Why Linux is ready for the desktop today

[Viva]

Over the years, the question “is Linux ready for the desktop” has been raised time and time again, and countless articles have been written about the strengths and weaknesses of this operating system. While desktop Linux adoption has yet to go completely mainstream, recent indicators show that a major change is underfoot.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-308528.html

A positive article for a change;)

[pwnst*r]

omg zdnet mentioned the word "linux"

[dragos240]

omg zdnet mentioned the word "linux"

yay!

[Mehall]

yay!

lets post about it!

[H2SO_four]

Us being here is proof Linux is ready for the desktop.

[toupeiro]

Kevin Foster is a Novell employee, therefore, I'm not surprised at all to read an article like this. He has very valid points, but I was really hoping for an unbiased point of view. I should know better. ;)

[Tipped OuT]

Us being here is proof Linux is ready for the desktop.

Uh... no.

[monsterstack]

Why should we care about those sorts of articles? Linux has been ready for my desktop for years, now. Every regular on this forum probably uses desktop Linux in some form or other too. I think that's evidence enough.

[Giant Speck]

I think the more important question is: is the desktop ready for everyone?

[monsterstack]

is the desktop ready for everyone?

No. Some people don't even like desks.

[prvteprts]

No. Some people don't even like desks.

Lol. But seriously, there are still quite a number of computer users who aren't even in control of their Windoze machines as it is. By this, I mean that there are users who have trouble installing programs, or configuring stuff - things that could be considered a step above basic.

So for me, the real issue is people being tech-savvy enough. Because at this point, users who could be considered tech-savvy won't have that much trouble adjusting to a Linux distro, or at least Ubuntu, in my opinion.

It's because of phrases like "user-friendliness" or "computers for the rest of us", that have actually dumbed down the demographic of computer users. Why? People need to expand their knowledge, explore possibilities, for their own good and for the good of humanity. People should not ditch something just because to them, it's not "user-friendly" (which really just means it's not what they are used to). If the learning curve is a bit steep, then so be it. It expands knowledge; makes your brain grow.

[monsterstack]

Lol. But seriously, there are still quite a number of computer users who aren't even in control of their Windoze machines as it is. By this, I mean that there are users who have trouble installing programs, or configuring stuff - things that could be considered a step above basic.

So for me, the real issue is people being tech-savvy enough. Because at this point, users who could be considered tech-savvy won't have that much trouble adjusting to a Linux distro, or at least Ubuntu, in my opinion.

It's because of phrases like "user-friendliness" or "computers for the rest of us", that have actually dumbed down the demographic of computer users. Why? People need to expand their knowledge, explore possibilities, for their own good and for the good of humanity. People should not ditch something just because to them, it's not "user-friendly" (which really just means it's not what they are used to). If the learning curve is a bit steep, then so be it. It expands knowledge; makes your brain grow.

Mm. I have a theory that lots of the people going round spouting the "Linux is not ready for prime time" meme are probably Windows power-users who baulk at the idea of becoming a noob all over again. Whilst I admire the on-going attempts to dumb-down Linux for the masses somewhat, I love that I can still get at the technical gubbins beneath it all. Give me a few conf files over a labyrinthine registry editor any day.

[HavocXphere]

Getting there, but not quite yet.

[monsterstack]

Getting there, but not quite yet.

If that's your honest opinion, then I suggest you uninstall Linux from your computer immediately.

[MJWitter]

If that's your honest opinion, then I suggest you uninstall Linux from your computer immediately.

I'm sorry but just because someone believes that Linux is not ready to go mainstream on the desktop does not mean that they should not use it themselves.

[sim-value]

Looking over the internet and Computer users in general i think that many should not have a computer at all cause they are not willing to learn everything and reformat their PC every three monts just cause of Clicking everywhere ...

Is somebody calls me to ask "Do i need to click download now ?" im really asking myself where this world has gone ...

Nothing against newbies i also once thought that copying the desktop shortcut to a CD would make a copy of the programm (ok i was 9 ..) but i kept learning and after that i learned that i needed the setup file and i still know it ....

Conclusio: People should never ever touch a PC without being willing to learn and explore ... such users really make the internet a tiring place to be around ("Use CCleaner to delete your cookies")...

/me

[prvteprts]

Is somebody calls me to ask "Do i need to click download now ?" im really asking myself where this world has gone ...


I know how you feel...

[SunnyRabbiera]

For me linux is ready of the desktop and has been for some time, since I first used it back in 2004.
But the desktop isnt ready for linux.

[monsterstack]

I'm sorry but just because someone believes that Linux is not ready to go mainstream on the desktop does not mean that they should not use it themselves.

Sure, but it'd be nice to see some reasons why. I mean, my girlfriend, my mother, my step-father, my brothers and sisters, and many of my friends use Linux on their desktops. Some of them dual-boot with Windows, too. How many people need to use Linux before people stop banging on about how it isn't ready?

[kellemes]

(..) But the desktop isnt ready for linux.
Indeed..
An by the time "the desktop is ready for Linux" I'll be looking for something else.. I want my system to be different as what most people use, and especially don't want it to "just work", that's boring..

[C!oud]

If that's your honest opinion, then I suggest you uninstall Linux from your computer immediately.

Posts like that give a bad rep to the linux community. Stop the zealotry and grow up.

[Giant Speck]

If that's your honest opinion, then I suggest you uninstall Linux from your computer immediately.

That kind of attitude isn't necessary.

[jrusso2]

If that's your honest opinion, then I suggest you uninstall Linux from your computer immediately.

