Why you can't give desktop Linux away

[dbarrow]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=420

Question: Why is it that the average computer user still chooses to spend hundreds of dollars on Windows or Mac when there are countless Linux alternatives that they could download, install and make use of completely free of charge? ...

[Terry Hanushek]

Doug

Excellent article - balanced and insightful. It seems to hit the nail on the head.

Terry

[Guest110]

Its a bit like buying your favourite brand of chocolate

[Guest117]

It's not just about "Why should I want Linux?". It's also about "Why should Linux want me?":)

[Tortanick]

True Nick, if you believe "There are too many choices, remove all distro's but one", I want you to go back to Windows before you can spread you're bizzare and harmful philosophy :) Choice rocks!

That said 1,2 and 3 are real reasons why people stick to windows. 2 won't ever be "fixed", but I'm sure people can eventually find a way around that (take what you get preinstalled and never change it).

3 is a catch 22, to get that kind of support Linux needs market share, to get market share it needs that kind of support. And moving software or hardware has its problems: there software market for Linux has entrenched high quality £0 open source applications. Imagine tryingly to sell a web-browser to firefox users who are used to getting software for free.

Hardware has its own complications with drivers, the gist of it is that drivers belong in the kernel for Linux, and everyone has different kernel versions. I don't really understand the issue but its a problem for hardware vendors.

4 is a myth, on user oriented distributions the command line is only needed to set things up, if that. of course poweruser tools like ping are command line based. Although anyone useing Linux should get command line skills, they're always useful like the time I used mine to write my own start-up script that stopped firefox asking me if I want to restore yesterday's session every day. (Ok, I could quit firefox before shutting down the computer, but that's effort)

5 I haven't used Ubuntu in ages, so I can't comment on its updater.

[striker0204]

Its a bit like buying your favourite brand of chocolate


Why do your conversations always resort back to chocolate?

hahaha

most people, INEXPERIENCED people, like the simple/readiness of windows.

Think of it this way, does linux spend the time to advertise? which is more reputable, windows, or some random version of linux?

what OS has been around for years and years and is still going strong and getting better..

i love linux though :)

[Guest110]

bacause it does .. :becky: :photo: :first:

[Tortanick]

Think of it this way, does linux spend the time to advertise? which is more reputable, windows, or some random version of linux?
Windows has a reputaion for being rubbish.

A random version of Linux could have any repuation but any popular version will have a very good reputation among computer professionals.

what OS has been around for years and years and is still going strong and getting better..

Linux.

[jcampi]

The article sums up the reasons fairly well on why the masses don't accept Linux. I don't think the article is earth shattering. The reasons for most rejecting Linux are fairly well known. I think the writer is also correct stating that most really are not dissatisfied with Windows. Most of the people that slam MS and Windows are the Linux crowd. As usual, they have to tear down the competition to make Linux seem better.

[Tortanick]

Well its not just us jcampi, Microsoft regularly attacks Linux too. That's marketing.

[Guest117]

Microsoft regularly attacks Linux too. That's marketing.
So true. That's life. That's business.
Most of the people that slam MS and Windows are the Linux crowd.
I don't think that is true.
With so many more people using MS, naturally you are going to hear more problems as well much more good things.

Some people b1tch if their ice cream is too cold.
Human nature at its finest.:)
As I stated above, "Why should Linux want me?"
I'd just complain about using something new and would keep comparing
it to Windows the rest of my life.
Just like refusing to upgrade to a new OS, folks are resistant to change.
If it ain't broke, why fix it?:cool:

[Tortanick]

"If it ain't broke, fix it until its better than before"

[striker0204]

Intel giveth and Microsoft taketh away

i love it!

[Tortanick]

Why thank you sweety :)

[jcampi]

Vista rocks! I love it!

[jflan]

Vista rocks! I love it!
OK, now we know we can get drunk on Kool-Aid.
Love that Redmond flavor :D

[striker0204]

Vista rocks! I love it!

im buying a laptop, i was gunna buy a 2500 alienware, but i decided against it. i found a great deal for 700 bucks, with vista premium and i think im going to install xp and open suse and leave vista too. i dont like vista... its toooo.... user friendly

[kern]

Computers are no longer the 'hobby' they were pre ~1996.
Today most people simply want to plug them in and use them without the 'bother' of configuring, etc, and there lies the problem with Linux- as much as Linux has advanced, its still a 'hobby' OS.

[striker0204]

see, what i meant before about who spends more time on advertising, and what company is better.... i meant that microsoft is HUGE. you see their products in the stores, everyone knows BILL GATES OWNER OF MICROSOFT

everyone knows of windows. everyone knows about microsoft xbox and 360.

unless you are a compunerd like us, you dont know about linux, you have no idea. you may have HEARD... but who knows the terms "GRAPHICAL"...

linux, in my opinion, is MUCH better, but i am... A NERD.

people such as my father, or mom, or siblings arent that way. they BARELY know how to use microsoft. do you really expect them to use linux efficiently?

