Future of Linux next 6 months.

Linux kernel proper desktop support.

DRI2 fixes up large block of performance issues in X11 and crashes.
April 2009 if everything sticks to time table Linux gets Kernel Mode Switching or DRM mode switching. Removing the issues of switching backwards and forwards between X11 and console causing crashes also making kernel panics truly be displayed. No more sitting there wondering if computer has fully crashed or is just in meditation due to load.

Cross distribution packaging at this stage is looking to be just outside this time frame. Cross distribution binaries should start appearing in numbers.

KDE 4.2 will land also KDE 4.3 is also predicted to land. Both of these are working to having a configuration system independent to distribution to configure the system.

Nvidia and Vmware should wake up to how much trouble there closed source drivers in kernel space are in. Ksplice is working on a extention called kreplace what is basically replace complete kernel while user is using it. Closed source driver developers have complained about not having a stable internal kernel abi its now got the level worse. Its not even stable at runtime.

Is this going to make closed source drivers impossable answer is no. cuse and fusd are both working on solutions so closed source drivers run in userspace even Linux kernel developers are interested in them for no longer supported drivers. Currently Linux kernel developers have two options with no longer supported drivers leave them in kernel and hope a developer turns up or b delete the from the kernel and hope they don't hit users. Userspace drivers provide a thrid option kick them out to userspace so they no longer have to be kept in sync with the changing internal abi.

As what has been recently compained about is firmware yes it is the other option for closed source drivers. Lot of driver developers hate it just as much as userspace. Firmware does not interface directly with any kernel structs of the OS so once you release Firmware your device can end up operating on any OS that someone creates a driver for. Also not directly interfacing with kernel also removes options to tweek kernel performance.

These are just the highlights.