Free as in beer? Where the heck did you get that notion? Beer is never free. Cheap, but not free.
And desktops will never die. Desktops will surely remain the domain of video editors, sound engineers and hard-core gamers.
As to Linux, which is really free, I find it a pain to use. I am 45 years old, have been into computing since 1979 (with the sinclair ZX80), and still get cold feet when using Linux.
The latest release of Ubuntu wan't half bad... but like all 'open source' software, there really is no control, and frankly, some of the apps simply suck big time. And how am I going to convince my kids to use Open Office when they all use MS Office at school?
The sad fact is that Linux is a dead duck. Great for aficionados, but in reality, will never get off the ground.
Have been checking Android too, and hey presto, so much crapware around...I have this Android Tablet, and find it great for browsing and mail and reading and... err.. that's about it!
A pity really, since Apple have this anti-social 'closed-wall' app approval, which at least, filters out all the junk apps. I'm not an Apple fan-boy, or at least I didn't know until I first got my 1st gen iPhone.
On this darn thing, apps simply work as stated! And that is what desktop OS designers need to aim at...
The iPad really does what I need to do with a minimum of fuss... it's a difficult beast to place in a category, but I do so much with it... THAT is a dream OS I would love to see on a desktop or a media centre PC. Uncluttered cleanliness...
And I will take any OS that can provide that facility without hassles.
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