As a long time fan of the Linux desktop I was interested to see the the Linux desktop usage number for personal computers increase to over 1.02%. I suspect it’s partially fueled by the popularity of Linux netbooks from the Dell (who offers an Ubuntu option) and Asus (that’s uses a special version of Xandros Linux).

While there’s no one company behind Linux for personal computers, it’s significant that Linux just broke through to 1.02 percent market share for personal computers, the first time it has ever risen that high, according to data compiled by Net Applications. (Meanwhile, even in beta, Windows 7 continues its march, now hitting .25 percent market share.)

I spent a long time trying to convince myself and others that the future for the desktop was an option of Windows, Mac or Linux. I am less bullish then I once was and now I use both a Mac and a Linux laptop. I really like the Linux desktop for it’s stability and I like the virtual desktop environment afforded by windows managers for Linux and the flexibility to adapt the interface in general to your personal needs.

However, I think we will always struggle with Linux as a desktop operating system as long as application compatibility falters (I can’t open sophisticated Excel spreadsheets from colleagues) and hardware vendors don’t feel obligated to support Linux (My Verizon EVDO card takes extra configuration for it to work under Linux while it’s a snap to set-up on Mac OS X).

So why bother with a Linux desktop at all? Well I found when using my Asus N10 netbook that my battery life is much better under Linux and I feel like the operating system is much more responsive than when I run Windows XP (I downgraded from Vista to reduce the resource requirements improving speed and battery life).  My theory is that over time we will see the focus less on the desktop operating system and more on the avialability of hosted apps that run on them like Google Docs and Zoho. I think at that point the emphasis on the desktop operating system will be greatly diminished.

[Desktop Usage Numbers via Matt Asay]

Technorati Tags: compatibility, Desktop, EVDO, Google Docs, Linux, market share, Ubuntu, Windows, Zoho

I love Twitter but when I use my Linux laptop (Ubuntu running Hardy Heron) I don’t have many native options for Twitter clients. The preferred native client appears to be Twitux. Though the nascent client is a little primitive for me. Another popular choice is gTwitter though in my experience it’s only been marginally better.

On Mac OS X I prefer Twhirl which allows me to send tweets to separate accounts from individual windows. So I can send tweets for my @zenoss and @mrhinkle accounts. Twhirl is an Adobe Air application which now is available for Linux as an alpha. Thanks to Seth Yates I now have Twhirl running as an AIR application with Adobe Air running natively on Ubuntu. the only downside seems to be that the notification windows are a little “flutterly” I really don’t care for them anyhow so I turned them off and everything seems to run well.

Technorati Tags: Adobe Air, gTwitter, Linux, Twhirl, Twitter, Twitux

• openSUSE Spotlight » The most popular Linux desktop? The numbers might surprise you – Acccording to Joe: Xandros in about 4th place, but closing rapidly. Ubuntu, unfortunately, doesn’t track —but Mark Shuttleworth has been quoted a couple of times as saying that they have 6 million or 8 million users.
• Canonical makes Ubuntu Netbook Remix official at Computex – Engadget – Canonical has chosen Computex as the expo where it will officially showcase Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Hailed as a “reworked desktop image of Ubuntu built specifically for a new category of portable internet-centric devices
• Xandros Adopts Moblin for 25% Battery Boost on Netbooks – Xandros Works with Intel and Moblin to Bring Energy-efficient Internet Experience to Intel Atom Processor-based Netbooks
• Practical Technology » The most popular desktop Linux is… – Steven talks about Xandros place as one of the most popular Linux distributions.
• PC World – Desktop Linux Face-Off: Ubuntu 8.04 vs. Fedora 9 – Ubuntu takes the prize in this bake-off but Fedora still gets good reviews and shows improvement.
• Electronista | Eee Box leak: “finally” a Mac mini rival – Asus alternative to the Mac mini the Eee box running Linux is on its way.
• 5 Reasons Why Switching to Ubuntu is a Really Dumb Idea ~ Tackling Technology – Fve reasons why you should think carefully before even attempting to install Ubuntu. Fair points but I still think he skips over some of the advantages like cost, stability, and speed. I know my Ubuntu laptop is exceptional in these areas
• ZDnet: OpenSUSE 11 RC1: The Mercedes-Benz to Ubuntu’s Volkswagen - Jason Perlow’s assessment of the opneSUSE RC1 Many improvements in usability, performance and stability have been made, enough that OpenSUSE has won me back as an end-user. However, I would still say at this point in the distro’s evolution, it is not the Linux for the masses or even for the people. It remains true to its roots, which was and still is for power users with systems that can fully take advantage of everything it has to offer. If Ubuntu is a Volkswagen, then OpenSUSE is a Mercedes-Benz.

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, Asus Eee, Desktop, Linux, Open Source, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Xandros

• Gartner Identifies Top Ten Disruptive Technologies for 2008 to 2012 | eHomeUpgrade -
  1. Multicore and hybrid processors
  2. Virtualisation and fabric computing
  3. Social networks and social software
  4. Cloud computing
  5. Web mashups
  6. User Interface
  7. Ubiquitous computing
  8. Contextual computing
  9. Augmented reality
  10. Semantics
• The Meaning of Open Source | Linux Journal – It’s something of a truism that a strength of the free software community is that it will help people with the problems that they encounter.
• openSUSE News » Announcing openSUSE 11.0 RC 1 – The openSUSE Project is proud to announce the openSUSE 11.0 Release Candidate 1 (RC1). Due for a June 18th release.
• Interviews: Four Open Source Questions for Microsoft | OStatic – Interview with Microsoft’s Sam Ramji head of Microsoft’s global open source and Linux team. I bet he’s real popular at the company picnic
• AnyClient: a no install Browser-based FTP client | Kabatology ~ Open Source, Linux – With AnyClient – a browser based FTP client, you just need to visit the web page to get started; provided you have Java installed on your Linux box. You can save your sites profile and revisit it later.
• Now Hiring: Open Source Community Manager – Port 25: The Open Source Community at Microsoft – This position will be part of the Platform Community team and will be responsible for growing Microsoft and open source communities together. Tall order, apply within
• Marketing Pilgrim: Full List of SEM Scholarship Entries for 2008 – I entered the contest here’s my entry: The Process of Producing Web Traffic that Gets Results, Think Like Someone Else

Technorati Tags: Linux, Open Source, SEM, SUSE

I saw an announcement that the OpenMicroServer (OMS) is now available in the U.S. It has been produced in Japan for some time but has just been made available domestically. What’s cool about it is that it is small  and can be powered from an Ethernet port. It reminded me of the BlackDog USB Server that made a splash a couple years back.The little OMS only measures 9” x 4” x 1.3′ It’s officially supported for Debian (Etch) and NetBSD. Plat’Home also maintains their own OS SSD/Linux which is a combination of Linux and BSD code. I love little gadgets like these and try to figure out some innovative ways to use them.

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Technorati Tags: ClamAV, debian, Linux, Nessus, NetBSD, OpenMicroServer, PoE, Snort