Why Linux will never beat Windows on the desktop

WinInfo | at | by Mike

A growing number of desktop-savvy Linux releases, including a polished looking Red Hat Linux 8.0 that's due this fall, have analysts wondering if maybe, just maybe, the open source solution has what it takes to steal Windows' thunder. But the analysts all seem to fall back on the lack of a Microsoft Office version for Linux as the main reason why Linux will fail. This is ridiculous: Consider Mac OS X, which has a wonderful Microsoft Office version, Office v. X, featuring 100 percent document compatibility with the Windows versions. If Mac OS X can't steal market share from Windows, how the heck is Linux going to do it? The problems with Linux on the desktop run far deeper than Office, and it's going to take a lot more refinement and improvement before anyone will even seriously consider such a thing. As I noted this week in Connected Home Express, the competition can't just be as good as Windows to succeed: It has to be two or three times as good. Otherwise, the cost and aggravation of switching is just too high.