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#REDIRECT [[Linux range of use#Desktop]]
'''Desktop Linux''', also '''Linux on the desktop (LOTD)''' is the application of the [[GNU project|GNU]]/[[Linux]] [[operating system]] on a [[desktop computer]].
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==History==
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Historically, [[UNIX]] and other [[Unix-like]] operating systems have been utilized on [[Server (computing)|servers]], [[Mainframe computer|mainframes]], and [[workstation]]s in corporate or scientific environments.
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Beginning in the latter 90's, a few [[Linux distribution]] companies, such as [[Mandriva|MandrakeSoft]], began to advertise their systems for low-end desktop computers. However, it was not until Apple released the first version of [[Mac OS X]], a UNIX-like system, that Linux began to be seen as a serious alternative to [[Microsoft]]'s [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] operating system on desktop computers, in both corporate and home environments.
Since the turn of the 21st century, a growing number of Linux, and even [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD-based]], distributions have originated with a dedication to the desktop market. Perhaps the most famous of these distributions, as of 2007, is [[Canonical]]'s [[Ubuntu (Linux distribution)|Ubuntu]] distribution.
==Advantages==
Desktop Linux has long been touted by its users, vendors, and advocates as a more security-conscious, stable OS for the desktop computer, compared to Microsoft Windows, which has been criticized throughout its history for its security and stability problems.
===Applications===
Most Desktop Linux distributions are developed and deployed with an assortment of applications developed by third-party projects, such as [[KDE]], [[GNOME]], [[GIMP]], [[Mozilla Firefox]], and [[OpenOffice]]. This is to make sure that the user will be less prone to looking for basic applications which he/she may be lacking.
===3D user interfaces===
In addition, with the development of [[Xgl]] and other hardware-accelerated user interface architectures, 3D environments have experienced greater demand from both potential and veteran Desktop Linux users.
==Disadvantages==
===Applications===
Desktop Linux has also been maligned for its lack of name-brand applications in comparison to their more "closed" counterparts, [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Mac OS X]]. In response, Desktop Linux advocates have blamed the more recognized application vendors, such as [[Adobe Systems]], for their alleged shunning of Desktop Linux systems and users in favor of users of either Windows or Mac OS X.
===Drivers===
The aforementioned 3D user interface environments also have come under scrutiny because of the usage of closed-source drivers for the [[graphic card]]s, from [[Nvidia]] or [[ATI]] upon which the environments are dependent; this is problematic for most Desktop Linux distributions, as redistribution of such drivers by third parties is prohibited by the EULAs placed on the drivers. In response, independent developers have reverse-engineered the drivers, providing their works under permissive licenses for redistribution by Desktop Linux vendors.
In addition, in 2006, [[freedesktop.org]] began a project called "Nouveau" in order to create open-source drivers for Nvidia cards.
===Installation===
The experience of installing a Linux distribution on a desktop computer varies from person to person. While a number of ways to use a Desktop Linux distribution exist, the barriers of entry remain high for many speculative users.
==Relationship with Windows==
While Desktop Linux advocates have long
==See also==
* [[Desktop Linux Consortium]]
* [[Desktop Linux Summit]]
* [[KDE]]
* [[GNOME]]
* [[Beryl (window manager)]]
* [[Xgl]]
==External Links==
* [http://www.desktoplinux.com/ DesktopLinux.com]
* [http://www.psychocats.net/essays/linuxdesktopmyth ''The Linux Desktop Myth'']
[[Category:Linux]]
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