Last night on Craig Crossman’s Computer America, America’s longest-running nationally syndicated radio talk show about computers, Craig and crew interviewed Jason Perlow (rhymes with Merlot) about all things Linux. You may recognize Jason from his long-running stint as a regular columnist for Linux Magazine, his popular food blog site offthebroiler.com, or his now famous (or infamous) ZDNet blog.
His relaxed, unassuming style drew me in from his first introduction to his sign-off. His non-evangelical demeanor was also refreshing. In spite of many long commercial breaks and news bits scattered throughout the two-hour broadcast, Jason’s interview was spot on.
In it, he mentioned the Ubuntu distribution and how he perceives its Desktop version as the “one to beat Windows.” This single statement intrigued me, in light of recent news and my posts about how Novell and RedHat are shying away from creating a contending Desktop version, to the point that I sought out my own interview with him.
I briefly spoke to Jason this morning about his take on the Desktop Dilemma facing computers users around the globe. After pointing him to my blog posts on the subject, we discussed how Linux could become the Desktop OS of choice. Here is that part of the interview:
KH: You mentioned last night on the radio show that you see the Ubuntu Desktop as the one to unseat Windows; do you really think that’s possible?
JP: Yes, the new Hardy Heron production release will be available tomorrow and it’s impressive. Gnome, Firefox, and other new and updated Desktop apps.
KH: What about it makes you think that it has a chance of replacing Windows?
JP: Speed, security, and an intuitive Desktop loaded with free software.
KH: Do you think this version is the one to do it?
JP: It’s really very good but I think that it may take two, possibly even three, more releases to fully replace Windows.
KH: Even with all the problems surrounding Vista?
JP: Yes.
KH: Boxers or briefs?
JP: Boxers.