How Linux on the desktop could possibly win

October 24, 2007 | 1 Comment

Previuosly I wrote about how Linux on the desktop doesn’t get much respect because it doesn’t deserve much respect. However, as I was writing the post something occurred to me. The only way Linux on the desktop would become viable is if enough mainstream applications move to the web. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw this Slashdot story about Adobe putting all of their applications online.

For example, Photoshop will never come to Linux, almost guaranteed. However, Adobe is porting Photoshop as a web application. GNUCash will never rival Quicken or Microsoft Money. Ever. However, Wesabe could be a very viable alternative for users. It’s not worth companies investing money into Linux applications when there are no Linux users (chicken and egg). However, if enough web applications become the de-facto standard for their vertical, you reduce the friction of moving from one OS to another, and this may lead to some slow growth of Linux desktops for certain segments, but that’s a big if and a big maybe.

1 Comment

  1. interestingly enough, I’ve been evaluating mint.com instead of buying quicken again. I freakin hate quicken, but dread doing my taxes without having some way to catalog things throughout the year.

    Think I’m going to do quicken one more year, but love ditching applications (in favor of web products) for some things. Not sure that it would ever make sense to ditch everything, but we’re certainly getting closer to this being feasible

    The games (excluding xbox) which have received the most play in my house lately are all online games, which I always thought to be one of the things which would keep linux down….

    Comment by timojhen — October 25, 2007 #

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