ex-World Bank CTO: Desktop Linux Interrupted

If you're a member of the press and you write anything that's remotely critical of Linux's chances of success on the desktop (which I have), the Linux community unleashes a fury of fire and brimstone upon you. Invariably, your credentials to make any such judgment are dragged through the mud and a few people who like to take the heat get into the fire in your defense and the angry mob becomes even more enraged. When I write, I try to put myself in the head of an IT professional and wonder how they might view a particular situation and what sort of criteria might be driving their decision-making process. I think I'm qualified to do this. I used to be one of those IT professionals, responsible for developing customized database solutions and setting corporate standards for everything from desktop software to mainframe connectivity solutions and supporting thousands of end users in their use of PCs and networks. "Phooey" on your background and education (computer science, by the way) I'm pretty much told.

But now that the former CTO of World Bank W. McDonald Buck is chiming in on why desktops without Windows are financially harder than you think, perhaps the entire Linux community will take a deep breath and say "OK, we've got a problem."