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Should Being Competitive With Windows Matter For Linux?
An anonymous reader writes "Is Linux being held back by distributions bent on competing with Microsoft Windows? This article argues that it's a real possibility. Quoting: '... what was apparent early on during my Linux adoption was my motivation for making the switch in the first place — no longer wanting to use Windows. This is where I think the confusion begins for most new Linux adopters. As we make the switch, we must fight the inherent urge to automatically begin comparing the new desktop experience to our previous experiences with Windows. It's a completely different set of circumstances, folks. ... The fact that one platform can support a specific device while the other platform cannot (and so on) doesn't really solve the problem of getting said device working. You can see where this dysfunction of thought can become a big problem, fast."
When one continues to think of "Windows Interface" as sub-par, less intimate, less romantic, or beneath them one does not think outside the box. Windows, in its simplest form, is a way to present options to someone, that would otherwise have to look up KB, help, manuals, etc. to find. Some feel that this is a better way to "get to know your software", but the reality is that it leaves open holes and unknown potential for software. Our world is fast paced and crazy, sure taking the time to read up on something and discovery can be fun and exciting, but there are other things to do in life.. like explore that backyard you have.
So, in my world, competitive is a matter of ease of use, security, and cost. Linux can solve a problem that Windows cannot without programming, and Windows may be a better option due to integration and ease of use for my users.
Competition? PPFFFTTTT, not at small to mid-level business range.
Uhh.. what? I know lots of people who's lives are not touched by Linux in any way whatsoever. They don't own smartphones or tivo's or even flat screen tv's. They don't own ebook readers, or even surf the internet. Exagerate much?
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"I think you'll find that's the beauty of open source, everyone can do it the way they want to. If you can persuade people that your way is the best way then some may join you."
This is exactly what's wrong. Normal people - end users - don't want to search for the magic combination and then evangelize it. They just... don't... care.
"Or are you trying on that old argument that the very concept of a distro is confusing to people who just want the linux on their computers?"
Again, they just... don't... care. And if you ask them to wade that sea of ridiculousness they'll swiftly be lured back to the comort of the tried and true.
Talk all you want about the beauty of being able to do it each in our own way but linux is still stuck in the single digits for desktop acceptance, and it's not all application lock. Lots of people jumped ship to Mac. Why not linux? Why not indeed.
If it weren't for Linux, Windows would cost $300 or so per seat.
The year of the Linux desktop probably should have been 1999. Windows 95 was too flaky, Windows 2000 was too corporate, and Windows XP was late. But the Linux crowd blew it. They had a second chance in the Vista era, and another chance in subnotebooks. Both were blown.
No. Try anything a bit more complicated than using Chrome or Firefox - e.g. installing and playing a modern game on it, video conferencing, audio and video input on Flash, adding notes and annotations to a .pdf, etc. And you'll be in a ton of pain.
Sorry but you are wrong: Four words Xserver and Hardware ABI, or a lack of it. I set up nearly a half dozen machines with bog standard hardware, all big name OEM stuff both desktop and laptop, and tried running Ubuntu on them from 6-9.04. Guess how many upgraded correctly with ZERO need for CLI or 'fixes"? NONE. Zip zero zilch nada squat.
Then take in the fact that simple things like launching a video can cause the whole damned Xserver to crash like something out of Win9x which before someone screams shill and modbombs I am far from the only one saying this and you have an OS that is fine IF you have a CS degree AND don't mind tweaking AND don't mind learning CLI AND don't mind trawling forums for "fixes" when the lack of hardware ABI causes the whole thing to shit itself and die.
So while I wish Linux was ready for consumers, it just ain't. And if FLOSSies would stop trying to compare themselves to XP, a decade old OS that nobody even sells anymore, and compare their offering to windows 7 and the latest OSX they'd see I'm right. in both of those OSes GUI and intuitiveness is king, full stop. Hell my 67 year old dad installed Windows 7 by himself when he didn't want to wait to have me do the "work". Windows 7 held his hand, asked nothing but simple questions like 'Are you at home or the office?" and even found and downloaded ALL the drivers for him automatically. Show me a Linux that does anywhere near that level of hand holding, or one where you could remove the CLI completely and never need it. Because I have yet to see anything get close to Vista and Tiger levels of easy, much less Win7 and Snow Leopard.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
I probably shouldn't answer you, as just by looking at the Linux and Apple sections anyone who doesn't STRICTLY follow groupthink is getting modbombed to hell, but I was raised that it was rude not to speak when spoken to. You simply read the sentence wrong, allow me to re-parse it "But THIS, this simple fact, is what royally pisses off many of the Linux crowd I've seen"
Now is it clear? what I was point out is the Linux fanbois get pissed if you point out their "I can make the world act just like ME!" is a complete and total logical fallacy and fail as well. If iOS and its incredible sales have proven anything it is that consumers want even LESS freedom in return for MORE handholding and "clicky clicky" ease of use.
As for "why you should care" about them? Two words: Manufacturer support. Want to know one of the BIG reason why I sell Windows and Apple and NOT Linux PCs? Because my customers can walk into ANY B&M store, look at ANY PC product, and in less than 5 seconds know if it will work or not. They just look for the Winflag with "works with Windows x" which I have told them even if it says Vista it will work fine with Win7 (I myself am using Vista drivers for some of my peripherals) or look for the Apple symbol with the "supports 10.x or later" so they only need to know X. Can't get any easier.
Now compare to Linux: Go to store, write down makes/models, go BACK home if they don't have a smartphone, since in the B&M stores you can't return squat anymore, look on Google, find usually out of date hardware lists, buy and play hardware roulette. And that is of course they don't get bit in the ass by the "update foo broke my drivers" which thanks to the lack of a hardware ABI (which BTW everyone else has had for a fricking decade now) when the 6 month upgrades roll around they can either get stuck on unsupported OS and software or enjoy a chunk of their hardware possibly breaking. I try doing the standard upgrade route from Ubuntu 6-9.04 on 4 machines with bog standard hardware like Realtek, Nvidia, ATI, SiS, and Broadcom, and know how many survived with NO hardware issues? ZERO.
So there you have it. On the one hand you have a very vocal wing of the Linux community that actually believes they can get Joe Average to want to use CLI and learn bash commands, which the meteoric rise of iOS should have driven a stake through, and on the other you have those demanding hardware manufacturers support them without bothering to do the work required to get the numbers high enough to make support worthwhile. I'm sorry but while Linux makes a decent server OS a home user OS it ain't. I'm hoping Canonical will just fork the whole thing away from Linus and we'll finally get a true "third way" for home users, because as of right now no Linux fits that bill, not even Ubuntu.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.