>There is a strong case for someone paying developers to create a free alternative to Windows to commoditize desktop operating systems, thereby attacking Microsoft's revenue stream.
>The problem has been that it's been too difficult to produce something easy enough to transition away to from Windows and Windows apps for this to work.
Everytime a Linux distro is made one bit "easier" or simpler, the power users find it "dumbified" and quit that distro and move on.
>Those developers are very unlikely to find Gnome 3 or Unity too constraining for their tastes
The problem is that most of those developers have already left Linux and would be unwilling to switch either because of the hardware they like or the Mac app ecosystem or toolchain they use (for example iOS development). I doubt a significant percentage would come back even with a better Linux.
See Ubuntu bug number 1. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1 Mark Shuttleworth is that 'someone'.
>The problem has been that it's been too difficult to produce something easy enough to transition away to from Windows and Windows apps for this to work.
Everytime a Linux distro is made one bit "easier" or simpler, the power users find it "dumbified" and quit that distro and move on.