I can imagine what kind of world would result from your beliefs and expectations.
No standards at all, and chaos.
However, people are still resisting the Linux way, and the geeks and more technically inclined, can continue using it and perhaps doing some great things with it, but, in the regular consumer marketplace, it’s failed for decades, and will continue to fail.
Save this discussion, and in twenty years time, come back and tell me I was wrong. (And no, we’re not talking about Android, because, it’s not a desktop or laptop OS).
Standards have been more lacking in closed source software all along due to opaque development. Standards are more common in open source development incuding standards for designs of useful products other than software, and the code for those standards is public for all to see. Granted, even standards are more quickly improved in open source development.
As for 20 years, I’ve been using Linux for nearly 20 years, although NetBSD is better for some purposes (extra security, transducers, industrial hardware, etc.). On closed source software, manufactured scarcity is one of the reasons for its decline.
Linux is the most common operating system in Internet servers for good reasons, but there are also Linux distributions that are easy to use, easy to install and include multimedia support by default. The following is a good one.
Linux Mint
http://linuxmint.com/
It’s really very nice to use a system with no concerns about viruses or spyware. Open source development isn’t stopping after software, though.
Machines for processing raw materials are being built now from open source development. Some of the machines for further processing are computer controlled, and there are also robotics in development. There are standards as well as guidelines. Such development is a natural result of the kind of economic situation that we’re in. It’s also a natural right.
“Chaos?” Perceptions of harmony or chaos will depend on one’s point of view. For most, there’s not so much harmony in the current situation (see contemporary hyperbolic political speech/propaganda, recirculating debt economy, all). Many would like to see more productive activities and harmony in their own locales. But yes, there have been a few infamous historical figures that would have viewed such activities as chaos.