In 2007, Microsoft released Vista amid much hoopla.
Today, over a year later, Vista has been called a triumph by a select few.
It has been reviled by many, many more.
Vista supporters claim that its nbumbers compare very favorably with those of XP a year after its 2001 release.
I was there. I don’t recall any “I Hate XP” movements on the web.
Prediiction: Four years from now, barring a massive overhaul of Windows which would turn around users’ perceptions of Microsoft’s customer service, Linux will be taking a big enough share of home and business users’ desktops to have a significant effect on Redmond’s dominance.
First of all, I see Microsoft’s deathlock as the only option of preinstalled operating systems on new PC’s loosening considerably. Consumers have made it clear that they don’t like Vista’s massive hardware requirements, the wholesale overhaul of the desktop experience every time a new release of Windows comes around, and Microsoft’s assuming you’re guilty unless Windows Genuine Advantage proves that you’re innocent.
In the meantime, Linux, which was too geeky for yours truly to attempt to run four years ago, will be easier and more intuitive for the average home user in 2012. Additionally, it will play ball with existing Windows networks and applications much more transparently than it does today. And most importantly, PC manufacturers will see that it’s in their own best interests to offer consumers a genuine alternative to Microsoft.
I’ve been running Linux exclusively at home and at work since about a month after Vista’s release.
If it keeps improving the way it has the last four years, I predict that its numbers will surpass those of Apple by 2012.
Then, watch the snowball grow!
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