Advice To Linux: Kill The Penguin

Whenever I compare Linux or open-source technologies to their Microsoft-inspired counterparts, I invariably receive numerous e-mails agreeing or disagreeing with my conclusions. While many of those e-mails are kind, some are flames, which just goes to show how highly charged the channel is about Linux—both pro and con.

To fan those flames, so to speak, I have some additional criticisms about Linux. Right off the bat, if Linux wants to be taken seriously by the business desktop market, it has to first take itself more seriously. What do I mean by that? Basically, kill the penguin and all of the marketing cuteness! Take YAST (which stands for yet another system tool). Sure, it's pretty funny, but the application should just be called something like System Manager. How about licensing terms, like GNU (GNU not Unix)? Yes, it's a crafty acronym, but the meaning is lost on all but hard-core Linux folks. If I want to edit a photo, I would expect to use a photo-editing program. While the name GIMP is cute (it stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program), it doesn't really resonate with business users seeking ease of use.

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