things work correctly.
Again i can't say enough about the people who put their heart and soul into coding Linux. I have bought every release of Suse since 6.3 showing my support. The time might come when Linux will be the desktop for all, trouble is I don't think I'll see it in my life time:(
Who knows, but you might find your nirvana on the Mac side. Again, you maybe disappointed (I was, found it mainly hyped up, things running through Fink like Open Office start even slower and look seriously out of place on the Mac OS X desktop, plus lets not get into patches that break things they "supposedly" didn't touch). But, who am I to say what *you* like :). And that goes vice versa, just because you used SuSE since 6.3 does not mean much, if anything to me I am afraid (in fact, when I see people say this, its like they are trying to come from a position of authority and that anyone else is going to be wrong because they lack experience, truly I look for what newbies want and feel more than oldies, but again its a personal thing ultimately). My experience is different, and so are my tastes. You maybe right, the consumer desktop Linux may never arrive, not because of Microsoft's monopoly or because of so called shortcomings with Linux desktop, but because the desktop market as we know it may die due to so many much more powerful handheld devices do what most consumers want it to do. Not trying to flame and this isn't aimed at anyone in particular, but I am sick and tired of the computer industry, which is full of pundits who forgot to take their clue pills and with far too many IT workers that took a multiple choice course or two and received a piece of paper that got a job they can't even handle. Anyway, use Mac Os X for what it is, heck its a lot better than XP :). But its a different market from Linux as you'll find out. With Apple, know when to sale the whole unit and move on. Do not add anything but PCI cards, or external devices. I have personally had to tell people that the reason they are having issues installing Mac OS X onto their desktop is because of the CPU upgrade they put in. Also, the amount of shareware programs on the Mac platform is much higher, things that are actually high quality that come bundled with most Linux distro's then start to cost $20 and the Open Source versions may not actually be compiled to run on the Mac, or become a real pain to get going. Matt