13 Reasons Why Linux Won't Make It To A Desktop Near You

[4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran]

When you say "make software installation easy" I guess you actually mean "make software installation work as in Windows/OSX", yet I fail to see how installing stuff on those is any easier than in linux :huh:

I think installing on Linux is actually easier. Here is a site that explains it: whylinuxisbetter.net

[bibutteryboy]

I think installing on Linux is actually easier. Here is a site that explains it:

you do realize how contradicting your statement is........

[ichi]

you do realize how contradicting your statement is........

Did you realize the 90% of the explanation is one single picture?

[tunafish]

i really dont think linux will make it to a desktop market, mostly because there are 10 billion distros and trying to find the correct one. I always figured linux was more of a server os than anything. As thats what it has excelled at.

The only way it will happen is if some big company like pc world do it but TBH i really dont see them doing that as they would loose out on some money.

[HoochieMamma]

Theres really only one reason, hardly any native support for games.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

personally i think the reason is it is too damn hard to do anythign if you are a NOOB. all i can say is make software installation easy, like have an installer, and people will come, make people compile up their own appiations so they can install it and they will get scared off. adn make it easy to use, as it stands ihave not seen a version of linux that is easy for a noob to use.

I download a .deb file, double click it, up pops a unified installer (like Installer.app on OS X), I click Install and it asks me for my admin password, and that's it.

I normally don't use that method though, Synaptic is easier, allows me to install multiple app's in one go, and has a huge repository of applications.

Of course, you have to realise no OS's are user friendly, and only after learning to use it does it become "user friendly", nobody was born being able to use Windows, everybody had to learn to.

Edit: every version of Linux I've ever used has come with OpenGL support :/ Are there versions out there without OpenGL, and do people seem to be using them?

[.Neo]

14. Nothing that I want to use actually runs in Linux natively.

+1

[ichi]

mostly because there are 10 billion distros and trying to find the correct one. I always figured linux was more of a server os

Wouldn't you also have problems then to pick a distro for your server out of the 10 billion ("american" or "european" billion?) distros?

And what makes one distro more "correct" than the others?

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

14. Nothing that I want to use actually runs in Linux natively.

Same can be said for anything, Programs I use on OS X don't run under Windows, programs I use on Windows don't run on OS X, etc.

"Programs that aren't designed to work with it, don't work with it, so it's bad" is a lame reason.

[.Neo]

Same can be said for anything, Programs I use on OS X don't run under Windows, programs I use on Windows don't run on OS X, etc.

"Programs that aren't designed to work with it, don't work with it, so it's bad" is a lame reason.

It's not about having the exact same applications on platform A and B, it's about finding applications that offer the same functionality. For example: I really need Adobe CS3 for college work, but there's simply nothing on Linux that comes close to the functionality of Adobe's Creative Suite. Running it inside an emulator of some kind is not an option. Same goes for Apple's iLife, I use that a great deal and again for me there's nothing on Linux that's able to fill it's place.

I think it's an extremely valid point when you're about to switch to another platform.

[The2]

First 5 points could have been one point.

And they are exactly what makes Linux something different

[Miuku.]

personally i think the reason is it is too damn hard to do anythign if you are a NOOB. all i can say is make software installation easy, like have an installer, and people will come, make people compile up their own appiations so they can install it and they will get scared off. adn make it easy to use, as it stands ihave not seen a version of linux that is easy for a noob to use.

Not to sound like an advertiser but openSuSE 10.3 will have a system that is a step in this direction called 1-click install, which will enable the software providers to package the files needed (or rather the instructions where to fetch the files) in one single button on their web pages and automate the installation.?

It's still heavily developed and when 10.3 comes out, we'll see how it works in real life. It'll be a step in the "right" direction for new adopters.

[spacer]

Because Windows is the leading OS, not because it's superior

When did I ever say it was superior? All I said was Direct X is used more.

[Zoue]

14. Nothing that I want to use actually runs in Linux natively.

+2

That and Linux can't even recognize all my mouse buttons without me having to open a console and manually edit a config file. Welcome to 2 decades ago Linux.

[Miuku.]

That and Linux can't even recognize all my mouse buttons without me having to open a console and manually edit a config file. Welcome to 2 decades ago Linux.

XP doesn't do it out of the box either for that matter (MS Wireless Explorer v2 or Logitech MX700)

Now go away you clueless troll.

[Zoue]

XP doesn't do it out of the box either for that matter (MS Wireless Explorer v2 or Logitech MX700)

Now go away you clueless troll.

XP sure as hell does know I have a foward and back button on all the mice I've used. Linux doesn't.

