I consider the linux desktop to be quite usable. So many window managers exist... a spectrum from things like schemewm to unity.

Unity is a good one to focus on b/c it's intended for a mass-market audience. So far I've noticed a few things that illustrate the difference in money/professionalism of Canonical compared to Apple -- Poor 64 bit support, support for the 2D version is gone in favor of a slower 3D version forced on all users, many unproven UX metaphors, and a very bold and experimental (but still flawed) attempt to make it work on tablets.

Apple on the other hand is far less ambitious and the window manager experience is smooth and iterations between versions are quite minor and clearly reflect lots of thought and planning.

I'm rooting for Linux on the Desktop. I'd be using it today if there were a manufacturer other than Apple whose laptop I felt like carrying around.

Brief tangent: I'd be curious to try a ubuntu fork that was intended only for the Macbook Air with all the customization and optimization for that hardware ready to go after install.

> support for the 2D version is gone in favor of a slower 3D version forced on all users

Remember when they updated iOS on an early generation iPhone model and it became unusuably slow?

But in general they simply won't update older hardware. You have that choice with Ubuntu, too.

> Brief tangent: I'd be curious to try a ubuntu fork that was intended only for the Macbook Air with all the customization and optimization for that hardware ready to go after install.

My guess is that you'd really only need to replace a few packages, rather than have an 'Ubuntu fork'.

> Brief tangent: I'd be curious to try a ubuntu fork that was intended only for the Macbook Air with all the customization and optimization for that hardware ready to go after install.

That's what the XPS 13 Ultrabook aims to be: http://liliputing.com/2012/07/dells-to-sell-ubuntu-ultrabook...

Dell is a non option for me at this point. The company has tried to cash in on its previous reputation and now sells garbage with the Dell logo on it. I have already been burned and will never buy another Dell product.

Dell used to make decent laptops but hasn't since about 2000.

Talking with a couple of friends who are exposed to Dell via work, it seems that Dell in recent years has improved in quality. Not in terms of a high quality PC, but they at least now seem appropriate for their pricepoint and aren't utter garbage.

I have a Inspiron 1720 from 2007 and it's still my daily workstation. An amazing machine. The only problem it has is a fading backlight.

Community democracy is not good at such things. I believe a well-funded tyrant with good taste could create a viable desktop though.

You'd need a Jobs, a Wozniac or two and team, working for the good of humanity... there's probably not much money to be made at this stage of the game, and why it is so unlikely to happen.

"I believe a well-funded tyrant with good taste could create a viable desktop though."

The counter-argument, of course, is Mark Shuttleworth and Unity. :-)

"With good taste" is an important part of the equation. Not trying to force a tablet interface onto dual screen workstations. No, they'll have to do a lot better. Experimentation is fine too, but do it in an unstable branch.

It seems to me that Ubuntu won't really be stable until Canonical seriously tries to monetize and market it in cooperation with one or more hardware vendors for wide availability.

Until then, all Ubuntu users are essentially beta testers.

Is he behind all the UI decisions? Does he have the final word on everything there?

There's plenty of finger-pointing when commercial software enterprises miss their goals too; it just usually happens behind closed doors.