Desktop Linux, also Linux on the desktop (LOTD) is the application of the GNU/Linux operating system on a desktop computer.
History
Historically, UNIX and other Unix-like operating systems have been utilized on servers, mainframes, and workstations in corporate or scientific environments.
Beginning in the latter 90's, a few Linux distribution companies, such as 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 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 BSD-based, distributions have originated with a dedication to the desktop market. Perhaps the most famous/popular of these distributions, as of 2007, is Canonical's Ubuntu distribution.
Disadvantages
Applications
Desktop Linux has also been maligned for its lack of name-brand applications in comparison to its proprietary and closed source 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 proprietary and closed-source drivers for the graphic cards, from Nvidia or ATI upon which the environments are dependent. In response, independent developers have reverse-engineered the drivers to write new free and open source drivers.
In addition, in 2006, freedesktop.org began a project called "Nouveau" in order to create free and open-source drivers for Nvidia cards.
Installation
The experience of installing a Linux distribution on a desktop computer varies from person to person as well as from distribution to distribution. While a number of ways to use a Desktop Linux distribution exist, the barriers of entry remain high for many speculative users.