linux not ready for business

[ogoforth]

After numerous attempts to install Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10, 12.04, 12.10 never has everything simply worked. This is why Linux will never be a primary desktop OS. For Linux to make this type of market penetration a distribution would need to model themselves as Apple and limit the number of devices they need to support. Until then it will continue to be a hobby OS. Who the **** has got the time to constantly tweak their computer settings? I need my system up and running so that I can get something productive done, not geek around with my system. By the time Linux catches on, keyboards will be history. until then they continue to focus on GUI interfaces (i.e. Unity, GNOME, Mate...) instead of getting the OS to work on the available hardware. I love the ideas of free however it doesn't seem to be working well as a business model.

[rrich1974]

first of all, you are way offtopic
second, ubuntu works great on compatible hardware, the setup is much, much faster than a windows machine!
if you want to use ubuntu, just do a little research before buying and take a liveUSB to check if the laptop works properly with ubuntu.
generally speaking, full intel configuration works good.
but i can tell you that my laptop, witch is a full AMD, works great too! maybe i am lucky!

[mörgæs]

Moved to Recurring Discussions.

[monkeybrain2012]

Well if you try to install OSX on a random PC and it doesn't work whose fault is that? If you try to install Windows on a Mac and it explodes on you whose fault is that? There are many older PCs running XP on which win7 either won't install at all or works but only with a lot of functions disabled (like my brother's 6 year old hp laptop, win7 works but slow as snail and half of the functions have to be disabled because hardware is too old, while Ubuntu works beautifully and super fast even with all the supposedly resource draining eye candies) Instead of blaming Linux maybe you should do a little research before you buy your hardware? It is unfair to expect Linux to work on any random hardware (with no OEM support) while there is no similar expectation on Windows or Mac.

However, I should add Linux is still excellent in terms of hardware compatibility given the unrealistic expectations and lack of OEM support. Stop and think for a moment what a feat that is. OEM has tested Windows on their hardware to the death before they are sold and still there are bugs while for most of the hardware Linux works out of the box with zero official support I have tested Ubuntu (and to a lesser extent Debian and Fedora) on a whole range of machines with varying specs and models and all work, with only Debian having some problems with wifi but that could be fixed . I haven't tested on any win8 laptop with restricted boot, and if it doesn't work in one of these it is not Linux's fault.

[EgoGratis]

After numerous attempts to install Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10, 12.04, 12.10 never has everything simply worked. This is why Linux will never be a primary desktop OS.

I don't agree because i have been using Linux for my personal and work needs exclusivity for some years now. I installed and used all versions of Ubuntu you mentioned and more or less they worked OK. As you already discovered correctly the culprit of your problem is graphic card.

It's old and that means it's not priority anymore it doesn't have proprietary drivers support from AMD anymore and you have 2 options:

1.) Try to make FOSS driver work the best it can but the result will probably never be what you desire.
2.) Buy different graphic card it doesn't have to be expensive it just needs to be modern enough to have FOSS AND propiretary driver support unless it's modern Intel GPU where there is only FOSS driver but works really OK. After that you will be fine and will be able to use Ubuntu Linux as your primary desktop OS and loving it!

[mörgæs]

The quoted text about AMD in original post was an old left-over. Has been deleted now.

[pfeiffep]

After numerous attempts to install Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10, 11.04, 11.10, 12.04, 12.10 never has everything simply worked. This is why Linux will never be a primary desktop OS. For Linux to make this type of market penetration a distribution would need to model themselves as Apple and limit the number of devices they need to support. Until then it will continue to be a hobby OS. Who the hell has got the time to constantly tweak their computer settings? I need my system up and running so that I can get something productive done, not geek around with my system. By the time Linux catches on, keyboards will be history. until then they continue to focus on GUI interfaces (i.e. Unity, GNOME, Mate...) instead of getting the OS to work on the available hardware. I love the ideas of free however it doesn't seem to be working well as a business model.

If the decision is made to use a free OS, than it should follow that a bit of research regarding compatible hardware would be prudent.

On the other hand experimenting with a free OS on old hardware to extend its life will most of the time prove a little bit more complicated.

I certainly hope that the Linux world doesn't try to 'model themselves' to existing companies.

I don't believe that anything is totally free ... in my case diving into the Linux world certainly saved me from purchasing a new laptop, but I've invested quite a bit of time exploring the possibilities. Now this old beast is speedier than it ever was running Win XP. I'm happy with the time I've invested learning an new OS.

IMHO I don't think that a business owner really expects embracing a 'free' OS will be totally free!

Possibly you statement could be effectively reversed to 'Some business not ready for Linux' --- but I know of commercial firewall appliances that are Linux based, OH what about Mac OS??

[tgalati4]

By many sources, linux has at least 2% of the desktop market. That's good enough for me.

[iamkuriouspurpleoranj]

^It's never clear what the criteria for "making it" are. OS X is considered to have about 7% of the personal computer market share. We have about 2%, if you believe the wet-finger-in-the-wind statistics. OS X is considered to have made it, though we are only separated by 5 percentage points.

So, I wonder: At which percentage will Linux be deemed have made it? 3%? 4%? 5%? 6%? 7%?