I wrote The reason Windows is more popular on the desktop to discuss why the popularity of Linux (meaning the distributions rather than kernel by itself) on the desktop is not all about missing features or functionality not working correctly as some portray. I am not a Linux apologist. There are definitely some areas where Linux will make some people pull their hair out. In my case, read on to find out my hot buttons.

1) Sound

It is unacceptable to have such a poor sound system today. I have experienced many cases of programs fighting over the mixer resulting in no sound, or improper sound settings. Sound is one of those basic things that needs to just work, period, full stop. Unfortunately this is not always the case. If people have to pull the latest alsa code to get their microphone or sound working, this is clearly an area with much work to be done.

Please don't misunderstand - we greatly appreciate the work of those that contribute to alsa, pulse, and other sound systems. We just need the right architecture and implementation so that it works consistently.

2) Scanners

There seems to be a dearth of options for scanning on Linux. SANE is a great project, and should be supported, but unfortunately the likelihood that you can go down to your local electronics store and buy a scanner and have it work are very low.

3) Closed source applications

Life has improved tremendously since I started using Linux in the mid-90's. It's possible to write documents with a decent office suite (and interoperate with MS Office), Firefox is an excellent browser, music and video support are pretty good, printer support is quite good, and support for digital cameras is quite good. However the chicken-and-egg issue still remains. There are just not that many commercial closed source software packages available for Linux. Thus, it is felt this is hindering adoption of Linux as a desktop. However, until more people adopt Linux as a desktop, it's just not that attractive financially to application vendors.