The Way To Greatness

[browndog]

We all know that an operating system has two main purposes:

1) Run/control computer hardware and 2) Provide a base for installing applications people want. Ubuntu (and Linux in general) is stuck in somewhat of a dilemma: to become more popular Ubuntu has to continually provide superior hardware support and have many helpful, productive, and fun applications. However, to have that kind of hardware compatibility (i.e. major hardware manufacturers providing linux drivers) and that kind of software selection, it has to be popular. Companies won't create new software and drivers unless it's popular, and it won't become popular unless it has software and drivers. Do we see the "catch 22 here"?

I think the answer lies in the Ubuntu community ITSELF diversifying and exploring new Vistas (pardon the pun). What we have to do is provide BOTH. To get our Ubuntu into the mainstream we need to organize and provide both superior hardware support and a superior range of quality software titles. No easy task, but I see these things as needing to happen concurrently and by the same entity, before Ubuntu will receive the widescale acceptance it so richly deserves. Additionally, I see gradual but slow acceptance of Linux by the hardware industry, due largely in part to the small market share Linux holds, and so I think it will be a long time before we see any real and meaningful efforts on their part.

Finally, in addition to hardware and software support / compatibility / availability, increased specialization in local software packages is the one other critical area of focus. As much as I have my personal reasons for disliking Wal-Mart, I have to admit that they have regional specialization down to an art. If you walk in to a Wal-Mart in San Diego you will most certainly find many products of interest to the Southern California and Latin American communities; these two groups provide the majority of Wal-Mart's customer base in SoCal. If you walk in to Wal-Mart in New York City, you will absolutely find a huge selection of items wanted by New Yorkers. Let's apply this to Ubuntu: we should consider the software needs and computer habits of computer users all over the world, and make Ubuntu a little easier to customize. Ubuntu already possesses superior language support and an outstanding package manager...how about we create something similar to "Service Packs"? I don't necessarily mean for security updates, which are done automatically. For instance we could have the multimedia Service Pack, which would install all of the multimedia features users so commonly desire, and their dependent packages. The bottom line here is that there has to be a much greater level of user friendliness in getting Ubuntu to do what most want it to do. A small community in a developing nation may not know or want to know anything about which missing libraries are causing Ubuntu to function improperly...they are just looking for a safe and stable alternative to paying a fortune to use the other operating system.

Just some ponderings as I sit here and think about Ubuntu, my OS for life.

BD :rolleyes:

[aysiu]

If Windows or Mac suits people's needs, I wouldn't want to convince those people to use Ubuntu.

I do believe, however, that there are a lot of people out there for whom Ubuntu is the ideal operating system. The major obstacles for these people (who have simple computing needs) are these:

1. Reassurance that native Linux applications will suit their needs (by definition, they will, since that's the criteria by which I'm selecting out these folk).

2. Reassurance that Linux is okay. Particularly for people who are not that computer-savvy, using something not in the mainstream causes uneasiness. What if something goes wrong? Who will fix it? What am I getting myself into? Will this ruin my data? Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt.

3. Someone to install and configure it for them. Whether it's System76 (http://www.system76.com) or another Ubuntu user, it cannot be these people, as these people needed Dell or some relative or friend to help them install Windows.

Again, I'm not saying these are the majority of users out there. The point is that not everyone has her ideal operating system. There are many users out there who'd be better off with Ubuntu... these users are currently using Windows. Those are the people who should be adopting Ubuntu, and Ubuntu's hardware support or software applications wouldn't have to improve at all (even though they will, of course).

Likewise, there are a lot of people trying to use Ubuntu, and they really should be using Windows. You know the type, "I really hate Windows. I just want to be done with Micro$haft and Bill Gates. Blah Blah Blah. Oh, can I run iTunes, my Lexmark printer, my Macromedia and Adobe Suites and my special scanner and Google Earth and MediaShout in Linux? I really need these programs."

[browndog]

I understand your points, and I think that they make an excellent addition to what I'm saying, that Ubuntu will become more popular as applications are written for it and hardware support improves. For the people who are saying:


"I really hate Windows. I just want to be done with Micro$haft and Bill Gates. Blah Blah Blah. Oh, can I run iTunes, my Lexmark printer, my Macromedia and Adobe Suites and my special scanner and Google Earth and MediaShout in Linux? I really need these programs."

Perhaps they might find a suitable replacement with Ubuntu native apps or third party apps...but they have to be written first. And then there's hardware support, which is much better in Dapper and will only continue to get better. Hardware support is a universal need...every computer user in the world requires it.

My bottom line is that hardware and software are (what I think) indisputable necessities for Ubuntu to gain wider acceptance, and that the things you mentioned (like installation assistance and reassurance about Linux) should be added to my list as being just important. No matter how good Ubuntu is the fact of the matter is that its new and different, and people are naturally wary of what they don't know.

[gwenbasil]

Likewise, there are a lot of people trying to use Ubuntu, and they really should be using Windows. You know the type, "I really hate Windows. I just want to be done with Micro$haft and Bill Gates. Blah Blah Blah. Oh, can I run iTunes, my Lexmark printer, my Macromedia and Adobe Suites and my special scanner and Google Earth and MediaShout in Linux? I really need these programs."

There's a fine line, though, between that sentiment and the (imho) more reasonable one, mine: "Windows is a pain, I want to switch, and I want my mp3s and dvds to play, some worthwile games and a p2p program to work without much hassle."

And I know the hassle I'm running into atm is the fact that I'm behind the learning curve in terms of "computer savvy"-ness, but they're legitimate wants.

[aysiu]

There's a fine line, though, between that sentiment and the (imho) more reasonable one, mine: "Windows is a pain, I want to switch, and I want my mp3s and dvds to play, some worthwile games and a p2p program to work without much hassle." Such a person has two choices: Ubuntu + Automatix or another distro (my recommendations would be PCLinuxOS or Mepis).