FOSS in 2005 - Your expectations?
Okay, so we're at the beginning of a new year and there already are many articles outhere speaking about gnu/linux, free software and open source in 2005, expectations, predictions and analysis.
Thus, i am inviting you to express the same here.. What are your expectations or predictions for freee software, linux and open source in 2005? What are your wishes, what are you looking forward the most when it comes to FOSS? Also, what do you fear the most? Why do you think so?
My general expectations are that the popularity of gnu/linux will continue to grow, even accelerate starting to easily emerge into desktop. I also believe there will be possibly more than few significant public sector switches to FOSS we'll read about in our daily FOSS news.
As fo the biggest fear, it would vry well be enforcing software patents in Europe and halt and drop in Firefox popularity growht (there seem to be some people with such "black thoughts"). :-)
Anyway,, it's your turn.
Thanks
Dan
Pretty same here, I don't expect anything outstanding to happen, just continuing growth of GNU/linux, both in quality and number of users.
I wish much faster growth of number of desktop users, and would like to see GNU/linux taking about 5% of desktops in next year. This is a rather big number, considering that it is about 1% now, it would be a mini-explosion of usage of GNU/linux :-). So this falls into wishes category.
I also hope that some new projects will be started to fill in some holes that collection of free software still has (as far as I know there is still no complete free replacement for programs like AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Mathematica and a few more).
My biggest fear is also adoption of software patents in Europe, but I must say I am quite optimistic about this issue. Even if they would be adopted I think that Free Software supporters would find some way to fight them efficiently.
Even though you put it as a wish, i think there is a real possibility of gnu/linux taking over about 5 percent (or at least close to it) of desktop market. I think so because i believe not only in a steady growth of FOSS adoption, but it's acceleration. the climate is such, i believe, that it seems like we're just due to see a big storm coming.
One thing that goes with that is that some (or many) foss writers start talking about some big linux desktop adoption that we're gonna face very soon. I just have this feeling like we're sensing the storm coming and this makes me pretty optimistic about it.
As for software patents, i am optimistic as well. They would be my biggest fear just because it may certainly make some things more difficult, although, looking from the other point of view it may make our evolution quickly raise into "revolution" (the more pressured we are, more stronger we become)... so it will certainly make things very interesting, only it IS a dangerous playing field.
Thanks
Daniel
Danijel wrote:
My general expectations are that the popularity of gnu/linux will continue to grow, even accelerate starting to easily emerge into desktop. I also believe there will be possibly more than few significant public sector switches to FOSS we'll read about in our daily FOSS news.
Stojic wrote:
My biggest fear is also adoption of software patents in Europe, but I must say I am quite optimistic about this issue. Even if they would be adopted I think that Free Software supporters would find some way to fight them efficiently.
So do I in both quotes.
Well, my hope is a little bit more ambitious: I hope the FOSS production model starts to be used in other production systems, such as material goods productions and services production, at least in a tentative way. And I hope that this FOSS production spreads out across the economic system world!
Rijik.