I just finished reading an article from The Linux Foundation reporting that the number of Linux Desktops in the workplace is on the rise. A recent survey by The Linux Foundation revealed gains Linux was making as a business class operating system:
"The survey, which drew primarily from European users (51.5 percent) followed by North Americans (35.8 percent), found that the vast majority of Linux desktops (68.4 percent) are deployed in SOHOs (small office / home office) and small business settings having one to a hundred PCs running Linux. Medium-sized businesses with user bases of 101 to 500 (9.7 percent) and 1,001 to 5,000 (6.2 percent) Linux desktops came next.
In those businesses and organizations that have deployed Linux desktops, 39.5 percent are running Linux on more than half of their machines. Even in Linux-oriented groups, Windows remains the single most popular desktop system, with 59.6 percent running on half or more of their desktops."
One surprising discovery was that a Linux desktop was more commonplace than a Linux server and that's generally where Linux had gained the most acceptance; as an enterprise-class server operating system and alternative to Microsoft Windows or other flavors of UNIX.
Also, it appears that Linux desktops are no longer just the tools of developers and engineers with 64% of the desktops being used as a client desktop in lieu of the typical Windows desktop.
So, what applications are Linux desktop users clamoring for? Linux versions of Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver topped the list with Autodesk AutoCAD in the number two spot. Also support for devices on Linux has been acceptable and while printer support is very good too, the same cannot be said for the WiFi network adapters integrated into many current printers and that has been a source of pain for many Linux desktop users.
I've only experimented with Linux, particularly Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) as a server operating system and cannot claim any experience with Linux at the desktop. So, what say you? Has Linux found a niche in your place of work or in the home office? Will the failings of Windows Vista drive more businesses to seriously consider Linux at the desktop?
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