Notice how we've been concentrating on Linux as a server operating
system? There's good reason. Desktop Linux--despite the K Desktop
Environment (KDE) and Gnome graphical user interfaces (GUI)--still falls
short of the Windows and MacOS competition. Themes, by which the desktop
is made to look and feel like other operating systems or your customers'
own unique GUIs, help, but the real problems lie in the lack of solid
underlying tools.
Erik Troan, director of engineering for Red Hat, puts it well: "You
start with a lack of applications. Corel is working [to correct this] with
its complete Corel Office Suite, as is Sun with Star Office." But today,
Troan concedes, he "still has to use second-tier checkbook applications,
and we still need strong presentation software."
Why is that so? Because Linux lacks a unified desktop infrastructure
API, à la Windows 9x. "With nothing similar to Microsoft's Common Object
Model," says Troan, "it's harder to write end-user GUI applications."
Until Linux has a common object layer, writing desktop applications will
continue to be slow.
Enter Inprise's Delphi and Corel's forthcoming Kylix rapid application
development (RAD) for C, C++ and Delphi. Kylix also will implement the
Borland Visual Component Library (VCL), giving Linux an object-style
layer. For Windows or Mac developers who want to do a little work with
Linux, those are exactly the kind of packages needed to start porting
applications to Linux.
Meanwhile, Corel is leading the way to an end-user-friendly GUI. Based
on what we've seen, it looks like Corel could improve Linux's GUI by the
end of this year.
And for a business deployment, Corel's Linux and WordPerfect Suite for
Linux may be all the applications an office customer needs.
Whether any businesses will be willing to swap out Windows and
Microsoft Office for Corel's Linux alternatives remains to be seen.
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