I just finished reading this:
http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2013/Mar-05.html
I couldn't find a thread here that discussed this, but maybe there is one. I
tend to think that a lot of the reason the GNU/Linux desktop hasn't "crossed
the desktop chasm" is hardware. Miguel sites in his blog that he has had
hardware problems that were frustrating. I think this is a big problem too.
Hardware is one of the areas that we can't just write a new program real
easily to fix. Graphics cards are a great example. Printers, wifi and other
things are challenging too.
He also sites packages and compatibility. I see that as a problem as well but
that can be addressed per distro. This illustrates that the cause really
should be freedom and not convenience, though convenience should be a goal as
well.
Interestingly enough, Miquel de Icaza posted a response on this blog:
http://threads2.scripting.com/2013/march/whyWindowsLostToMac
I personally think it would be great to see hardware companies spring up that
are 100% in support of free software. Companies that manufacture hardware
components. I know Think Penguin exists and I'm really glad they do but lack
of supported modern hardware is a challenge for many users.
