14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's lion share of the operating system market with the Windows platform is the number one bug in the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. But just like any flaw, this one too can be resolved, and Ubuntu promises to provide just the right fix. However, this aspect might not be as simple as presented. Dislodging Microsoft from its dominant position on the operating system market is no easy task, and certainly one in which Linux has failed miserably for years now.
"Microsoft has a majority market share in the new desktop PC marketplace. This is a bug, which Ubuntu is designed to fix. Non-free software is holding back innovation in the IT industry, restricting access to IT to a small part of the world's population and limiting the ability of software developers to reach their full potential, globally. This bug is widely evident in the PC industry," reveals a message posted on the Ubuntu Bug Database.
Ubuntu going against Linux is a repeat of the archetypal David - Goliath confrontation. According to statistics made available by Market Share by Net Applications, Windows XP has a market share of 82.02%, Windows 2000 4.31%, Windows Vista 3.74% and Windows 98 a mere 1.24%. However, the data looks different when it comes to Ubuntu. All the existing Linux distributions only managed to account for a market share of 0.70%. that is less than Windows 98's. Ubuntu is not even mentioned.
"Steps to repeat: 1. Visit a local PC store. What happens: 2. Observe that a majority of PCs for sale have non-free software pre-installed. 3. Observe very few PCs with Ubuntu and free software pre-installed. What should happen: 1. A majority of the PCs for sale should include only free software like Ubuntu. 2. Ubuntu should be marketed in a way such that its amazing features and benefits would be apparent and known by all. 3. The system shall become more and more user friendly as time passes," the Ubuntu Bug Database added.
Still, Ubuntu might receive some unexpected support. Straight from Microsoft. The Redmond Company's Windows Marketplace was recently caught off guard delivering Ubuntu. Before it was taken down from the Microsoft website, the Linux operating system gathered approximately 11,000 downloads. It could not have happened any other way in the context of Microsoft's description, calling Ubuntu perfect.
"Note: This is the desktop version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops, and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and e-mail applications, to Web server software and programming tools. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.Version 7.04, named "Feisty Fawn," adds the Ubuntu Studio, a multimedia editing and production suite, to the distribution," Microsoft revealed.