There are dozens of open source operating systems in the market today, but none of them have gained sufficient market acceptance to grab sizable market share from Windows and Macintosh operating systems (OS), which together account for more than 95% of the global personal computer market.
There are several reasons for this lack of open source players in the market. First, none of the open source OS have attracted a visionary like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs who would embody a combination of business skills, technological wizardry, and ability to create a convincing product around it.
For instance, Linus Torvalds, who is credited with creating the formative version of open source Linux OS, is a technology expert, but he did not display the business skills and drive to create an OS which would capture the mass consumer’s imagination so that they would migrate from Windows or Macintosh.
The second reason is that prominent open source developers such as Linux-based Red Hat have not been able to gain more than one to two percent market share since consumers have not been convinced that Red Hat and other open source products are more user friendly.
Both Microsoft and Macintosh offer a whole array of applications and software suites to go along with their operating systems. For instance Microsoft offers Office Suite for both Windows as well as Macintosh and thereby maintains an almost monopoly position over the day to day personal and small business oriented productivity and applications market.
Although developers like Red Hat support open source based applications such as Open Office Suite which can help consumers make word documents, create spreadsheets and presentations, they have not been very successful in gaining sizable market share.
Unless open source OS create everyday consumer applications which are more intuitive and user-friendly compared to their Microsoft and Macintosh rivals, they will not be able to seize market from these two giants in foreseeable future.