My Problem With Linux

I’ll be the first to admit it. I love Linux, and was a hardcore Linux zealot for 2 years or so. However, the more I began using Linux and became involved within the developer community, the more I realized one thing: Linux, for the end user, is merely playing a giant game of catch-up. The Linux application developers about there, God bless them, are unfortuantely doing little in the way of innovation and a lot in the way of cloning popular closed-source apps. One great example out there is OpenOffice. While a great application suite in its own right, its similarities to Microsoft’s Office suite are striking and unmistakable. If Linux truly is going to succeed outside of the server world it already commands, it needs to start showing some imagination and innovation.

If you download and install one of the many popular Linux distros, open the system menu, and examine the names and descriptions of the included applications, you’ll notice that there’s nothing you haven’t seen before. A media player, a word processor, an IDE or two, some command shells, a web browser, hooray. What’ve we got now? A secure Windows 95 that can’t play games, basically. I mean, let’s be honest here. I’m not saying Linux doesn’t play games. One of the most popular Linux applications out there right now is a game called FreeCiv, which, is totally original happens to be a copy-cat of the more well-known game Civilization. What makes an operating system truly successful in the end-user world? Innovation. Apple innovated by introducing the GUI to the mass market. Microsoft innovated with its RTF, among other things. What has Linux innovated, besides proving that open-source software can be successful? Nothing yet.