Recently an article appeared in MacWeek stating that Mac platform
is, because of the interest in Linux, doomed.
While this would seem to be an overstatement, Linux is definitely
making inroads into the market. Several other writers have
(correctly) pointed out that Linux still has a long way to go to
achieve consumer acceptance. While they have been catching up to the
Mac in terms of market share, this does not necessarily indicate that
the full-blown acceptance is just around the corner.
Linux clearly fills a gap in the OS market. Linux is more
appealing to some users because it offers something that neither
Windows, Macintosh, Be, or Unix can. A significant surge in market
share is a result of a number of people finding a platform just right
for them: technically challenging, cheap, and robust.
How many people, however, fit into that category? Many will drop
out at the mention of "technically challenging." Eazel
is aiming to erase this problem.
I think Eazel poses the largest risk to Macs. Linux is, without a
doubt, a strong competitor in the OS market. Right now the
"technically challenging" is what's holding it back. Without that one
(huge) shortcoming, Linux could be the next Microsoft. Stable, fast,
and free. What more could anyone ask for?
OS X, of course, is Apple's answer to any OS questions critics
have. OS X is essentially Eazel in action. OS X is a Mac skin on a
Free BSD underbelly. Eazel is a Mac skin on a Linux underbelly.
Make no mistake: a computer shipped with Eazel would be a
formidable competitor for Macs. At the very least, Linux is sexier
than Free BSD because all of the media attention lavished upon it.
Everyone knows it's a geek system, so if you run Linux, you are, by
default, related to geeks in some way. Even if the tough part is well
hidden "geek mystique" can still rub off on the owner. Tell people
you run Linux, and you will likely get a few admiring glances,
similar to the ones people who service their own cars get.
Tell someone you're running the Mac OS, and you'll likely get a
yawn and the question, "Is Apple still around?" Even after explaining
that the new Mac OS contains FreeBSD you will likely get nothing more
than a blank stare.
The cool factor could help Eazel immensely. Free and easy to use
will only add to its competitiveness. Add it all together, and you've
got an OS that could dominate.
Of course, even with Eazel, the Linux market has quite a ways to
go to put the Macs out to pasture. Battle hardened from the Windows
war, Mac advocates have shown that they won't go quietly into the
night.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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