What are your thoughts on the perception that Linux is primarily geared towards advanced users and developers, and how does this affect its popularity among casual computer users?"
Are there any other preconceived notions or misconceptions about Linux that you think prevent more people from trying it out or considering it as a viable option?
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Top comments (24)
Distros like Mint are geared heavily toward ordinary desktop users. I done see the bias toward advanced users present anymore in the 2020s at all.
The only two things holding Linux back from wider popularity are:
A remnant (albeit much smaller than many fear) bias toward Windows and Macs by hardware vendors across the board and specialist software vendors.
The reality of OEM deals that sees the vast majority of computers sold with preinstalled windows (with Macs making a small show too). So Linux becomes an option only for people who care enough to jump the hurdles of a self build or negotiate a price sans OEM OS and take charger of installation and configuration. That rules out 90% of the laptop and desktop market right there.
\3. A bias against open-source software upheld by software vendors' marketing efforts (like Microsoft's comeback in civil service after LiMux or Apple partners' "iPad class" deals with public schools).
\4. gaming (like @booleanhunter already added)
(P.S. what's wrong with markdown? Starting a line with "3." will be transformed in an ordered list starting with "1." unless I prepend a backslash.)
(re: markdown
That's how markdown works. You can put all the numbers as the same number and it will start counting from 1 regardless, e.g.
27.for this point27.for this point27.for this point27.for this pointThe number doesn't matter, just so long as it is a number.
8.for this point666.for this point2.for this point)I know, as in the SO link below, apparent the CommonMark standard supports it properly and dev.to should methinks. Markdown is nice but starting lists at a desired number is a supremely common desire case.
re: 3. Certainly played a role in European efforts to convert. Very progressive there, but consistently there's this bias that wins over and reverts decisions.
@thepracticaldev, Consider supporting CommonMark:
meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1...
or a flavour of your choice that support starting numbered lists at an arbitrary point.
There are at least 4 laptop manufacturers that either exclusively sell hardware with pre-installed Linux or give Linux as an option dell and Lenovo being two of them Tux is another then system76 and I'm pretty certain there are others I just can't remember the names rn
I know that. And? But none of these are on display at any of the shops selling this stuff anywhere I've been. Ever. They require you to know that you want it, and to order it. And the number is rising I think, which is great, and of course it's also been rising and so historically there were fewer still, at some point none that did it commercially.
Either way, the point remains that the vast majority of casual users (so domestic users not businesses) just walk into a store and look at what's available and want to be compatible with other people and to be able to lean on them for support etc, so are not adventurous and won't ask for or look for or order especially, a Linux box. To wit, the summary version is: The OEM deals forged decades ago by Microsoft remain one of the primary reasons isn't seeing rapid growth today (given its hardware compatibility issues are mostly solved and it mostly works just fine on most anything today, which was not even remotely true 20 years ago - I tried installing Debian then on some ex office PCs and it was not smooth nor successful in the desktop install).
As a developer and avid Ubuntu user, I've come to understand why Linux tends to attract developers more than casual users. Some reasons below (based on my own experience):
Don't get me wrong - I personally love tinkering and customizing my OS. And of-course, for programming I prefer Linux than Windows. But most people who aren't programmers don't want to obsess over such details. For the average user, it's less about the technical specifications or fine-tuning every aspect of their system, and more about simply getting things done efficiently, like reaching their destination from point A to B without worrying about the inner workings of the vehicle.
So until Linux developers actually prioritize fixing the core issues that have been existing for years (instead of spending so much time obsessing over which window manager should be the default in the new Ubuntu release), Windows / Mac will always be the preferred choice for casual users.
I think the explosion of Linux distributions was a massive issue that got the Linux world busy inside a huge rabbit hole by adding meaningless complexity
It is a textbook example of the "paradox of choice".
People don't want an infinite number of choice, they want 2 or 3 reasonable ones.