I agree with him its not. But I refuse to uninstall mine cause I don't believe the FUD. Its ready for me. But I am certainly a lot more technical then the average user.

[XubuRoxMySox]

These days, for most people I think, buying a computer is like buying a car. A little basic knowledge is essential (how to check and add oil and coolant, tire pressure, etc), but consumers are not willing to spend weeks or months learning more than they need to know just to operate the car. They want a car that "just works."

A super-techno-mechanic might hold such a car buyer in contempt, but if car buyers were all "fully qualified" mechanics, not only would he be out of a job, but cars would not be the marvelous pieces of machinery that they have become in order to make them "driver friendly."

I feel that way about cars, major appliances, elevators, airliners, trains, and buildings. And computers.

It's strange that some of the people who go "Yippieeee" every time the word Linux is mentioned in a mainstream publication are the same ones who hold "ordinary" computer users in low esteem for wanting their machine to just do what they bought it for.

Linux is certainly ready for the desktop, but much of the Linux community is not ready for the desktop user.

-Robin

[albinootje]

there are still quite a number of computer users who aren't even in control of their Windoze machines as it is. By this, I mean that there are users who have trouble installing programs, or configuring stuff - things that could be considered a step above basic.


Exactly.

And I assume that there are still millions of people using MS-Windows with administrator rights, without fully realizing that.
... Are they ready for the desktop.. with internet access ?
(Besides, I really dislike those MS-Windows based spambotnets)

[tsali]

These days, for most people I think, buying a computer is like buying a car. A little basic knowledge is essential (how to check and add oil and coolant, tire pressure, etc), but consumers are not willing to spend weeks or months learning more than they need to know just to operate the car. They want a car that "just works."

A super-techno-mechanic might hold such a car buyer in contempt, but if car buyers were all "fully qualified" mechanics, not only would he be out of a job, but cars would not be the marvelous pieces of machinery that they have become in order to make them "driver friendly."

I feel that way about cars, major appliances, elevators, airliners, trains, and buildings. And computers.

It's strange that some of the people who go "Yippieeee" every time the word Linux is mentioned in a mainstream publication are the same ones who hold "ordinary" computer users in low esteem for wanting their machine to just do what they bought it for.

Linux is certainly ready for the desktop, but much of the Linux community is not ready for the desktop user.

-Robin

+1 to everything. Good post.

[Giant Speck]

These days, for most people I think, buying a computer is like buying a car. A little basic knowledge is essential (how to check and add oil and coolant, tire pressure, etc), but consumers are not willing to spend weeks or months learning more than they need to know just to operate the car. They want a car that "just works."

A super-techno-mechanic might hold such a car buyer in contempt, but if car buyers were all "fully qualified" mechanics, not only would he be out of a job, but cars would not be the marvelous pieces of machinery that they have become in order to make them "driver friendly."

I feel that way about cars, major appliances, elevators, airliners, trains, and buildings. And computers.

It's strange that some of the people who go "Yippieeee" every time the word Linux is mentioned in a mainstream publication are the same ones who hold "ordinary" computer users in low esteem for wanting their machine to just do what they bought it for.

Linux is certainly ready for the desktop, but much of the Linux community is not ready for the desktop user.

-Robin

I love you.

[monsterstack]

Posts like that give a bad rep to the linux community. Stop the zealotry and grow up.

Can you not see the very obvious irony in a Linux-user saying that it isn't ready? Linux isn't ready for who, exactly? Well let's have a look at the people who probably won't benefit much from installing Linux,

Gamers,
Photoshop users,
AutoCAD users,
Business users tied to Office and its integrated features,
Business users tied to IE ActiveX programs,
Users of other specialised software that has no equivalent on Linux.


There are some others I've probably missed. But even if I were to add them to that list, the people left out from it will still be legion. The vast majority of people I know use their computers to do no more than surf the net, watch a few videos, play some music, and make and edit a few simple documents. For these people, Linux is ready for their desktops and has been for quite some time. The people in that list I mentioned are in the minority. No one is suggesting that these users go right ahead and ditch Windows. What would be the point? Maybe some of them can dual-boot, but even that is overkill if Linux offers them nothing they can't already do adequately from Windows. It is short-sighted at best to suggest that the reasons you are tied to Windows will affect everybody else.

The first migratory steps can be difficult, especially if you have incompatible hardware or peripherals, but then again if you do, why bother migrating? It's not as if I'm advocating that everybody uses Linux come what may. That's a stupid assumption. The point is though, for many of the people I know, Linux really does "just work". The idea that many in the Linux community seem to have that most people are so awe-inspiringly lazy that they cannot even begin to even think about learning stuff, in my experience, is wrong. Most people just aren't that pathetic. And as far as technophobes are concerned, they will need help fixing their computers regardless of which operating system they use. The only thing that's different is that in the Linux community, people are encouraged to learn how to fix things themselves.

Now the people I mentioned that I know who use Linux are lucky, because I and my step-father are already pretty knowledgeable about Linux (he much more than me), and we can assist them if they get into trouble. The problems my mother and sister have had are the same problems if they were using Windows (trying to connect to the wireless with the wrong password, trying to print something when the printer isn't turned on). But for the most part, yes, it really does just work for them. All they've really had to learn is how to use the Gnome Menu. That is not a major hurdle. Seriously, the tired old "It isn't ready" meme already lost its relevance a long time ago, and repeating it again and again does more harm than good. The meme should be, "Linux isn't ready for everybody yet." It is not zealotry or immaturity to point that out; it's the truth.