Forecasts for Linux and Open source for 2014 from Jack Wallen. And which of them do you agree with?

Hello, Khabrovsk citizens!
The first post here will post my translation of Jack Wallen's article on Techrepublic and Linux.com. She seemed curious and containing quite a lot of food for discussion.

I will be glad to constructive comments by professionals and enthusiasts on the points described below: why do you agree or disagree with the statements. Including in the context of Russian specifics, especially in paragraphs 9 and 10.



2013 was significant for open source - it experienced many ups and very few drops. However, I believe that for Linux, which received a strong foundation in 2013, this year will be even better.

Many of you may already be rubbing your hands in anticipation of yet another prediction of Linux’s general dominance from its adherent. But I actually have accumulated quite a few reasons for such a loud prediction. Below I will describe 10 reasons why I believe that 2014 will be significant for open-source in general and for Linux in particular:

1. Open-source will dominate the corporate segment
The catalyst for this will be the continued distribution of the powerful Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5, but the prospects lie much further. Since large corporations have high demands on the security and flexibility of their data, they will switch to open-source (especially Linux) to satisfy them. Large companies are also more demanding in terms of presenting their data and sharing it, so open-source, in fact, remains the only option that they can choose.


2. Valve will force OEM developers to become open
Game developer Valve has joined the Linux Foundation. This is one big plus - they will be pioneers in attracting the resources of OEM-component developers and their vendors to Linux support. Owners of Nvidia and ATI will be the first to see the results of this, since Valve will convince these 2 companies to do everything they can to support open-source platforms and software.

3. Finally see the light of Linux-tablets
We may not see these tablets on the mass market in 2014, but by the end of the year there will be at least Ubuntu images that can be put on tablets. I believe that they will expand the Nexus product line and also extend to Samsung and Motorola devices. After these images find their way to the glands, other vendors, figuratively speaking, will go to the docks and begin to unload the ship with Linux-tablets.

4. GNOME 3 will become relevant again
GNOME 3 was a big disappointment in 2013. I’m sure something — we’ll see that — will correct this situation. Perhaps this will be the addition of a more user-friendly launcher (for example, Unity Launcher), or the release of new GNOME Core Apps (Maps, Music, Calendar, Software, Photos). In any case, the GNOME 3 desktop environment will regain its former glory in 2014, while maintaining a modern interface.

5. KDE will receive significant updates
KDE has faded into the shadows for a while. However, it continues to develop, improving what it has, and creating a working environment in the good old-fashioned way with the start menu. I believe that 2014 will force KDE developers to add features that bring users back to this shell. I put on a significant revision of KDE Tasks, which will make them super-efficient for use in a work environment. Perhaps the KDE 5 Plasma 2 modular branch is also waiting for significant progress.

6. MariaDB will begin to actively invade the territory of MySQL
Too bad Oracle is burying all the open-source communities it touches. This is true for MySQL. However, this is not scary, since the replacement is already here. In 2014, it looks like we'll see a significant migration to MariaDB, even for database related websites built on WordPress, Drupal, Joomla! and xoops. I really would like to see mass migration, so that it forces Oracle to rethink how they manage open-source solutions.

7. Open-source will increase the number of smart devices The
ability to produce household appliances and other machines “smart” (thanks to tablets and smartphones) will make Linux / open-source a driving force on this path. Why? Yes, because Linux and open-source are almost perfect solutions for embedded systems.

8. Open-source will change cloud management
With tools such as OpenStack and OpenShift, the cloud will become even easier to manage the platform. As large companies turn to face cloud technologies, many of them will use open-source cloud solutions.

9. The share of PCs with Linux will exceed 10% of the PC market.
Although in 2013 Linux occupied only 5% of the desktop market (actually about 2% ), I believe that in 2014 we will finally see a breakthrough in the field of PCs with open-source on board. Under such forecasts there is soil. First, more corporations will see the benefits of Linux on PCs. Secondly, XP leaves, remains without support. Many companies will be forced to look for an alternative working system in order to avoid the need to order new equipment. Installing Linux for low-cost workstations is the perfect solution.

10. The share of sales of devices with preinstalled Linux will increase significantly
I discovered preinstalled Linux for the first time last year. This fact exceeded my wildest expectations. Dell, HP, Alienware and other companies are adding pre-installed Linux as a possible operating system to order, which means there will be more sales - and this will be transferred to other corporations that will be trending and offering PCs with Linux.

If you believe that 2013 was a good year for Linux and open-source, just wait for the moment when I will take stock of 2014! I am sure this year will be the best year for open-source. I also hope that 2014 will be a successful year for you, your family, your business and your creativity.

What are your 2014 open-source predictions?