What a year it's been. I've had much to be thankful for during this orbit of the sun, and since I didn't write a Thanksgiving piece, I thought it would be fitting as 2001 rolls in to recount a few of good things -- large and small -- that have come our way.

In 1999 the world finally realized that Linux was a major force as a server. FUD about the security and availability of open source platforms notwithstanding, the Linux growth rate in the server market was astounding. During 2000, major advances on the server laid the foundation for a similar acceptance of Linux as a desktop platform. And 2000 saw big happenings there.

How about Helix GNOME, for example? Few things have had such an impact on my desktop as Helix Code's version of GNOME. In one swoop the company removed both stumbling blocks that had prevented so many of us from adopting GNOME for regular use: it made the desktop easy to install and easy to maintain. Not long after the arrival of Helix GNOME, I became a full-time GNOME user.

According to Miguel de Icaza, Nat Friedman should be the one to get all the credit. Friedman convinced de Icaza that for Linux to outgrow its geek-only roots it needed to be more accessible to more people. Helix Code, the company Friedman and de Icaza formed, has taken a big step toward accomplishing that with its packaging, installation, and maintenance of GNOME. Thanks, Nat, Miguel, and all the hackers at Helix Code and GNOME.

And what about the bombshell announcement Sun Microsystems dropped over the summer that it would relicense StarOffice under the GPL? Few Linux events this year surprised me as much as that announcement. With all the money, hype, and hyperbole thrown at GNU/Linux from so many industry heavyweights, it's not always easy to see if the statements that companies make are sincere or simply posturing. But relicensing a proprietary product like StarOffice under the GPL removes all the wiggle room. It's done. It can't be undone. Motives no longer matter. See for yourself what's coming by visiting the OpenOffice Website (see Resources for a link). Thank you, Sun Microsystems.

Nimbly leaping from one desktop environment to another, I'd also like to celebrate the arrival of KDE2, which is running right now on my one of my two desktop boxes. If people thought that the competition between KDE and GNOME ended with the birth of the GNOME Foundation, they don't think that way any longer. Not only does KDE now have a league of its own, but the company is also building an ever more stable, complete, and polished office environment. KDE2 includes KOffice,

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