Just a question about this linux OS, do you think that linux OS can become a "niche", like McIntosh is ? or does it rest at very very low level ?

I request proofreading!

lol.  Anyway, I think that as more people become better at using computers, we will either see an increase in Linux users or a durastic change in how Microsoft and Macintosh operate.  As it stands now, both Linux and Macintosh has a substantial user-base.  Right now, I am typing this post on a computer running Fedora 10.

Good question. Depends on who you listen too. With the advent of cloud computing and more and more netbook manufacturers churning linux machines the future for linux is bright.

Netbook sales have rocketed due to the economic downturn. Check online for the figures.

Microsoft claimed 90% of the netbook market to Linux's 10%, but there are taking a massive revenue hit to compete with free linux.

Other sources claim MS have 70% of the netbook market. Then there is Apple to compete with (still linux in a way) once they pull their finger out and release their range of netbooks.

Taken from link.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-on-90-of-Netbooks-Linux-on-Just-10-105971.shtml

"And the Redmond company indeed took a hit, as it missed revenue estimates in Q2 2009 by approximately $1 billion, with Windows Client division profits dropping, a situation also correlated with the jump in netbook sales, as the software giant gets paid less for Windows on mini-notebooks compared to normal PCs. "


Where linux can really punish MS is with it's servers and cloud computing. Amazon is in position to be a major player and have teamed up with ubuntu.

I don't know if everyone has Ubuntu on their desktop in five years and I don't care.

All I know: I have ubuntu on my PCs and the PCs of my family and all are happy. Much easier and faster than windows.

@Senlis

I am using Red Hat 5.

I'm a new user of Ubuntu, and it's great!

In the future? Yes.

As it is right now? No.

I still don't think the current versions are ready. It's improving, so it should get there sometime.

EDIT: I've been using Ubuntu since 2005.

Ubuntu is a viable replacement for over 50% of the PC market, which is the internet-and-office-only group that requires only an MS-Office-clone and a good web browser, as well as protection from viruses. Linux offers all of this, today, for free, on very old hardware at reasonable speed.

However these people are the least likely to switch. Those most likely to are the informed and computer-literate, which usually include gamers (which Linux can't do no matter how good because developers refuse to port games*) and professionals (who use Adobe tools that again no one is willing to port but can't be replaced on Linux due to patent threats over the file formats and interfaces.

*Look at UT3 - promised for Linux, the code works, the market exists, but no release due to (as far as I can tell from frequent Phoronix reports) general Linux apathy over at Epic.

Uh, sure.  If you say so.  Except, you know, things like WINE exist, not to mention virtual machines. You might not get the latest and the greatest, but then it's still only a matter of time before that changes.  With the economy as it is, if it doesn't recover soon, we're going to be seeing a whole hell of a lot of people trying to cut their costs.

Linux has carved out a niche for itself, but mostly just in the server market. Its growth in the consumer market has been almost non-existant, despite some retailers offering it as an option.

It would be nice to get a three horse race going in operating systems, but for now it looks like we'll have to settle for Mac OS slowly encroaching on Windows in the consumer market while Linux does the same in the server space.