Why Linux Doesn't Spread - the Curse of Being Free 1243
Vlad Dolezal tips us to a philosophical take on why Linux hasn't grown to challenge Windows as the most popular operating system. According to the author, the reason is simple; Linux is free, and humans tend not to equate free things with being valuable.
"Here's what Compy McNewb sees. He can get both OS's for free. But one of them is worth over three hundred dollars, while the other one is worth nothing. 'That's not true!' I hear you scream. 'Linux is worth a lot! It's just being offered for free!' I know it's not true that Linux is worth less than Windows. It's far more valuable to the end user in terms of getting things done. But that's not what Average Joe Computer Newbie sees. He sees a free product versus a three-hundred-dollar product he can get free. It's all about the perception!"
Or cause MS has a monopoly... (Score:3, Informative)
Here's why.. (Score:5, Informative)
Fonts look crap so lets see how to install some decent ones..a quick google and after reading several different ways to do it, I'm copying them over from my Windows installation - another 20 minutes. Now, lets set up a shared folder so I can access it from my Vista desktop. Right click on folder, select Share Folder. Goes off and gets another raft of files. Refresh Windows and my laptop shows..all good. Click on the icon for the laptop, user/pass prompt. Try several including guest and the logon for ubuntu and no go. Off we go to Google again and there's a Howto. Only problem is it misses out a few IMPORTANT steps (like saying I have to add a SMB user WTF???) In the end, a post directs me to a Youtube link which shows exactly how to do it. Try to let it share without user/pass and in the end I give up. There's another 45 minutes wasted.
So it's taken me 2 hours just to install BASIC multimedia functionality, some decent fonts and figure out how to share files over a windows network. What makes it worse is there's not just one way to do something but several ranging from completely ridiculous strings of CLI commands to a simple solution but you can bet which one tops the search results. OK, I know how to do it for next time but do you honestly think Average Joe on their first venture into Linux is going to persist as much as I did? Not a chance. Windows "Just works" so that's what they'll go back to. It'll be "Yeah I tried it once but it was just too damned complicated to do anything so I gave up."
And that's why Linux isn't cutting it on the desktop.
The right computer will sell with Linux (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Consumers Hate Change (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Duh. (Score:4, Informative)
More problematic still: (Score:3, Informative)
I don't doubt that there are businesses out there running Open Office or something else, but over the length of my career and through engagements at probably three dozen or so companies in a wide variety of industries, I've never seen a business that didn't run MS Office. Even tech companies where I've been where the culture was very anti-Microsoft and open/free technology was used for everything else humanly possible were still running Microsoft Office.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
How isn't it? It has as much as any basic user needs/wants. A decent word processor, spreadsheet, graphics program, a few generic games, several good media programs, excellent browsers, good hardware detection (and if it was OEM it would be better, compare a blank Windows install to a blank Ubuntu install and see the amount of hardware detected) and good support not to mention excellent security. While Linux lacks in a few specialty fields, I can't think of one program that is missing for an average user who doesn't try to think that Linux==Free Windows.
Mainly because the auther is uninformed... (Score:3, Informative)
Desktop wise, the little Asus Eee PC alone will outsell Apple in 2008. Apple produces about 3 million Macs in a year, while Asus plans to sell 5 million of there little toys.
So don't tell me Linux ain't popular, while it is in fact the biggest OS success story ever.
shov in DVD and expect it to run (Score:3, Informative)
The good:
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Consumers Hate Change (Score:3, Informative)
I don't understand the specifics of your OpenOffice example. To move a selection to a new location on a spreadsheet, you make your selection, then click the selection and drag it to the desired location. While the behavior may not be the same as in MS Office, it's not as though this is a completely counter-intuitive aspect of the interface; indeed, it probably makes more sense to click on the selection and drag to move it than the grab the edge. What am I missing about your example?
I ask because I largely agree: investing time to learn a different interface for the sake of difference alone is a bit hard to justify. Unless I'm missing something here, I'd guess you could use a better example. But your overall point is spot-on.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
As for the wireless, what would do if some piece of hardware didn't work in windows? Get one that does. I recommend Joe does the same, there certainly are plenty of wireless cards that just work in linux.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
You should actually try using Linux.
You'll be amazed how trouble free updating ALL of your installed software is.
It'd give you a bit more credibility here as well.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:3, Informative)
True, but unfortunately I'd say thats because of a combination of lack of software available and lack of standardization to exploit. Theres no common systray everything can target for example.
So instead of installing AIM and getting their annoying browser hook, systray icon, quicklaunch shortcut, desktop shortcut, start menu shortcut, etc (a huge annoyance for sure), you get.. nothing. Well, okay, there is one official aim client for linux, but its fallen so far behind on features i'd be surprised if it even still works.
You're stuck with almost primarily third party software for both apps and drivers. This isn't always a bad thing, but often they lack a lot of polish and features (again, look at all the IM clients out there official or third party, and then check out their ability to do things like voiecchat, webcams, direct connections, games, etc). You also miss out on a lot of useful tools and niche software not available for windows, whereas on windows you pretty much have access to any worth-while linux software as its almost all designed to be portable.
