Stop the Desktop candy, fix the Server first.

Interesting vision on desktop Linux by concentrating on trying to cement open source software’s place on the server-side of things. And no, that hasn’t happened. Want to know why people feel there should be a drop-in, totally compatible replacement for Exchange and people want desktop Linux to fit into an Active Directory network? There’s your problem. You then build that infrastructure up to something usable that will make people ignore Windows Server, and that gives you the right open backdrop for developing an open source desktop and the right infrastructure to support it.

It’s a fact that OSS tries too often and too hard to copy Windows software. Especially when trying to deliver products which already exist on Windows. Outlook/Evolution is one of the better examples. Most people interested in OSS tend to agree as how “Desktop Linux is coming but not fully there yet, whilst Server Linux is a de facto proven thing.” I tend to disagree on the latter. Of course, as always, things are not that black and white. Hell, Windows ain’t a proven thing either as far as I’m concerned.