The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) believes that the latest advancements in the Project Portland initiative demonstrate that the Linux desktop market is set to significantly grow in the coming year.
Project Portland was launched to develop a system of key technical requirements, including enhanced interfaces, plug-and-play capabilities, drivers, and kernels for Linux and open-source software running on desktops.
Portland aims to create a common interaction framework among Linux programs and open-source software components on personal computers. This unified operational framework will eliminate issues arising during consumer use and technical challenges for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), who seek to ensure their software operates across various environments, whether proprietary or open-source.
The Free Standards Group (FSG) has stated that Portland will be integrated into the Linux Standard Base (LSB) 4.0 next year. Last month, FSG’s LSB received ISO certification after five years of operation. However, it has achieved only limited success due to a lack of support from the leading distribution company, Red Hat.
OSDL believes that Portland’s potential far exceeds that of the LSB. Earlier this month, OSDL held a meeting with 47 companies, including Adobe Systems, AMD, Eclipse, FSG, Gnome, IBM, Intel, KDE, Mozilla, Nokia, OpenOffice, and Red Hat.
Open-source software has seen certain successes, although 2005 cannot yet be dubbed the “year of the Linux desktop” as many had previously predicted. WStarOffice, OpenOffice, KDE, and Ximian are increasingly proving to be worthy alternatives to many applications in Microsoft Office. However, Dave Rosenburg, an expert from OSDL, admits that these open-source suites fail to attract a significant number of users due to the absence of a comprehensive email program.
According to Rosenburg, Portland will encourage Red Hat or Novell to release application packages that integrate features meeting user demands. He also hopes that the Linux desktop will expand significantly in 2006, partly due to the growing popularity of Firefox, which currently holds 11.51% of the browser market.
“I wouldn’t dare claim that 2006 will be the ‘year of the Linux desktop,’ but we are gradually moving towards that point. We are becoming a real competitor to Microsoft Office,” Rosenburg stated.