Theres also still something to be said for hardware support, but I couldn't say too much about it as I havent ran linux on the desktop since back when ALSA vs OSS was still a legit decision to make while compiling.
Re:I call BS (Score:2, Informative)
I'm in Canada, where small business makes up most of the jobs. Since they only have a few employees each, it take quite a few businesses to equal the amount of employees that the large companies have.
Everyone of these businesses runs on ONE of these accounting programs. Linux will never fly on the desktop in Canada until these programs install NATIVELY on a linux machine. Then you have to make sure that their "program" works too. Each business I've seen has some program that's vital to the operation and only runs on windows. Wine will not fly with these people. They could give a shit about Linux, they want it to work and they don't want to learn anything else.
Linux is never going to be accepted mainstream. This is what, the tenth year of Linux on the desktop? What are they at now 2%? Narrow minded zealots. FOAD.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
And, install stuff on WINE that dumps stuff in the systray, and... you guessed it, WINE puts it in the KDE or GNOME systray.
Re:Stop spreading this crap! (Score:2, Informative)
http://polishlinux.org/choose/quiz/ [polishlinux.org]
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/ [zegeniestudios.net]
http://www.tuxs.org/chooser/ [tuxs.org]
The main problem is the install, most people just cant be bother, until something like wubi becomes worthwhile. Or something like KDE4win gets people using linux apps the sameway itunes did for mac
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:4, Informative)
You could use apt-cacher to save re-downloading it. I've got 4 machines here and only have to d'load any given update once.
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Stop spreading this crap! (Score:3, Informative)
Ubuntu gains more polish with each release. The difficult things have become easy to deal with. Graphics card drivers largely a choice of selecting the one you want from a drop down list.
awkward command line interfaces like vi thats still around but nano is easy to use, and for simple editing or reading a text file you can't beat it. I initially prefered gedit, but nano loads faster.
The KDE, Gnome arguement isn't that important its only a choice to look and feel similar to the choice windows offers with its classic and standard desktops.
Gnome i like, but I do like some kde apps, but kde apps will run on gnome so its no big deal, there are other light weight desktops and running them will make a pc desktop more responsive at the cost of a few flashy effects
The three common methods of running ubuntu are through a live Cd, virtual box or you know, actually installing it.
virtual box is an interesting way of running ubuntu, virtual hardware just works no driver issues at all, and the vast array of linux software is open for you to use or ignore. Installing ubuntu to the Hard drive gets you the fastest ubuntu for a given set of hardware.
Ubuntu is basically a tool set in the same way that windows is however installing ubuntu doesn't stop windows working, your tool chest just got bigger much bigger.
It's a strange thing all these tried linux it couldnt do xyz so i uninstalled it crew, sure xyz may not work but abc probably work and you can still do xyz in windows. for 4 gb maybe of hard drive space you get more from your pc, thats less than a dvd's worth an sd cards worth of space most laptops have 80gb minimum so 5% of a drive
So why not keep it ?
And one more thing whats with the Switch to linux thats bull, most people who use linux will have windows as well probably on the same PC.
(Windows usage will vary)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
research has never caused problems for anyone, maybe you should try it sometimes?
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
- set up a http proxy/cache like squid and configure all the machines network settins to use it
- set up a local mirror to sync up overnight, and tweak your machines to go there for updates instead of the public servers
dont know about ubuntu, but i do knwo one of the big steps fedora has taken in the last year or so has been a new 'spin' system, which makes it a lot easier to push out 'rollup' distributions ( and allows anyone to easily produce custom spins to their hearts content. see http://spins.fedoraproject.org/ [fedoraproject.org] for starters, google 'fedora spins' for the rest )
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:5, Informative)
This is misinformation. ext2 (And ext3) _do_ get fragmented. They just don't fragment as badly as other more simplistic filesystems such as FAT.
Re:How long since you tried Linux? (Score:3, Informative)
I've done preprint work as a professional (Megachrome large format four color printing), as well as working in graphic design and dealing with printers (the profession, not the machine) getting color advertisements printed. What's your background in graphics?
Re:Or it is not spreading (Score:3, Informative)
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Re:How long since you tried Linux? (Score:3, Informative)
Look, fanboi, I'm not coming down on GIMP. There are things GIMP does better than Photoshop. I've never had a problem with the interface. I like GIMP and have used it extensively, okay? But take it from someone who has worked in the industry and knows more than you, okay? The CMYK thing IS a big deal, the plugin DOES NOT do everything that graphics professionals need, and even the developers acknowledge that. And conversion between RGB and CMYK is NOT easy. Do you know why? Here's a hint, Cyan is the opposite of red, magenta is the opposite of green, and blue is the opposite of yellow. So, what's the K for? And how much do you put in? And what do you do with the other colors to compensate?
This is Slashdot. Do not pontificate on things which you know nothing about here. Because, I guarantee, there is someone here who knows WAY more than you on the subject, and will be only too happy to fact-slap you down.