"It's time for a security exploit. It's time for Linux distributors and application developers to exploit the security we already have. The distributors need to understand that nothing--nothing, dammit--should be started by default ... make security your selling point. There is a load of sales material available to you, involving all of the documented attacks and the potential ones. You'll inconvenience no one."

"It has not been good for Linux recently. When Linux enthusiasts all over the world waved their flags when VA Linux had their massive initial public offering, they didn't expect to see the stock drop to today's 9 and three-sixteenths points. There have been layoffs all over the Linux sector."

"The release of KDE 2.0 was seen as a huge leap forward in desktop environments. The two largest desktop environments have received major industrial backing in the form of the GNOME Foundation and the KDE League. And finally, there has been a bounty of good software to ease the Linux neophyte into the world of Open Source and free software."

"Two years ago I was bold and naive enough to assert that my mother would be able to switch to Linux by now. And if Linux were ready for her, I think there's a pretty good possibility that she would do just that. You see, she, like so many other people with years of experience being an end user, despises Windows."

"The more things change, the more they remain the same. Only one year ago Linux

was the darling of the media and Wall Street. Linux was a Prince that potentially would overthrow the King of OSes, Windows. Today, Linux articles are filled with dyspeptic gloom and opinions about the failure of Linux to grab a large market share or mind share."

"Linux is currently going through the same stages the Internet did. It started off as a geeks-only area, but some very smart companies -- IBM and so forth -- saw the potential for the OS, just like very smart companies -- Netscape -- saw the potential for the Internet."

"Last time around, I talked about the question of whether Linux users were starting to converge on a common desktop. This time, let's look at the much thornier

issues of whether that's a good thing for everyone involved, and how we might get there."

"We saw the single largest corporate purchase of Linux, the biggest Linux clustering installation, the greatest gains for Linux vis-à-vis Windows and Unix, the

largest number of Linux-made millionaires (and millionaires gone bust), not to mention the greatest number of news articles hyping Linux. Makes you wonder if there's anywhere for Linux to go but down!"

"With the recent layoffs and stock devaluation of various Linux distributors, the Big Blue nod acts as a vital impetus to boost momentum in the open-source development community. At the very least, IBM's move serves to indicate that old masters of the proprietary game, such as Sun and Microsoft, must certainly take heed."

"So the question is if Linux can hope to compete head on with Windows and Macintosh with our diverse desktop GUI, or will the average user reject us as too complex and inconsistent?"