Desktop Linux - Coming Into It's Own at Home

[zRo ToLeRaNcE]

My brother - Skillachi - has gotten his new laptop and has since installed Ubuntu 8.04 and almost been using it exclusive as his main OS.

Now, each time i use his machine, i try to ensure that i use Ubuntu and not Vista. That isn't a hard task...worse because Grub defaults to Ubuntu and Vista has turned me away from it already.

Ubuntu is truely a welcomed change to the way Linux is viewed and i'm glad Desktop Linux is now at a stage which they can truely COMPETE with Windows. Other people in my house has used the laptop and they don't see much of a difference...except that the programs open faster.

Now, I saw two blogs this morning taken about OpenSUSE and OpenSolaris...one strictly Home Desktop while the other Enterprise Desktop/Server market
OpenSUSE 11 RC1: The Mercedes-Benz to Ubuntu’s Volkswagen
OpenSolaris: What Ubuntu wants to be when it grows up
...which show that other Distros have taken a page out of Ubuntu's book and improved it. I would love to try these out and see how they compare. Ubuntu still has few small quirks...which only a Windows user would pick up but it's still going well.

But the first thing comes to mind and i begin to wonder...how will the work take it? What happens when there's a difference between WORK and HOME.

As a PC salesman in Jamaica, there are several reasons why people by a PC for the HOME
1. Internet and everything that comes with it - communication, information, entertainment, etc.
2. Keeping up with the Jones
3. Child and their education
4. Cause it's a staple item

But one thing that cause people to buy a PC is because they found Joy in their WORK PC. So they try to carry that home.

Now, currently, majority of people have Windows at Home and Windows at Work. Maybe you will find many people have Windows 2000 at work, while XP at home, or some combination of the sort. However, it still remains WINDOWS. Same functionality, same way to do things...well....until Vista but my point is made.

Now, has Desktop Linux taken this into account during their development?
What will happen with OpenSolaris is at the workplace and OpenSUSE/Ubuntu is at home? Can the same experience be garnered?

I don't know the answer...but i'm throwing the question out there. OpenSolaris isn't out yet BUT a discussion on Desktop Linux at Home vs Work can be had.

[kknight]

I've downloaded OpenSolaris 2008.5 and I beg to differ when it comes to hardware support. It did not recognise my nic even though Ubuntu can. I think it lags behind Linux in terms of device support.

[ferronrsmith]

people often post on things they have tested over a few days, or a couple of weeks, but real linux advocates who dedicate their time to rigorous testing beg to differ. Opensuse is just a recked old car in a bently's shell. There whole aim is based on user friendliness and fail to ensure or implement the core functionalities of linux, waste of time even downloading. OpenSolaris is good, but not by no means great... Good for running a server, but apps supports, needs more support. Ubuntu is nice, user friendly, but still lack a few things to make it a complete n00b friendly os, like dependencies is still a big issue, legacy drivers, still too much need for command line, bugging permission scheme, among other things. For me the os of choice for n00bs is mandriva, especially if your migrating from crap-soft....

5 - OpenSuse
7 - OpenSolaris
10 - Mandriva