Is Linux a desktop operating system?

[Thomas Templin]

On Tuesday 24 May 2005 00:08, Tony Arnold wrote:
> I was amused, and slightly irritated by a comment made on a
> programme on the BBC this evening. A transcript of the piece can
> be found at
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4565581.stm
>
> The bit that irritated me was:
>
> "I believe that it still isn't time to call Linux a 'desktop'
> operating system. It simply isn't as usable for everyone as
> Windows and OS X are.
>
> "It will be soon, but, for the time being at least, Click Online
> doesn't think it is."
>
> I guess they've not used Ubuntu with the Gnome Desktop. From what
> I gather from this list, we have quite a few newbies using this
> system and they are all having a great time with it.
>
> Comments anyone?

There is a well done KDE usability survey / study done by 
relevantive, Berlin, Germany:
http://www.relevantive.de/Linux-Usabilitystudie.html
http://www.linux-usability.de/download/usabilityreport_kde3.2.0.pdf

It is a comparison of Windows and KDE under usability aspects.

One of the best usability surveys and the most balanced / evenhanded 
I know up to now. Unfortunately there is only a german version of 
the latest survey. Though the English version is a bit outdated 
(2003) but compared whith the latest one a good ducument to 
summarize usability eforts which have been made over a year.

AFAIR one of the authors, Jan Muehlig, told me that this survey also 
was used during the 'decission finding' (hope this translation is 
ok, pardon me) for a Free Software migration planned for Lower 
House of German Parliament (Bundestag) Germany. 

Regards,
Thomas

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