I don't specifically think Apple has killed Linux on the desktop. Linux on the desktop, without being horrible, was a pipe dream. I use Linux everyday for deve

I don't specifically think Apple has killed Linux on the desktop. Linux on the desktop, without being horrible, was a pipe dream. I use Linux everyday for development, I'm a big supporter of the project and would recommend everyone give it a go. However I'd fully expect half the people trying it to get confused and give up, some of the interface metaphors aren't quite there, installing software can be a chore of working out how to get there and what to do, and there's still too much emphasis on command line operations. These things are all fine (and enjoyable in their own right), but for the majority of people they just need something they can switch on, and get on with. Ubuntu has gotten closer, but it's still just not quite there, so it's not that OS X has trumped it on the desktop for people seeking an alternative but that they've hit what they can currently get. There's lots of room for winning people over, some of Apple's poorer decisions recently might actually push a lot more people into the arms of Linux, we'll have to wait and see.