Forrester Compares Chicago Cubs Fans To Linux Faithful
Last month in a research note on corporate desktop trends, Forrester analyst Ben Gray acknowledged the existence of "fairly impressive industry buzz" on the future of Linux on the desktop, but said Linux still represents a tiny share of the corporate desktop market.
According to Gray, "as optimistic as Linux enthusiasts are and will forever remain, they're beginning to sound like Cubs fans with the never-ending hope of 'There's always next year.'"
The Cubs, of course, haven't won the World Series since 1908, and haven't appeared in the Fall Classic since 1945. The most recent gut-punch for the long-suffering franchise came last year when the Cubs lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the playoffs. But it was the 2003 National League Championship Series that really epitomized the torture of being a Cubs fan.
In that series, the Cubs were leading the Florida Marlins 3 game to 1 and were five outs away from a World Series berth when fan Steve Bartman interfered with a foul ball, paving the way for a stunning Marlins comeback and eventual series victory.
Still, despite the Cubs' painful history, some Linux enthusiasts who are fans of the team believe their suffering could soon be coming to an end.
"I think the Cubs winning the World Series is a little more feasible than corporate adoption of Linux on the desktop," said Jack Bolous, a Chicago-based Linux enthusiast and longtime Cubs fan. "I don't think enough companies are adopting Linux in the workplace -- they're sticking with XP and Vista."
Nate Ulery, director of infrastructure solutions at West Monroe Partners, a Chicago-based solution provider, agrees that desktop Linux isn't getting much traction in the corporate realm. However, as a Cubs fan, Ulery says he's not concerned about Forrester calling out his favorite team's futility in a technology research brief.
"It was a pretty low blow, but Cubs fans are kind of used to it. But at the end of the day, the Cubs are having a strong season this year," Ulery said.