I disagree that Linux on the desktop is vaporware. I have actually been running Linux on my desktop for 11 years. I am a Unix sysadmin, but the user threshold for running Linux on the desktop is dropping every year. Three years ago, my wife and kids switched (about the same time as Code Red stormed the Internet). I think that Linux is actually getting very very close to the point that my mother, who lives 800 miles away could run it.

The most common comment I get when I say that my family runs it is "yeah, but they have a sysadmin living there." True, but I raise two points. If every windows user had a qualified system admin, a vast majority of the worms and virii out there would be stopped cold, since they tend to prey on the gullible and the uninformed. (I don't want to use ignorant, since it has such negative connotations. Most home computer users are experts in their own fields, but expecting them to be an expert in our field too is too much to ask.)

The other point I make to living with a sysadmin is that for the most part, my family (none of whom are geeks, I might add) have learned self-reliance. Most of the time, they search for their own answers instead of running to me to figure out where their minimized window went. Could they restore from backups? Probably not...But how many Windows users could? Can they reinstall the OS? Absolutely. Look at some of the installers. One of the guys from the Linux Link Tech Show actually had his 6 year old daughter install Ubuntu. The only thing he helped her with was the "big words." She made all of the decisions. In fact, Linux is getting to the point where it is easier to install than Windows.

So every year is the Year of the Linux Desktop, its just that the numbers are quietly growing and the demographic is expanding. I guess it depends on your perspective.