To be real Linux is far from ready to be an all in all viable alternative to windows.
The fact that it has a hundred desktops. An absence of major software like ms office. Adobe and autodesk suites, and not being able to avoid the command line when shit hits the fan. Will make users choose to purchase new hardware rather than make the jump.
I bet Linux will make a 2% after win 10 end of support.
It really depends on your use-case, your criticism is valid though. In general it would be way better for new users to not learn about it as something that gets slapped onto a Windows machine, but on fair grounds for comparison (meaning on a machine from hardware vendors like System76, Tuxedo, Slimbook etc).
For Software it really is a hen-and-egg problem. Big companies won’t support Linux until enough people are there, and enough people won’t come until known software is available. This however changes gradually; The Software Store is receiving payment features in the future (almost any distro uses Flatpaks in the background), so there will be more viable paths to monetize your software product for companies. Meanwhile the amount of users rises more and more for years now thanks to 1. Valves push with SteamOS + Hardware and 2. India and China who got comparably high Linux userbases (I think in India it’s 13% of all desktop PCs).
So yeah, not there yet. But not “far from ready”, really. It just needs some software improvements that are in the works, and for the device vendors to become more known.
Are you referring to distros? Just pick one that’s widely used and that’s it.
An absence of major software like ms office. Adobe and autodesk suites
You can use it online. Or, even better, use something like LibreOffice. For adobe and autodesk you’re SOL but that’s very intentional and it sucks. The only solution is a VM.
and not being able to avoid the command line when shit hits the fan.
I don’t really get this. You can’t avoid using cmd on windows either when shit goes wrong. There’s nothing strange there.
Despite your valid counterpoints, those are all still hurdles that will drive away general adoption, especially when there are people surviving digitally entirely off of a smart phone and tablet. We see similar complaints from people about simply picking a lemmy instance. How can we expect them to navigate the more complex landscape of distros?
I don’t mind it, it’s not a big hurdle for me, but it is undeniably a hurdle for the average person. They aren’t tech literate.
I also can’t remember the last time I had to use cmd or PowerShell to troubleshoot or configure stuff on my home Windows box (my primary desktop still). When I first customized the install media, and when I configured it post install. I was tearing out core components like Cortana search, and preinstalling updates to the iso. Not anything critical to actual usability.
The key settings are almost all available through the UI. All of the ads that make headlines are controlled by a single switch in the settings menu, which hasn’t been reset by updates like people keep saying it does.
You really only have to get into the guts for stuff like disabling web search, killing preinstalled apps, and the like.
I automate shit through PowerShell for a living (effectively). Cmd and PoSh are good for automating stuff, working on batches of stuff at once, and for interacting with certain stuff in Azure that you usually would never touch.
Oh no, I can’t interact with deleted mailboxes that are aging off behind the scenes without using PowerShell! That’s totally the same as Linux’s reliance on the terminal.
To be real Linux is far from ready to be an all in all viable alternative to windows.
The fact that it has a hundred desktops. An absence of major software like ms office. Adobe and autodesk suites, and not being able to avoid the command line when shit hits the fan. Will make users choose to purchase new hardware rather than make the jump.
I bet Linux will make a 2% after win 10 end of support.
You can’t even use Windows without running some sort of cleanup script that stops half the crap on it.
It really depends on your use-case, your criticism is valid though. In general it would be way better for new users to not learn about it as something that gets slapped onto a Windows machine, but on fair grounds for comparison (meaning on a machine from hardware vendors like System76, Tuxedo, Slimbook etc).
For Software it really is a hen-and-egg problem. Big companies won’t support Linux until enough people are there, and enough people won’t come until known software is available. This however changes gradually; The Software Store is receiving payment features in the future (almost any distro uses Flatpaks in the background), so there will be more viable paths to monetize your software product for companies. Meanwhile the amount of users rises more and more for years now thanks to 1. Valves push with SteamOS + Hardware and 2. India and China who got comparably high Linux userbases (I think in India it’s 13% of all desktop PCs).
So yeah, not there yet. But not “far from ready”, really. It just needs some software improvements that are in the works, and for the device vendors to become more known.
Are you referring to distros? Just pick one that’s widely used and that’s it.
You can use it online. Or, even better, use something like LibreOffice. For adobe and autodesk you’re SOL but that’s very intentional and it sucks. The only solution is a VM.
I don’t really get this. You can’t avoid using cmd on windows either when shit goes wrong. There’s nothing strange there.
Despite your valid counterpoints, those are all still hurdles that will drive away general adoption, especially when there are people surviving digitally entirely off of a smart phone and tablet. We see similar complaints from people about simply picking a lemmy instance. How can we expect them to navigate the more complex landscape of distros?
I don’t mind it, it’s not a big hurdle for me, but it is undeniably a hurdle for the average person. They aren’t tech literate.
I also can’t remember the last time I had to use cmd or PowerShell to troubleshoot or configure stuff on my home Windows box (my primary desktop still). When I first customized the install media, and when I configured it post install. I was tearing out core components like Cortana search, and preinstalling updates to the iso. Not anything critical to actual usability.
The key settings are almost all available through the UI. All of the ads that make headlines are controlled by a single switch in the settings menu, which hasn’t been reset by updates like people keep saying it does.
You really only have to get into the guts for stuff like disabling web search, killing preinstalled apps, and the like.
I automate shit through PowerShell for a living (effectively). Cmd and PoSh are good for automating stuff, working on batches of stuff at once, and for interacting with certain stuff in Azure that you usually would never touch.
Oh no, I can’t interact with deleted mailboxes that are aging off behind the scenes without using PowerShell! That’s totally the same as Linux’s reliance on the terminal.