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List of Major Linux Desktop Problems Updated For 2016 (narod.ru)
An anonymous reader writes: Phoronix reports that Artem S. Tashkinov's Major Linux Problems on the Desktop has been updated for 2016. It is a comprehensive list of various papercut issues and other inconveniences of Linux on the PC desktop. Among the issues cited for Linux not being ready for the desktop include graphics driver issues, audio problems, hardware compatibility problems, X11 troubles, a few issues with Wayland, and font problems. At the project management side, there is also cited a lack of cooperation among open source developers and fragmentation of desktops. Let's discuss.
SystemD will fix all of this.
...back in 2001, the year of Linux on the Desktop. Seriously, getting a desktop "right" is hard... Apple certainly hasn't figured it out yet, none of the Linux camps have figured it out... it's hard. The only one that may have come close to perfecting it was Microsoft with Windows 7, and then they went and screwed it all up after they had it.
editorial authority: guise linux its...its just not ready for the desktop. its got graphics driver issues...
community: the ones preventing nearly 200 steam games from running on it?
editorial authority nonono guys its worse than that see theres audio problems too, the audio has problems
community: you mean with the countless instructibles articles on home theater via the pi?
editorial authority: guys i wish it were that simple but you see X has the issues too, its wayland isnt ready.
community: you...you know those two things are completely different right? xorgs been stable for a decade....
editorial authority: the font is ugly.
community:...pick...another one?
editorial authority: its fragmented...the desktops....theyre all fragmented.
community:....what?
editorial authority: and i heard linux torval yelling at people too.
Good people go to bed earlier.
Even if we solve all of those the Linux Desktop still wouldn't have a meaningfull market share.
And as one of the users, why should it? It already does what users want. Why would doing what non-users want make it better? As open source, how would it benefit existing users to have additional non-technical users? It wouldn't even predict better forum questions or answers.
The Year of the Linux Desktop happened in the 90s. It was, we were, many of us still are.
... to other OSes.
For example:
It should be possible to configure pretty much everything via GUI (in the end Windows and Mac OS allow this) which is still not a case for some situations and operations.
If "Configurable via GUI" in Windows means you "add some arcane registry key via the registry editor", then *maybe*.
And as one of the users, why should it? It already does what users want. Why would doing what non-users want make it better?
There are non-users who became or remained non-users because Linux didn't do what they wanted, specifically interoperate with a particular application or piece of hardware.
As open source, how would it benefit existing users to have additional non-technical users?
A larger user base means developers and publishers of applications and hardware are more likely to consider making their products compatible in order to reach that user base.
It's the chicken and the egg thing. The more users the more support from hardware makers. If linux was even 5 percent of the market it would make a big difference in the level of support. We're too few to matter.
For one thing, that's a hole GRUB, not Linux. For another, it requires already having physical access to a machine during its boot process. And if you have physical access to a booting machine, its owner may already be f#cked.
My absolute #1 complaint about Linux on the desktop has always been the lack of Common Dialogs. This is a standard DLL that ships with all versions of Windows dating back to at least 3.1. This DLL handles basic dialogs like File Open, File Save, and Printing. Having this DLL available and with a very simple interface solves multiple problems at once.
First, it is extremely easy for developers to use the API.
Secondly, due to the ease of use, developers can focus on their core application instead of writing their own UI for browsing the file system just to open a file or their own printing dialog to enumerate and list printers.
Third, this ensures a clean and consistent UI across all applications that use the Common Dialogs making the OS and applications as a whole easier to use for the end users.
Lastly, the Common Dialogs DLL is upgraded with every version of Windows. Take an application written in 1995 and run it on Windows 10. It still works. It uses the Windows 10 UI for opening/saving files, instead of the old clunky Common Dialog UI for 1995.
This upgrading of the DLL has been another huge advantage too. It has seen several major iterations. The ability to resize the window. The ability to have multiple navigation methods. The ability to drag-n-drop. The ability to copy-paste. Can't remember where you saved that last document? Just open the save dialog again and it'll default to that folder, and you can just copy-paste that folder path into other applications as needed.
