I don’t use a crystal ball but those are my predictions for the desktop/server operating system know as Linux and for our son, the last of our 5 kids, Jared who will graduate from High School here in Elk River in 2012.

As a matter of fact, I’m thinking that Linux just may be the solution that Jared needs for his PC problems on his old Windows ME system Gateway that his oldest brother Jaimie gave him last year. You do remember Windows ME don’t you? That was another of the Microsoft operating systems which had “issues” not unlike my laptop with Vista.

I just read an article in Information Week titled, “What Will Linux Look Like in 2012” that got me thinking about how this operating system might just be the answer for Jared’s PC and many other people who find themselves with older but still usable hardware.

Information Week says, “In the time it takes most college students to earn an undergraduate degree — or party through their college savings — Linux will continue to mature and evolve into an operating system that non-technical users can fully embrace.”

They go on to say, “The single biggest change you’ll see is the way Linux evolves to meet the growing market of users who are not themselves Linux-savvy, but are looking for a low-cost alternative to Microsoft (or even the Mac). That alone will stimulate enormous changes across the board, but there are many other things coming down the pike in the next four years, all well worth looking forward to.”

Have you used Linux? Please post a comment about your thoughts on this article, your experience with Linux desktop or server applications.

Linux is named after it’s creator Linus Torvalds who, along with help from developers from countries all over the world, has built a system that many people now use.

You can learn more about Linux at the official Linux website, www.linux.org