As far as Internet and basic computing tasks go, I've been using Linux Ubuntu as a duel-boot for some months now and am very happy with it ... Ubuntu does everything that I need to do in a very compact and efficient manner. No more waiting 7 minutes for XP to go thru its throes of excruciating angst booting up to its desktop, no more endless virus and spyware scans, no more AOL and RealNetwork inserting their 'Call Home' crap without my permission, and lastly ... no more of this MicroSlow nonesense!
I still use XP for some tasks, but becoming very few .. as Linux 'flavors' can do those same tasks far more efficiently than any of the bogged down MicroSlow OS can
MM
Dell, HP and Lenovo concur. Each of them is now offering Linux pre-installed. In Dell’s case, it’s Ubuntu. However, the problem with Linux is that it’s still a little rough around the edges, especially with driver issues, as OEM’s aren’t quite used to supporting it yet. In addition, there’s also the fact that Linux distros won’t play mp3’s (lack of license from Fraunhofer, so at worst they’ll have to wait until the patents for the mp3 expire in five years) or DVD’s (again, lack of a license). In addition, you still need to use a command line for several of the important tasks, rather than there being an equivalent to the Control Panel in XP and Vista.
If distro makers (especially Ubuntu’s KDE) can fix these problems, then yes, Linux will have a real shot at overthrowing Windows, especially at the corporate level. Many companies already use a flavor of Linux for their servers, so switching their desktops over to Linux may not be as hard as they would think.