For normal desktop applications and web applications, Linux has come of age (functionally). Butt...
Computers have reached commodity status. You buy the one that runs the programs you want to run, for the cheapest price. John Dvorak has a good article pointing out that for the last 10 years, software developers have simply been adding bells and whistles to existing applications, keeping us from enjoying the blazing speed of the new hardware.
Most people buy Windows machines because that’s what they know and they are cheaper. They don’t want to run Windows apps on Mac and they don’t want to pay the 50%-200% premium for the hardware.
I keep a K45 XP Shuttle box (about $150 invested) attached to my Internet line because it runs my Magic Jack. Otherwise, I run one Linux box and a laptop XP computer for work and surfing. I keep a gaming machine in the den. Oh yeah... The Linux netbook with a solid state hard drive survives nicely in motorcycle saddle bags.
Brands? Who cares anymore? OS? Not important most of the time.
My 24” iMac sits unused most of the time because it just doesn’t do anything that the other machines aren’t already doing. It’s a fine machine, but so are the others.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the Chrome OS. Most of the time, it will do what I want. Computers are becoming like televisions. We will have several, all different, for different purposes. Operating systems are becoming part of the commodity. They are no longer significant.
The Linux netbook with a solid state hard drive survives nicely in motorcycle saddle bags.
Crash and Burn: 1 in 3 Notebooks fail within 3 years
Personally, I’m looking forward to the Chrome OS. Most of the time, it will do what I want.
Only when connected online.
When disconnected, your machine becomes a useless boat anchor.
"Cloud computing" is an abomination.
I'll never buy a computer that I can't use independent of the Internet connection.