The answer is Yes, it does, though with some qualifications. The short answer: it's all in the implementation. The long answer starts with taking a look at Canonical's successes in opening new doors for Linux deployments.

Canonical and Ubuntu have dominated the Linux news scene for several months now, even more than they did before. They're expanding in many directions:

Desktop editions: Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Gobuntu
Ubuntu MID (Mobile Internet Device) Edition
Ubuntu Server
Ubuntu Studio
Tier 1 OEM desktop/notebook preinstalls (Dell, HP)
Tier 2 OEM netbook preinstalls (Acer, ASUS, other brands)

Plus all the community derivatives and Ubuntu-based projects. Ubuntu is being re-packaged into all kinds of creative and useful niche roles. Finally someone is doing what so many Linux fans have been wanting for lo these many years: visibility, marketing, and paving the way for Linux into areas where it had not received a welcome before.

Before anyone starts complaining that I give Canonical too much credit, let's be sure to acknowledge the tremendous work that Canonical has built on, starting with Unix, Richard Stallman, Intel, Linus Torvalds, and all the tens of thousands of developers, distribution maintainers, bugfinders and fixers, artists, documentation writers, LUGs, teachers and helpers who are all part of the vast Linux and FOSS universe. It's a pretty special place.

But Is It Good Enough?