899
The year of Linux on the desktop is closer. Linux reaches 3% of desktops
(web.archive.org)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
I know it's not a very Linuxy distro, but Linux Mint (Cinnamon) is so easy to use, especially for Windows users. I've completely replaced Windows (and with better software), aside from using Windows for a few games that require it. I used Ubuntu, Suse, and Fedora long ago, but for me, Mint takes the proverbial cake.
The nice thing is that you can test out what you like about linux on mint cinnamon.
I installed it to get to know Linux "the soft way" and now love to use the terminal and got to know a buch of underlying concepts and whatnot. And I still use and love mint cinnamon.
A friend installed it and hasn't configured anything, just uses its GUI and is very happy that way.
So I think the creators really hit the balance of ease of use and possibility to tinker, while ensuring great stability ("it just works"). Big props btw.