If you ask the average non-nerd, just going about their daily life, they probably haven't even heard of Linux. But they've probably used it. Over the past years Linux has evolved from a nerdy hobby, to a major IT contender, to consumer electronics ubiquity -- and perhaps even a serious day-to-day desktop OS alternative. Linux acts as the underpinnings of Palm's webOS, Google's Android (and upcoming Chrome OS), Nokia's Maemo, Amazon's Kindle, TiVo's TiVos and untold other devices, most of which don't even have the word "Linux" written on the box. Its most popular desktop variant is Ubuntu, but while Linux enjoyed a brief heyday with the introduction of the netbook, consumers clearly weren't quite ready for it, and chose Windows XP instead. Of course, that hasn't quelled progress, and while Linux sneaks its way into a multitude of consumer crevices, it also inches ever closer to providing a true alternative to Windows and Mac OS for the everyman.
