I think we can all agree, that Linux is taking a foothold, and gaining a certain degree of traction among desktop users, the gripes of the past, are being chipped away, and the product is becoming slowly more solid. I've read criticisms that the recent versions of Ubuntu are not innovating as much, This seems to be similar to the Apple upgrade methodology solowly and regulary improving the product. While Ubuntu hasn't put a huge among of Wow in its product, what they have done is stablised it, something much needed. This stablising of the product has allowed for mor hardware to be used on the product, in many cases easier than the Windows Equivilent. I've blogged else wher how my QuickCams just work, my HP Deskjet F360 works out of the box, and i don't ned a 70Mg download, and install software i don't want, to get the product working, it just works. Well recently i purchased new phone, I makde my choice on a few factors. I wanted a smartphone, with PDA Functioanlity. It had to be a fairly up to date item, and faull under £150

I bought a Palm Centro, having been using an Orange SPV M600 for the past two years, i knoew i didn't want another Micosoft Mobile phone, i'm not bashing for the sake of bashing here, but the phone required regualar resets, and hung repeatedly. and was nigh on impossible to sync with Ubuntu. So much so, i had to setup a wireless software solution, to get the thing to sync with the email, calendar and contacts.

So i unboxed the palm, and tried syncing it with Ubuntu HArdy, and was almost shocked when it did this with no changing of the OS.. other than adding Gnome Pilot. It syncs with Evolution, it syncs with Gmail, it installs PRC files.. and backs up.

This lead me to thinking, Palm, a known phone brand name, not doing possibly as well as they have in the past, due to the Windows Mobile phone systems, so much so, it offers phones with windows mobile on them. However, if i was working at palm, i would activly promote the fact my phone was Linux/Ubuntu compatible. I would be putting an Ubuntu Compatible logo on the box, and speaking directly with Canonical, working with the gnome-pilot guys, slipping them some funding..

Linux as i said, is having a take up, it is being used more and more, and there are many companies out there, whoc oculd benifit from this. for a small amount of finance. Logitech, nvidia, Palm, HP Deskjets all wok out of the box in Ubuntu with very little effort. if Linux users see this logo on the box, theyWILL buy the product. the manufacturers have to do very little work, other than pass some cash to teams of developers and i'm sure were are not talking 5 figures here.. and everyone wins.

Doing this will move Linux to the next stage of take up.. it will never oust Windows, and never should be looking to, as an OS, its always about choice.

Note:

I've used Ubuntu as an example in this blog, for the simple reason i use it, this compatibility will be the same for other Linux OS Distros. don't flame me that Ubuntu sucks, or Suse is better. I know.. I'm just exampling from my personal perspective.