If we had two Linux distributions, one focused on KDE, the other on GNOME who together got 90% of desktop users, we would have less poor hardware and software support, and way more users
Actually facts are stubborn so we got those two massively popular Linux distributions... but they are not open source
The mayority of people settle for what they get, and that's usually a computer with Windows or MacOS installed on it. And although a lot of people are computer literate, their skill (or lack of confidence) prevents them from installing a different OS. On top of that add the fact that very popular software is not available for Linux and people either don't know or don't want alternatives. So, the main reason is simply that people just settle with what they've got.
I think it is quite popular, just not in the sense of our normal desktop usage.
Lots of servers are powered by Linux, which power almost all aspects of apps we use every day.
Android is built based on Linux, which appears on our phones, smart devices.
Great point and framing.
MacOs is based on a Linux distro too
Well, they have the same origin, but osx is not built based on Linux.
itsfoss.com/mac-linux-difference/
As a long-time Linux / Ubuntu user, I can see that Linux came a very long way to be where it is today - most things just work out of the box, no fussing around installing drivers and whatnot. That being said, there's definitely a push from hardware vendors to ship Windows, only a few actually offer Linux for some of their computers, which makes it harder for regular people to even consider using Linux. In addition to that, there are some limitations in gaming (not all Steam games run on Linux for instance) and video editing software available for Linux, which can be frustrating for some people (even though good options are available). I'd list those as the main reasons in my opinion why some folks don't consider Linux as a viable option for their main OS nowadays.
Just give me an iOS emulator!!! That's ALL I NEED. I'm so mad at you Apple!
Adobe would also be a nice to have, but I can live without. Enough good FOSS options out there now.
I'm using VMware player on Ubuntu to virtualize macOS. It runs Xcode and the various simulators without issue.
You do have to patch VMware player to be able to run macOS. You can find the patch on GitHub.
I'm going to have to do that! Thanks!
Winios, now there's an idea ...
That's actually quite simple: people are exposed to Windows in early years and they treat it as a baseline, saying that all OSs should work like that. Take software installation for example. In no world browsing random websites in search of an installer, downloading an EXE and clicking "next" 17 times is better experience than having a repository from which you can install with all dependencies. Yet you'll find a lot of people complaining that any repository-based software installation process is weird and unnatural. Just because the are used to something else.
I actually had a rare chance to see people for whom Linux was first operating system doing stuff both on Linux and Windows. They were really bad at achieving anything on Windows, but on Linux I could barely keep up with them (note that they were not "tech" people in any way).
People like things that are familiar and reject things that are different on instinct. There's nothing bad in it, it's just a human nature. And, in fact, OS should be quite transparent, not something to fight against. Apple got it quite right - it pushes people through the ordeal of changing all the habits, lured by pretty window decorations, battery life or integration with the phone. And once they made a switch, they never go back even for windows, because basic buttons are in a different place and even key modifiers for basic operations are different.
Here's my opinion on Linux.
As much as I love freedom and customization that comes with Linux distros, I've always struggled to maintain working version of system for more than a year. It's always ended with reinstalling whole system. One day the drivers doesn't work, you spend all day to fix it, then next day the mouse is buggy and somehow docker isn't working anymore. I just don't have time anymore to struggle with these. I've tried lots of distros on my 10 year long programming journey and now just stick with Windows and MacOS.
In my opinion people nowadays are just simple too lazy / busy to spend time in terminal, as much as it looks and feel cool, after 69th time it's not so appealing to you.
You're describing Windows pretty accurately, but for some reason you make it sound like it's about Linux :P
For me the biggest problem with Linux is lack of software from device manufacturers. I have mid-range Dell laptop. There isn't software to manage thermal management or charging profiles like on Windows (there is command line tool to do this, but this isn't 'normal user' solution). There isn't proper driver for fingerprint reader, so it doesn't work. The same story with Logitech devices - official Logi app to manage keyboards, mouses etc. isn't available on Linux, so you need to use some third party software (which works great, but still). As long as Linux won't be taken seriously by manufacturers it'll be just third, less popular option.