Robin Miller writes on the rise of (potential) mass-market desktop Linux versions:
$99, give or take $20, seems to be the new price point for full-featured, consumer-level Linux distributions. This is a great deal for non-technical users, since most of the new-wave consumer Linux products give users a much prettier and easier experience than traditional, all-GPL distributions tailored for a geeky user base. Whether or not the current explosion of Linux use by ordinary people is “good” is still open to question, but I suspect the answer depends more on who is doing the answering than any other factor.
A friend and I were recently discussing what people need in a computer. He said, “If you have a) web browser , b) email program, c) word processor, you’ve covered the entire needs of 75% of all PC buyers.”
