I've been using Linux as my main desktop platform for about 10 years now. In that time, we've seen some amazing work done in regards to the usability and hardware support that Linux users enjoy today. I'd go so far as to say that Linux has completely altered my conception of how the computing world, and perhaps the world in general, should operate. That said, I'm not sure I'm ready for the masses to embrace Linux.

Sure, it would be nice from a driver standpoint, as I can foresee many more hardware manufacturers hopping on board the Linux bandwagon if the user base keeps expanding. Also, I imagine some of the bigger software players, such as Adobe, might start offering more of their wares for Linux. Adobe already has Flash support, the Flex developer platform and Adobe Reader, so it's not out of line to think that their Creative Suite might be ported one day as well, if the user base is large enough.

That said, I'm not so sure I want "the masses" to use Linux. The main reason I say this is that I fear the things I love about Linux will slowly be watered down in order to appease the non-geeks among us. Now I'm not saying that in order to enjoy computing I need to have a platform that's difficult to use, but I would be concerned that the ideals behind Linux would slowly erode once big business sees that there is money to be made on it. Additionally, I would hate to see the Linux platform start to sacrifice power for ease of use. Making once difficult tasks easy is a fantastic programming goal, but when we start sacrificing flexibility in the process, we start taking Linux out of Linux.

I try to post fairly often on Linux forums in order to help new users find solutions to their problems, so I'm certainly not opposed to more people embracing Linux and enjoying what it has to offer. I just question whether I really want Linux to become the "New Windows", as I feel we may get more than we bargained for if that comes to fruition.