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Desktop Linux, also Linux on the desktop (LOTD) is the application of the GNU/Linux operating system on a desktop computer.
History
Historically, UNIX and other Unix-like operating systems have been utilized on servers, mainframes, and workstations in corporate or scientific environments.
Beginning in the latter 90's, a few Linux distribution companies, such as MandrakeSoft, began to advertise their systems for low-end desktop computers. However, it was not until Apple released the first version of Mac OS X, a UNIX-like system, that Linux began to be seen as a serious alternative to Microsoft's Windows operating system on desktop computers, in both corporate and home environments.
Since the turn of the 21st century, a growing number of Linux, and even BSD-based, distributions have originated with a dedication to the desktop market. Perhaps the most famous/popular of these distributions, as of 2007, is Canonical's Ubuntu distribution.
Advantages
Desktop Linux has long been touted by its users, vendors, and advocates as a more security-conscious, stable OS for the desktop computer , compared to Microsoft Windows, which has been criticized throughout its history for its security and stability problems.
Applications
Most Desktop Linux distributions are developed and deployed with an assortment of applications developed by third-party projects, such as KDE, GNOME, GIMP, Mozilla Firefox, and OpenOffice.org. This is to make sure that the user will be less prone to looking for basic applications which he/she may be lacking.
3D user interfaces
In addition, with the development of Xgl and other hardware-accelerated user interface architectures, 3D environments have experienced greater demand from both potential and veteran Desktop Linux users.
Disadvantages
Applications
Desktop Linux has also been maligned for its lack of name-brand applications in comparison to its proprietary and closed source counterparts, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. In response, Desktop Linux advocates have blamed the more recognized application vendors, such as Adobe Systems, for their alleged shunning of Desktop Linux systems and users in favor of users of either Windows or Mac OS X.
Drivers
The aforementioned 3D user interface environments also have come under scrutiny because of the usage of proprietary and closed-source drivers for the graphic cards, from Nvidia or ATI upon which the environments are dependent. In response, independent developers have reverse-engineered the drivers to write new free and open source drivers.
In addition, in 2006, freedesktop.org began a project called "Nouveau" in order to create free and open-source drivers for Nvidia cards.
Installation
Main article: Criticism of LinuxThe experience of installing a Linux distribution on a desktop computer varies from person to person as well as from distribution to distribution. While a number of ways to use a Desktop Linux distribution exist, the barriers of entry remain high for many speculative users.
See also
- Desktop Linux Consortium
- Desktop Linux Summit
- KDE
- GNOME
- Beryl (window manager)
- Xgl
- cairo
- Desktop wars