I don't think the biggest problem linux has is the available software. I don't use linux a lot and surely can't work with it very well, since I have installed Suse only year ago. And installing Star Office was not that hard.
Most users that want to try Linux now already have Windows installed and use it. To switch to Linux they want to install it, and use it right away, since having to sytems is just not convenient to a normal home user. Linux is simply still way to complicated to install and set up for users that don't have *any* experience with it whatsoever. Simple problems (like my on-board soundcard didn't work) come up very fast, and before you can solve them as a linux novice, you need to get used to a completely different system, read pages and pages of manuals and faq's. I often feel slashdot users can't even imagine people simply don't know what this "root" is supposed to be, or haven't worked with a command line for years (if at all). And it's a lot more attractive to stay with a simple, working Windows than to go through the work that's in getting a Linux sytem up that does everything Windows did.
I won't buy one of those - I can imagine walking down the street surfing the web, an then being attacked by some drunkard yelling: It's the Borg, get 'em!
I'm not really sure if jokes written by IBM engineers will keep me awake or get the car wrapped around the next tree with me asleep...
I you want to get a new joke-and-chat file, it will probably be full of hints like 'buy IBM, buy...'
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I don't think the biggest problem linux has is the available software. I don't use linux a lot and surely can't work with it very well, since I have installed Suse only year ago. And installing Star Office was not that hard.
Most users that want to try Linux now already have Windows installed and use it. To switch to Linux they want to install it, and use it right away, since having to sytems is just not convenient to a normal home user. Linux is simply still way to complicated to install and set up for users that don't have *any* experience with it whatsoever. Simple problems (like my on-board soundcard didn't work) come up very fast, and before you can solve them as a linux novice, you need to get used to a completely different system, read pages and pages of manuals and faq's. I often feel slashdot users can't even imagine people simply don't know what this "root" is supposed to be, or haven't worked with a command line for years (if at all). And it's a lot more attractive to stay with a simple, working Windows than to go through the work that's in getting a Linux sytem up that does everything Windows did.
I won't buy one of those - I can imagine walking down the street surfing the web, an then being attacked by some drunkard yelling: It's the Borg, get 'em!
I'm not really sure if jokes written by IBM engineers will keep me awake or get the car wrapped around the next tree with me asleep... I you want to get a new joke-and-chat file, it will probably be full of hints like 'buy IBM, buy...'