Open source, raise your aspirations

I was very skeptical about the quality of open source software, both from a quality, but especially from a usability perspective. But I have been amazed by the continuous and rapid improvement in these areas. It's still can't replace Windows XP for your average worker bee, but maybe in a year or so it could.

Linux + Firefox + Thunderbird + OpenOffice (substitute your favorite alternatives here) are becoming to be an exceptional package. But initiatives like Ubuntu are just as important. You have to pay attention to what it looks like.

But open source, raise your aspirations - don't just imitate Microsoft as many projects are doing. Do something better. Or the best you will become is a poor facsimile of Windows. You're imitating the Window XP desktop, Windows Explorer, the Start menu, etc. Stop it!

Mac OS is always trying to do it better. But I'll have my doubts as long as you can still eject a disk by dragging it to the trashcan.