There must be some misunderstanding?

The CTO of Novell Canada,Ross Chevalier, has told a reporter that North America's lagging Linux share is all due to a misunderstanding.

They just don't know about all the great applications that have been ported to Linux over the last few years, from trusted names likeIBM, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP, he said.

Is this all just a marketing problem?

I'm a big fan of open source, but I don't think so. This is not something that can be "fixed" merely with marketing. Some theories:

• The nationalist argument for Linux doesn't exist in the U.S., which is home to all of open source's rivals.
• Apple is a sizable and growing alternative again in the business market, especially in shops emphasizing creativity -- advertising, entertainment, etc.
• Microsoft's ties with U.S. computer manufacturers are incredibly close, meaning that even if you want Linux you often still buy Windows.
• U.S. IT shops are often bigger than those in other countries, so any major change is going to be harder to implement.

Of course, it could just be that Americans are a bunch of losers, but you don't think that, do you?