Are Microsoft catching up?
For years and years I was an avid Windows user. I loved everything about Windows and Microsoft in general. I did use Linux in some environments, for eg, I used ssh to log into the server that hosts my site (www.skylinesaustralia.com) and I had dabbled with Linux distro's on old machines around my house, but never really got into it.
Then, about 18 months ago I got a job in a Linux-only environment. The only Windows machine was used by the receptionist. It was my first taste at Linux from a no-alternatives approach. It didn't take me long to really appreciate it and what it could do. In my opinion, well managed, properly funded Linux desktop distributions (Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, etc) are far superior to Windows and I feel they have been that way for quite some time. The great thing is that they are now receiving more exposure than ever before for whatever reason. People are trying and experimenting with Linux. Linux doesn't seem to be viewed as a 'server only' OS, but as a full fledged Windows and MacOS alternative.
While I feel that Linux is still far from being an option for non technically minded individuals (such as my Mother in law) it is getting much better. With distributions like Ubuntu which has been known as the first distro a Windows user should try due to its ease of install and use. I must say that my experiences with Ubuntu have always been good, but Fedora remains my distro of choice.
I fear I have started rambling as I tend to do when I try to write anything that covers more than a paragraph or two. So, lets get back to what I started writing this about...
I loved using Fedora. I still do. Its on my laptop that goes everywhere with me, its on my media PC and if it wasn't a bit touchy as a Guest OS under VirtualBox, it would be a VM on my windows machine (Ubuntu replaced it). But, after a good, solid, 18 months of not using Windows and being in a strong Linux-oriented environment, I moved into a new job where the only OS is Windows (talk about turning on your heels). I was devastated and wished I had asked what OS was used in my interview. But, after a few weeks (and installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine) I am coming around a bit. I am not going to say that I enjoy using Windows as much as Linux, I dont think that will ever happen, what I am saying is that I dont hate it as much as I used to.
I think what has helped me, is that there are so many things out there that you can apply to your Windows installation to assist you in making it feel more like Linux. Alas, Windows command prompt will never be as good as shell but from a GUI / usability approach, its not too bad.
I think that it is this recent growth in Linux users along with the fantastic work of my favourite company in the world, google, that has forced Microsoft to rethink its approach. While it is still a software giant, it is not the software giant. Google has taken the world by storm and it has done it by offering its services, products and anything else, for free. Using simple UI's and no-frills approaches, it has grown by leaps and bounds. It has taken the free email market from Microsoft, it has taken the search engine market from Yahoo and it has taken many other markets from other's too (Open Source project hosting from sourceforge, etc).
This revolution in free computer services from Linux Distributions to online applications (and offline applications, see Googles sketchup, earth, desktop, picasa, etc) has opened a lot of people up to the world of alternatives and it is forcing Microsoft to rethink its approach to the software user market. I am writing this post as a test on Microsoft's free 'Live Writer' (that integrates with Googles 'blogger' service). I have, for the first time, a windows 'Live' account. I browse Microsoft's Open Source site. Never before has such a revolution occurred in computers. Nothing has been 'taken by storm'. At least not for a long time. And this new freedom to choose a commercial product or an open-source, free-to-use alternative is fantastic. Finally users have a choice and the free-alternative is equally as good as the commercial option, if not better.
As the late Big Kev would say, "I'm Excited".
EDIT: I thought I would also mention that both Microsoft and Google have contributed to the Zend Framework (Open source PHP Framework).
No related posts.