Quote Originally Posted by sapi
Linux doesn't have a chance commerically.
Hmm, depends how you mean that.

Before it can succeed in the mass market (read: outside servers), it needs program support.

Before it can get program support, it needs to have a large user base (ie. to have succeeded)
Your typical, non-gamer computer user can do just about everything the already do in Windows out of the box. Virtually every distro has Web browsers, email clients, media players, and a fully featured office suite built into it- all free.

Sadly, game support is still spotty But, there are really lots of games that can run on Linux- again, many of them free. I think the real problem is- it's different. IT guys like myself who grew up on MS OSes are just naturally uncomfortable in Linux because we're used to doing things 'the Microsoft Way'(tm). I know basically how services work, where apps install, where to click to change settings, ect. Under Linux, the underlying architecture is very different and it takes us out of our comfort level.

I don't see myself buying Vista anywhere in the foreseeable future. I may eventually get it if Im issued hardware with it installed and I'll probably have to use/understand it for my job. But my plans are to use XP until it's gaming support is pretty well dried up. Then I'll decide whether I'm ready for Linux on the desktop. I've already got it running on a home server- it does file/print sharing, hosts a web page, emulates an NT domain and gets used for surfing/gaming when I don't feel like turning my main PC on. All of that running on 8yr old hardware with nary a problem. It only gets turned off when I vacuum the dust out of it.