[4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran]

XP sure as hell does know I have a foward and back button on all the mice I've used. Linux doesn't.

Linux knew what my mouse brand was, and my keyboard (both Microsoft wireless) and automatically configured the mouse buttons and wheel. They work just like they did in XP. I never seen a forward and back button on a mouse though, good luck getting it installed. There are lots of forums out there where you can find help or ask questions, if no one can help you here. People are very helpful, like they are here in the Linux section and Windows section as well :D

[Zoue]

They work just like they did in XP. I never seen a forward and back button on a mouse though, good luck getting it installed.

The two side buttons are pretty standard for most mice above 3 buttons.

There are lots of forums out there where you can find help or ask questions, if no one can help you here. People are very helpful, like they are here in the Linux section and Windows section as well :D

That's precisely my point. This is simple stuff that should work right out of the box. I've been able to get those buttons to work but it requires manually edit config files, something an average user shouldn't be doing, or shouldn't have to. Now getting all 13 or so buttons on the MX1000 to work is another task in itself.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Wow, what FUD!

[PL_ Veteran]

for who? You want mom and dad to use one version and aunt emma to use another? why can't you just make 1 version that satisfies both people..at the same time.....?

*sigh* Here goes...

Making a unified distro because there are too many would mean making another distro, which actually makes the issue of "too many distros!!1" worse. And if you think a unified distro is so great, why did Microsoft make several different versions of Vista? Because they understand that people have different wants and needs with an OS.

"But PureLegend, why not just make one simple version, let users expand from there and be done with it?" Because people don't want to fuss around too much when they first install Linux, which is one of the complaints of Linux in the first place, so you'd be making that issue worse.

"But PureLegend, why not just make one all-in-one version and be done with it?" Bloat. Not everyone has a DVD drive, not everyone has the patience to sit through a torrent that may take days, not everyone has the HDD capacity, and most importantly, not everyone wants what's included. This is the fundamental advantage of distros: choice.

"But PureLegend, why not just make one version that has the right amount and let users add/remove?" Who's to say what people want? Who's to say how much is too much and how little is too little? I would recommend Ubuntu for this situation. Others would recommend SuSE. Not everyone wants the same thing...some might say "Ah, Ubuntu's great and all, but I like the layout of KDE"

I think I've made my point ;)

[4CxbqFxVnstmA Veteran]

The two side buttons are pretty standard for most mice above 3 buttons.

That's precisely my point. This is simple stuff that should work right out of the box. I've been able to get those buttons to work but it requires manually edit config files, something an average user shouldn't be doing, or shouldn't have to. Now getting all 13 or so buttons on the MX1000 to work is another task in itself.

To be honest, I am new with Linux so share your fear of the CLI. I used to be good with Windows, doing odd things with batch files but that was about it. I will explore the CLI in Linux more once I get more comfortable with everything.

Every operating system has things it can't do out of the box. Just check out the help sections here for Windows and the many ones on Linux here and elsewhere. But these are also learning opportunities and chances to help others once you what you are doing :D

[Zoue]

This is the fundamental advantage of distros: choice.

The average (mom and pop) user doesn't want choice, they want something that works. 3 different versions of Vista is confusing enough for some people, you want them to choose between 500 different distros of Linux? :blink:

The average computer user could care less what OS is on their system, most of them couldn't even tell you what OS means. They want:

• Their computer to just "work"
  
• It to be easy to use
  
• It to run the software they want
  

3 things Linux fails to accomplish.

[Brian M. Veteran]

..."Ah, Ubuntu's great and all, but I like the layout of KDE"

I think I've made my point ;)

But PureLegend... There's always Kubutu :D

Back on track though, this is something you can never get right. I'd personally have too much choice, than too little choice - that way, at least I have the freedom to be able to choose.

This battle can never be won. People will moan if there's not enough choice, and people will moan if there's too much choice (i seem to remember loads of people saying that they wished there were more versions of XP to suit different backgrounds, and people then saying that there's too many versions of Vista)

[Leo Natan]

Interesting. 2 of the desktops near me (plus one laptop) have Linux. :|

[Zoue]

To be honest, I am new with Linux so share your fear of the CLI.

Fear and desire are two different things. I can use the CLI, I just don't want to. Doing menial tasks like installing mouse drivers should be a double click operation, something Linux can't seem to grasp. It's getting better, but still a long way to go.

Yeah sure Windows doesn't do plenty of stuff out of the box, but 90% of the time that can be fixed by downloading one file and double clicking it. In Linux it usually requires downloading multiple packages, un tar them, compile them, install them, oh wait... you need qt4 v4.2.5 not qt4 v4.2.3?! I shouldn't be spending more time installing and configuring software than actually using it.