Now, I'm a loyal guy. More than just willing, I'm committed to making things work. I have been using the Gnome desktop for 11 years now. ELEVEN years, and all this time waiting for things to improve, filling out bug reports (as I've been scornfully told to do). Yes, I've gone through the onerous and complicated process of signing up with "bugzilla" and submitting bugs. Guess what? I've got open bugs from 2003 still marked "NEW."
I've invested a lot in Gnome.
But google is exciting. I can't help it, it may be due to my gullibility and tendency to respond to marketing as some have suggested privately, but really, what marketing has google done? Essentially, they've established themselves as a brand by doing cool things. Rather than promising to do cool things once everyone's on-board. And they see the amazing potential in free open source software and development. Yet, they never use "it's free software" as an excuse for a poor product.
Gnome and the other free and open source desktops are a huge disappointment to me personally.
In 2005, the Gnome Project started the now laughable "10x10" campaign. The goal was to grab 10% of the desktop market by the end of 2010. At the time, I was behind the idea 100% and feeling good about the possibility of some innovation and quality software bringing people on board the linux and FOSS ship. Well, how're they doing? Linux - regardless of desktop - may have actually broken the 1% point! Whoop-de-do! Utter abysmal failure.
Guess what, that's about to change.
Google released Android in October of 2008. They now hold 15% of the mobile phone market [note: based on mobile web consumption - sales figures show a more modest 5-7% range - thanks Chuck]. In 16 months, Google did in the mobile phone market, what gnome could not do in ELEVEN YEARS on the desktop. [Ed. note - the following hypothetical quote will sound best if you imagine it being said by a very tearful Sally Struthers] "Oh, oh, oh... But you're comparing apples and oranges! The mobile market is different than the desktop, windows blah blah blah, Mac OS, whah whah wha... Become a heating and cooling specialist in the comfort of your own home!" [Ed. note - I got carried away, sorry.]
Guess what Sally? I'm going to make a prediction. Google's chrome-os will gobble up more than 15% of the netbook and portable market in less than two years. In fact, I'm going to suggest, Sally, there will come a time when your visit to the Best Buy computer aisle will be illuminated by linux desktops - not running gnome, KDE or any other of the desktop environments who've already had their decade-long shot. But running google's Chrome-os. Oh, and I also predict it will be quickly ported to X86 hardware too.
And when that happens, I know who I'll be betting on to get to the 10% mark first. And it won't take 11 long, painful years, and I won't have to create an account to file bugs, and I won't have to listen to lame excuses. I'll be one of the 10% running that desktop OS. And I won't be using Gnome.
Final thought: the reason the linux-based Open Source Desktop hasn't caught on with the public, is simply because... it sucks. But there's a sea change ahead Sally. And I want to say "Thank you google, for android, chrome and soon for chrome-os. Thank you for vindicating me. For validating my years of FOSS advocacy. Thank you for brining the ideas and principles I feel strongly about, to the people who have, turned away in apathy to my appeals for participation in free open source software. Thank you for giving them a compelling reason to use open source software - to enjoy it. Thank you for never once shifting the blame or responsibility for your shortcomings on me, the user. I'm on board!"
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