Looks like someone else is declaring Desktop Linux dead:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/the-linux-desktop-is-dead-long-live-the-linux-desktop/9562
Vaughan-Nichols is a long-time Linux user and used to be editor-in-chief of DesktopLinux. Here is what he says:
"Today, though, I declare t
raditional Linux desktop to be dead.
It’s
never going to catch up with Windows or Mac OS X in user popularity. It’s never going to show up as a common option from mainstream vendors."
"Sure, Ubuntu is the most popular Linux desktop, but to paraphrase Robin Williams, that’s like being the best-dressed woman on radio. "
"So, while the fat-client Linux desktop isn’t going to go away, and I’m certainly going to keep use it, I
don’t see it growing out of its niche."
P.S. WoodPecker, note that Vaughan-Nichols calls Vista a dog of an OS.