The installed base of Windows users is the biggest
barrier to establishing Microsoft alternatives in business.
ButMark
Shuttleworth, founder of open sourceLinux distributor Ubuntu, believes the
tide is turning in favour of Linux.
The success of Apple in the home means people no longer buy
Windows PCs for home use because they run Windows at work, Mark
Shuttleworth says. This opens an opportunity for alternative
operating systems.
"Linux is already doing extraordinarily well in the datacentre,
driven by the shift to cloud computing," says Shuttleworth. He
believes the industry has resolved many of the challenges users
faced a few years ago in trying to use Linux for mainstream desktop
computing. PC component suppliers are much more aware of Linux, he
says, allowing modern desktop hardware to run Linux without
problems.
Linux's credibility has been given a boost by Intel and Google,
both of which have developed Linux-based products. Intel is working
with Ubuntu and Dell among others, through its Moblin initiative,
to develop a Linux-based platform optimised for mobile devices.
Both Google's Chrome browser and Android mobile phone operating
system use Linux.
So with open source products finding their way into people's
lives, what is holding Linux back? Shuttleworth identifies three
areas of concern. "We need to broaden the leadership of open source
software. It is no longer just about soft development. Given the
influence of the worldwide web, users want clear design. Open
source software needs people who understand usability and
design."
Open source is often regarded as robust because the code is open
to public scrutiny but Shuttleworth believes security can be
improved: "Free software is regarded as high quality code but we do
not have a quality assurance programme and there is not a lot of
automated testing undertaken on open source development."
Third, Shuttleworth is calling on the open source industry to be
more organised. "There are hundreds of thousands of groups working
on projects, all organised independently. Our challenge is that
there is no real co-ordination. Testing is fragmented and releases
of the different products are not synchronised," he says.