Chop ya up a bit here in reposnse.
Are you saying that to use Linux you have to write custom applications? If so I must be doing something wrong.
No. I'm saying that you have to go down and hunt the programs down or pay for support to find applications that you may not be aware of. There is also extra tooling around required at times to make things work. Not that it doesn't happen with Windows either but extra steps are sometimes needed to make apps work on Linux that were designed for Windows.
Are you saying that if you are using a windows system your admin doesn't have to know what he is doing? That seems odd to me as well.
I'm saying that if I want to do something, I call up my MS rep and say "hey, I want to do that. Is there a way I can do that?" They give me the answer. I don't have to search around to find some obscure named program to do that job. Its more likely I have a problem with the naming convention of some of the Linux programs.
Are you saying that none of the Linux companies own any patents? If so why is M$ trying to sign cross patent agreements with Linux companies?
No. I'm saying that MS and other companies went out and made a lot of patents before a company pushing Linux did.
Are you saying that Linux usage isn't growing? We tell that to M$ so that can stop worrying about the growing threat of Linux.
No. I said that Linux use has reached its full potential until a company builds a business model around it. I'm sure it will gain a couple more percentage points by people getting curious about it, reading more about it and hearing talk of it. But its not going to pull 40-50% or a large market share.
Are you saying that no one makes Money off Linux? Then I guess we should inform Novell, Red Hat, Oracle, Canonical, etc. So they can get into a market where they can earn some money.
Are you saying that the applications that Google writes for Windows and Mac don't cost them any money?
Not in that sense. The jobs they're hiring for in my area want people who are innovative and can write apps for Linux to create their own business stuff, as opposed to going out and buying a canned program.
Does Linux have something like Windows SMS? Not that I'm aware of. For a large company, SMS is very beneficial and makes life easier. If you know of a program, please tell me. I'm unaware.. because I don't have the time to sit around surfing and reading each vaguely titled program to figure out what it does.
Linux will work on a small scale because people are putting effort into it. But it will not take a significant market share unless a business model is put around it and companies have easier access to information on it.
You seem like you spend a lot of time dealing with Linux and probably spend more than a couple hours reading Linux forums and researching stuff. Most people can't and won't do that because they're already busy enough.
As far as Novell using Linux.. Novell is dead, they had to do something. Database apps have to go with Linux too because it keeps their products cheap and Linux works well in those environments. Its a cheaper alternative.
Its also a business model. But they're pushing their apps, not Linux. If a company wants to put forth the effort, they could have a Windows shop with a Linux server running to host their already expensive Oracle software.