Comment 605 for bug 1

> A quick look in the bug database suggests there are 155,000 bugs ever
> reported against Ubuntu, and 46,000 marked fixed. That's from a team of
> 30 full time engineers and about 100 committed volunteers, an amazing
> effort by people who care about Ubuntu.

I do not question the work and effort done by Ubuntu engineers and volunteers nor do I question anything done by Debian or any other OpenSource project. It's a tremendous achievement worth any respect. Yet I do questions the result of this effort. It seems regardless how much effort ever is spent it has no effect at all on Microsoft's market share.

Microsoft's position is even stronger than it was 2 years ago. It has the power to press a horrible UI (Office 2007) onto users without any market share impact. Microsoft still isn't pressed to do anything improving Outlook except providing sync SW for smart phones etc. On the other side Microsoft can threaten to overpower Mozilla and IMO it's just a matter of time when IE will take over the lead again pressing Silverlight onto us. Microsoft has done much to improve Windows and I do fear it's also just a matter of time when Windows will start threatening Linux on servers as well.

Just let me show you another sample. Most web developers don't have the time caring for multiple browsers. So they develop just for their most used user's browser (you know which this currently is) hopping it will do for others as well. Sure the other browsers manufactures are pressed to cope with this situations, absorbing many unnecessary resources. Yet if you give these web developers a tool which helps them doing their work faster/easier/nicer they will start using it. And if this tool cares for correct web code as a side effect, all browser manufactures are much less pressed and can use these resources for other tasks.

Back to Bug #1 and the desktop. In 2005 the then called OSDL made a survey why the Linux desktop each year was announced but never became true (http://old.linux-foundation.org/dtl/DTL_Survey_Report_Nov2005.pdf). Yet even if reasons now where obvious, nothing happened. The full OpenSource community kept going on as before, neglecting this survey completely. Not even an additional survey to dig deeper was done.

So IMHO regardless how much effort the Ubuntu and Debian community ever will spend there's no chance to ever make any progress regarding Bug #1. I showed a possible way out of this situation 2 years ago, but I'm not anymore sure if it isn't already too late. I am positive that it's possible to prevent Microsoft domination in the web yet quite some effort is needed. But again it seems the OpenSource community isn't able to to take the right steps.

O. Wyss