My complaint with my Ubuntu desktop is that it doesn't go into sleep mode. My complaint about my Windows laptop is it doesn't come OUT of sleep mode.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Suffice it to say that Windows 7 is the most well-polished turd that Microsoft has released. It's a garbage can with a lot of expensive rockets taped on it. However, at the end of the day, it does the job. Best PC operating system.
install a retail copy of windows instead of manufacturer supplied OEM one and your hardware will work even less. that's what you're seeing with linux.
on the one hand you have a heavily manufacturer customised version of windows (on which the manufacturer spent months), on the other you have a generic distribution of gnu/linux about which the laptop manufacturer doesn't give a sh*t. blame the manufacturer not the linux distro. but it's a chicken/egg problem. why would they consider a minor OS that doesn't require hardware upgrade every year or two?
buy a dell xps laptop with preinstalled ubuntu and you'll get the same hardware support experience you get from a windows laptop. a laptop built FOR a particular OS.
I pick my hardware to run my LInux apps properly, including printer/scanner. All that whining the author does about specific hardware types. If you really are hard core gamer pick the right OS for your games, Linux may not be it.
Sound issues: yes there are some for specific use cases, valid point
Printer/scanner blah blah - pick the right hardware for your OS and quit whining.
X11 issues - yes X is dated, insecure, single threaded for important things,
Wayland - not done yet so who cares
Kernel - yes it can crash on driver failure, so can Windows or Mac OSX. Done it on all three myself, do I get a prize?
Distribution non-standards for settings, etc. - no this is a strength, and there are only a handful of really popular distros anyway. I want the choice
Wine whining - use a VM you putz and run windows for windows apps
No equivalent for hardcore CADD/Photo - use a VM you putz and run windows for windows apps
grub update problems - no honestly haven't run into them
no security update lists - wrong, you can cron a query to the package manager and email it. even list required, security, etc.
major recent security problems - shell shock, openssl - actually openssl a problem where private interests led to rubber-stamping crap. shellshock - yes bash is a very complicated bloated shell, smarter people (like *BSD) run services under much simpler shell.
look at all the security vulns found in package x, more eyes doesn't mean less vulns - no the eyes are one means for finding them. another might be fuzzers. hey at least your 134 gtk+thingy were fixed
windows more secure because updates mandatory - wrong, some of those auto updates break things and so serious places have to vet each one and withhold...dang same as linux or any other OS! sysadmin is hard and painful to do correctly!
systemd woes with freezing, crashes, undefined state - yes, it's badly designed bloated trash. don't use it for serious servers. Poettering is a disease.
samba is hard - yes sysadmin is hard
GNOME and KDE woes and no enough manpower - some of us use better desktops
steep learning curve, have to use CLI sometimes - yeah just like windows registry editing and powershell
no antiviruses or similar - yes there are, and they're free and even will spot other things like .jars with vulnerable java in them. clamav bitch
forward and backward compatible kernel problems - yes, kernel version change means specific drivers. again pick your hardware for linux, use standard things, you want bleeding edge hardware maybe you should change OS, Linux isn't for you. reality bites
GNOME/KDE change things move things - yes, the major desktops suck, use one that listens to user needs and isn't trying to be star trek command and control
oh noes linux devs don't care because they broke Loki installer - more game related whines. seriously kid, if you want a game machine buy windows unless you're into minecraft or steam linux or similar
character limits in linux - yup 255 for filename and 4096 for path. be nice if it was longer
case sensitivity in file names, no rational basis - wrong, very rational basis for POSIX system to require that. that will never be changed
file creation times - indeed many issues with the other timestamps in linux depending on filesystem type, that should be fixed
Linux security a mess because this or that vuln just found - no, they were fixed so quit your whining, and any other general purpose OS on planet earth has similar, windows included
whining about binary api/abi between distros and binaries for specific distros needed - yes, each distro is a different OS. get that into your head. there is no problem.
No CIFS/AD level replacement/equivalent because samba doesn't count? yes samba 4 plus nis++ does count. oh you have to think and administer things differently than a microsoft cert wank? yes, yes you do. Remember kiddies, if you're a microso