Why Aren't People Abandoning Windows For Linux? (slashgear.com)

This weekend SlashGear published "Reasons to Abandon Windows For Linux," making their case to "Windows users who are curious about the state of Linux for mainstream computing." It tries to enumerate specific reasons why Linux might be the better choice, arguing among other things that:

• Updates on Linux are fast and "rarely call for a restart" -- and are also more complete. "Updates are typically downloaded through a 'Software Updater' application that not only checks for operating system patches, but also includes updates for the programs that you've installed from the repository."

• Windows "tries to serve a variety of markets...cramming in a scattered array of features" -- and along those lines, that Microsoft "has gradually implemented monetization schemes and methods for extracting user data." And yet you're still paying for that operating system, while Linux is less bloated and "free forever."

• "Because less people use Linux, the platform is less targeted by malware and tends to be more secure than Windows"

The article also touches on a few other points (including battery life), and predicts that problems with Windows are "bound to get worse over time and will only present more of a case for making the switch to Linux."

Long-time Slashdot reader shanen shared the article, along with some new thoughts on why people really stay with Windows:

I think the main "excuse" is the perception of reliability, which is really laughable if you've actually read the EULA. Microsoft certainly doesn't have to help anyone at all. I would argue that Windows support is neither a bug nor a feature, but just a marketing ploy.

Their original submission suggests that maybe Linux needs to buttress the perception of its reliability with a better financial model -- possibly through a new kind of crowd funding which could also be extended to all open source software, or even to journalism).

Comments

Because Linux sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. It sucks. Beyond belief. So much that even the living nightmare that is Windows 10 appears sensible in comparison. That's why.

Re: Because Linux sucks.

[darkain]

Hardware accelerated video decoding alone is a reason why browsers on Linux are worse than Windows. You can't just use the default browser install, instead needing to opt for a custom built browser just to get the support. Video playback is ages old, and STILL sucks in Linux.

https://www.linuxuprising.com/...

Re:Because Linux sucks.

[0111 1110]

Please explain how I am magically capable of such things.

I will take a stab at this one. Either you do little to nothing with your Linux installation: just browsing, email, and some text editing or you have an IQ of at least say 135. Just running Linux is a bit like taking an IQ test and anyone with an IQ of 120 or less is going to have very serious problems installing and using it and that means most of our species.

You are an idiot.

[Anonymous Coward]

You switched from real Unix to a wannabe Unix?

Fool.