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"To most non-technical users, the desktop they see and use is, in totality, what they understand the Operating System to be..."
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It's Not About Linux, It's the Desktops, Stupid!
By Zeek Greko
Former US President Bill Clinton's election campaign office (dubbed "the war room") had a sign on the wall that simply stated "It's The Economy! STUPID!!" Put there to remind workers that despite the myriad of other social and political issues needing their attention, they should keep their primary focus on the issue they had determined was of most concern to the voting public. The Economy.
The Linux pundits' ever-present "Is Linux Ready For The Desktop" articles, and their recent rash of "The Honeymoon Is Over For Linux Adoption" articles, refer to a waning interest among the general computer-using public toward moving to Linux kernel-based systems. Some valid peripheral issues are raised in these articles but they are in fact peripheral. They miss the point. The underlying core issue is the desktop.
The Desktop Is The Operating System, Isn't It?
To most non-technical users, the desktop they see and use is, in totality, what they understand the Operating System to be.
If they are using KDE, KDE is Linux to them. If it's GNOME they're using, then GNOME is what Linux is to them. They don't care, nor is it absolutely essential that they know more than that. That nearly all endeavors that make use of the Linux OS kernel are referred to as "Linux" is an aberration. The sheer broadness of the term "Linux" is also a source of end-user confusion. Normally, to an end user, the underlying OS kernel is never mentioned when making reference to or describing their system, if it is even known to them at all.
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People use applications not computers and not desktops. If the computer doesn't have the applications that users needs, they will not need the computer. What good is it for any way?
In the enterprise, Thin clients and browser based applications are becoming more and more popular; That is making desktops much less important and eventually will disapprear, although not totaly. Again, it is the applications not the desktops.