I’ve started to question the freedom that lies in using the Linux operating system. Yes. It is a great operating system, but if I switched back to Windows today I could decide if I wanted to use Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator; Scribus or Adobe Indesign or even Microsoft Publisher; Microsoft Office 2007 or Open Office; Itunes or Banshee/Floola/Songbird; Internet Explorer (I would never choose that btw!) or Firefix/Opera/Chrome/Safari; Gimp/Pixel or Adobe Photoshop; Dreamweaver or …
And it is kinda that if you want a stable Linux system you should use the install package manager of your distribution (yum or apt-get for instance) which all get their software from repositories.
While I am writing this blogpost I am starting to wonder: If I decide to move back to Windows (XP of course!), will I be able to import my X number of e-mails from Evolution to Outlook? I can import my Outlook-emails, but vice verca?
Is that freedom?
Where is the freedom in Linux? Is there are freedom in Linux? What is the freedom that Linux evangelists are talking about? Is it the “I can get my software for free”. Well, that’s all nice. But if I want to create a some graphic design to be used in a magazine, or if I want to design a magazine. I would rather use Quark or InDesign than Scribus. I have been using InDesign for five years (creating 11 magazines and numerous adverts) and Scribus just don’t make it as a professional tool. Nor does Gimp or Pixel. Inkscape is the only tool that is up there, but it is still not where Illustrator is.
I would like to have more freedom in Linux. I would like to be able to choose between a free and open source software, or a professional and not free software. I can’t do that today.
So I hope that the big companies will step up and start developing software for Linux. Otherwise I believe Linux will end up as a great server OS, but not a Desktop OS. And I do believe that both Microsoft and Apple could need the competition from the little brother.
Today I can only choose if I want to continue using the free and open source Linux Operating system with either Gnome or KDE desktop (or some of the others – XFCE for instance), or I can move over to the professional Windows OS. The latest because I am not running a macintosh computer.
