This post is motivated in part by an interesting comment made during an open source focused panel at JavaOne 2007. The topic was what it takes to cultivate growth of the Solaris operating system. Hardware integration was mentioned as one of the keys to establishing steady adoption rates and as a something which continues to plague the movement to open source alternatives. This fact is becoming increasingly apparent as more open source operating systems establish themselves as ready for desktop but cannot find a reliable route to it. The answer lies in the hardware.
Still very little has been accomplished towards acquiring better positioning with major hardware vendors and resellers. As a result, the large majority remains uneducated about the benefits and potential market for hardware bundled with open source operating systems. Neglecting to address this point of contention does not bode well for the long term prospects of the open source operating system in general. The market for consumer desktops is set to significantly expand with the imminent explosion of demand within the emerging/developing world economies. Open source and open standards are already compulsory within China and I expect other countries and regions to reflect that reality. However, without better methods of reaching hardware distribution channels, Microsoft will be able to remain alive in places where it's obvious they're not the preferred choice.
An example of the pent-up demand for choice on the desktop is the tone and volume of feedback for the Dell Idea Storm. Where top threads centered around demands for Linux-based laptops, consumer PCs with less pre-loaded, unsolicited applications and requests for Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice applications instead of Microsoft Office. As a side note, top requests also indicated a preference for the Firefox Web browser over Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Various forms of reactionary response categorized these results as a backlash against Microsoft, but such is an over-simplification at best. It has little to do with Microsoft, Linux or Sun, and more to do with flexibility of choice and availability.
Previously it was a Windows and Mac world, where the PC and Windows became almost inexorably linked. The emergence of viable alternatives in the form of different flavors of Linux has fueled a thirst for choice in the realm of operating systems. Despite the fact that Ubuntu most directly benefitted from Dell's Idea Storm, the message is loud and clear: more and more consumers want a choice in the selection of an operating system.
Contrary to popular belief the message isn't as much a warning call for Microsoft (as they already understand the competitive challenge/threat that open source represents), as it is a wakeup call for each and every major open source desktop operating system. Dell did Linux a big-time favor by opening up enough to absorb the suggestions of its customer base. However, similar ready-made opportunities will continue to be the exception and not the rule. Inroads will have to be forged towards illustrating why exactly other hardware manufacturers and OEM's should follow suite. Dell, at the top of the food chain, has the resources to absolve the risks inherent in doing so, others will have to be convinced more thoroughly.
Where the argument for opening up the game to better include open source desktop operating systems will have to attack the assumed strong points of the Windows only approach. Without engaging hardware manufacturers and OEM's on appropriate grounds with a strategy which is aligned with their perspective, it is only logical to expect the status quo (Windows) to continue to maintain its current stronghold.
About the blogger: Alex Fletcher is lead industry analyst at Entiva Group Incorporated, a research and analyst firm which concentrates exclusively on the open source software industry. His main focus is working to help clients of all sizes formulate strategy and policy surrounding their use of open source software within the enterprise. Alex has prior experience as a consultant, software engineer and start-up founder. He can be reached at alex dot fletcher -at- entivagroup dot com.
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