[Tortanick]

Today most people simply want to plug them in and use them without the 'bother' of configuring, etc,

Set up vista:


Disable UAC
Disable Windows Defender
Install a good anti-virus and anti-spyware
(these are recommended by Mylanta and Seth (http://www.kickenhardware.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6235), I'll take their word for it)
Install Java
Install a PFD reader
Install firefox
Install Codecs
Install Flash
(these ones are all things I did with XP, tell me if they're no longer true and I'll remove them)

[fleamailman]

hard to add comment to that posted already on this subject but the real problem is probably not the linux but more the fact that most linux users are alone in their efforts and much as a forum is helpful it is nothing like having someone close at hard to answer and show the way

I am hoping that a killer linux comes about, one where the forum is friendly and the distro is easy to install without too much aftertreaking to get mp3 and vedio codexes to work, wifi, etc. I really don't know how many distros I have tried out by now but that doesn't stop me trying nor hoping

[jcampi]

Linux fulfills a niche for a small number of users. I especially like the comment that Linux users are attracted to the OS as a hobby. Gee, let's see now. Linux is free and is supposed to be so tremendous. Why isn't EVERYONE using it??? Duh, I think this question is interesting.

[Tortanick]

I am hoping that a killer linux comes about, one where the forum is friendly and the distro is easy to install without too much aftertreaking to get mp3 and vedio codexes to work, wifi, etc. I really don't know how many distros I have tried out by now but that doesn't stop me trying nor hoping

PCLinuxOS, Ubuntu, LinuxMint, MEPIS, Linspire and Freespire among others are trying to be that distro.

I've heard good things about PCLinuxOS and I personally don't like Ubuntu but it really comes down to personal prefrance and hardware.

Why isn't EVERYONE using it??? Duh, I think this question is interesting.

BabyDuck Syndrome mostly. Hardware support can be an issue too.

[Guest117]

I used to work with UNIX.....a lot.
I sure didn't get attached to it. I doubt Linux will be mine either. And I love free stuff.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/NickGrana/unix.jpgThis was not my slogan.:D

[Tortanick]

http://www.opengroup.org/products/publications/graphics/n910cov.jpg

That's Free as in Freedom

[fleamailman]

funny, I thought the great hobby was cleaning malware from XP but joking apart it does feel good when the distro works, something like being beyond the control of microsoft

I am writing this post on a compaq presario 1200, yes that means 6gb, 512ram, etc., but why should I move on to a newer computer when this one works just fine and has speakers that play music better than newer laptops.

[Tortanick]

What distro are you useing?

[fleamailman]

sorry for the super late reply, I lost this site in reinstalling and at last I have found it again, real hard site to find with google, I am on kubuntu and after some small hiccups I have had no problem with it for months now, I use puppy and knoppix too but somehow I always return to kubuntu for ease of install and helpful friendly forum. One can say what one likes about linux or windows but it is only when one uses it for a while that one really understands that joy of being beyond the clutches of ms, nothing I can say will change that

[Guest117]

...the clutches of ms...
I don't feel chained to M$ any more than chained to Made in China.
Options are abundant. Freedom of choice is abundant.
Resistance to change? Horse of a different color.
The older one gets, the more resistance to change. (personal experience)
Everything has a place and there is a place for everything.
Enjoy what you wish. Let others enjoy what they wish.:)

(note: not you in specific but you as in general):lol:

[fleamailman]

even if one wants to hold onto onto any one os they can stop supporting it when they wish as they have done for past systems, and worse if they like they can come up all types of stuff that run in the background that affect ones system, sorry I used the words "clutches" then, I suppose there is another word for being at the end of their control but I can't think of it, anyways, not to worry I am repairing XP systems each day at the shop moreso now that they have that wonder of wonders vista, but if by some chance having malware, paying for the system for each machine, paying for officeworks for each machine, paying for protection each machine and then paying for the next system too on each machine, and then have the old system unsupported even though I paid for it, does not make me somehow feel a little constricted by these what shall we then then, um let you fill the blanc here......, I hope to be understood that I alone really do feel a joy when I am at home beyond this situation like now with a machine that I can install when and where I wish to as many machines as I wish, that does not have funny stuff hidden from me, that has open office that reads word and excel, and save in pdf too, that has the option of upgrading for free to the next os, and the offers me the live cd to see in the install will work before I install, a system that offers me up to 20 desktops, customised shortcuts, transparent taskbars and turns heads whenever I run my desktop in the bistro, or if I choose another distro, can be installed to a USB key that I can boot up on(many like dsl, puppy, etc.,), or I can used to mend non booting XP systems with(knoppix), can give old systems new life(this machine is 6gb, 256ram and was windows98 but is now just as good as when it was newly bought, in fact a lot can be said for older laptops having great sound and being more robust, please continue upgrading to vista then, and for what, how much more power does one need to do the Internet then). Okay, I admit linux has the WIFI driver problem, that games are limited, and the we are only 2% of the market, all true, that some distros are harder to understand than others, that there is tweeking to do and stuff to learn but no more than if one is faced with the day to day problems of running XP or vista, probably less in fact as less goes wrong.

[Guest117]

FMM, you do your 2% a great service as a superb spokesperson for Linux.:)
There are a few others here that will agree with you.;)

[fleamailman]

think it is 2% linux and 4% apple