A new study from the OSDL Desktop Linux Working Group attempts to shed some light on why Linux isn’t making major inroads into the desktop market. Not surprisingly, the biggest stumbling block cited by potential Linux users is the lack of applications, as well as complex setup processes for peripherals, and limited training available for end-users. Yes, it’s stuff we’ve all heard before. However, there are some interesting findings just under the surface. For example, the apps that most users said they wished they could use under Linux are e-mail programs, office productivity apps and web browsers. Given the widespread availability of programs like Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice, this means there’s a huge opportunity to educate potential customers. Of course, configuring peripherals is still a little harder than it should be. But the survey may actually be good news for companies attempting to bring Linux to the masses, since most of the pieces are already in place; they just need to put them together and make sure consumers know how to use them (yes, that’s not an easy task — but it’s certainly not insurmountable).
Survey says: Not enough desktop Linux apps - Download Squad