Do we need a Generic Linux?

You have probably read the headlines. Ubuntu is Linux and Linux is Ubuntu. I do not want to argue for or against Ubuntu. Instead I wonder why people are making these assertions. Do we need a generic Linux brand?

The type of people who would make an assertion that Ubuntu is Linux are probably not coming from a Linux environment. Linux users are quite happy with the fragmented user base and the wide range of distributions. Many are even proud of it.

Someone coming from a Windows or Mac environment is used to one company, either Microsoft or Apple. They are used to few choices. One desktop and don’t touch my settings is their credo. The Windows user may only be aware of one or two editions of their OS. Only old timers like me remember Windows 98, 95 and Windows for Workgroups. The same can be said for Mac users. They probably don’t even remember the PPC or the black and white Macs of yore. For Windows and Mac users uniformity and conformity is the norm. They like having things the same. A Windows computer looks much the same at work and home. Familiarity is important to them.

Not so with Linux users. First off they are probably literate in more than one environment. They use Windows and know it as intimately as they know Linux. They have chosen to use Linux because they know Windows so well. For them, Linux is not an attempt to recreate the Windows experience, but it is an alternative and, to their way of thinking, a better alternative. Some Linux users also use Macs and probably like the Mac. They are more likely to make Linux more like the Mac. They like its clean look and simple design.

So, do we need a generic Linux? If so, is it Ubuntu?

Let’s face it. Linux is more than an OS. It is a community and a state of mind. It can’t be one thing because it is as diverse as the people who make it up. Some people will take exception to any attempt to make Linux conform to any one thing. If anyone tries, they are likely to face stiff opposition which will lead to people heading off in the opposite direction as fast as they can go. For such people the success of Ubuntu and pronouncements of it “being Linux” grate like fingernails on a blackboard.

No matter what happens in the marketplace, Linux will continue to be what it has always been. It will be a broad and widely diverse operating system. All the success of Ubuntu or SUSE or any other flavour of Linux will do is create a mainsteam that is now lacking in Linux. It will continue to maintain its individuality and geekiness on the periphery.

The success of a mainstream Linux distribution is not essential for the survival of Linux. It will improve Linux, though. It will improve its image. It will improve its support. It will enlarge the community. Mainstream distributions will become springboards for people to move into the more esoteric ones. The initiatives of people in the Linux community will get more recognition as a result and this is a great motivator for Linux developers.

What many in the Linux community will balk at is the inevitable commercialization of Linux. This is to be expected. It has its benefits and detriments. Gamers will benefit. They will not have to dual boot to play their favourite games. There will always be new and exciting products. Not all of them will be good. There will be bloatware, too.

When will all of this happen? It may not happen at all. One of the exciting things that is happening is that the OS is losing its sheen. There is a trend towards social networking, Cloud OS and the OS on the motherboard. All some people need it seems is a machine and an internet connection. Some people will naturally rebel at this. They love the sexiness of an OS with its eye candy and trumpet the abuses that can occur with trusting our data to mega giants such as Google. My feeling is that most users prefer the convenience and like the convergence of technologies with one stop email, IMing, mobile phones, cameras, music players, TiVO, video players and Blackberries. They see the desktop computer as just an extension of their world and they may be right.

This is an old debate. I remember reading an article ten or more years ago on just this subject. On one side there was Larry Ellison of Oracle (if memory serves) taking the position that the OS was dying and that the internet would take over. The other side was championed by Bill Gates who was not a billionaire yet since Windows 95 was just out. He said that people would never trust others to manage their data. He obviously had much at stake in the success of the OS. The irony is that the concerns of a monopolist like Gates are now being echoed by Linux freedom devotees and companies like Google are championing the web. This debate will rage on.

I suspect that OSes like gOS are here to stay. Computers will have an instant on Linux based motherboard OS that will give access to what most users need access to. Computers will continue to get smaller and more powerful and the convergence of technologies will continue. The operating will continue to evolve as well.

And yes, it will become mainstream. And yes, there will be bad press and errors in judgment. But it will not stop there. As long as we have a bigger vision then we should be happy. We do not have to become limited just because other people are limited in their vision.

Linux can be more than it is. It can be anything we want it to be. Clearly, the people at Canonical see Ubuntu becoming a major player. Their vision is clear and we should not fault them for it. What we need to focus on is what our needs are and to move in that direction.

Some people will come to Linux for negative reasons. They are unhappy with what they have or with the direction they see things going. They are unwittingly spreading negativity into the Linux community. They wonder why Linux can’t be more like Windows. They complain that they can’t play their favourite game or use Quicken. They blame Linux because their Winmodem or wireless card does not work. These are growing pains that we must go through. We need to be patient and welcoming. We need to understand them without giving in to the negativity.

When we read headlines that Linux is Ubuntu or Ubuntu is Linux we need to pause first and then learn to ignore. We know better. We should not encourage such speculation. The strength of Linux is that it isn’t something that anyone can buy. This is why Microsoft does not know how to handle Linux. In the past they would just buy it outright and end the competition. But you cannot buy an idea or an ideology. They are understandably frustrated. We need to keep this in mind when we think of individual users. They too are confused by what Linux is.