What is preventing linux mainstream adoption?

[ICEcoffee]

What do you think is preventing the Linux desktop being adopted as a mainstream OS?

There was a similar Question with accompanying poll, but that was back in 2005, but everything has moved on since then, a lot. Linux has come on leaps and bounds and we have a more discerning user base.

I think Linux is fantastic, and open source is a life line to anyone who cares about the evermore regulated and wholly unjustifiably restricted OS alternatives. The good news is that it has become more user friendly, easier to install, and now comes with masses of eye-candy. It has always been very secure and you can run it on lesser powered machines than the Windows OS with a similar feature set. However, whilst Linux has made great improvements in the past 3-4 years, the same ol' problems are the reason, I believe, continue to prevent it's up-take en masse. These problems can be summerised thus:

1. A Lack of high end web development equivalent software (dreamweaver, flash etc)

2. A Lack of high end video editing software

3. Games

4. Hardware manufacturer support

5. Lack of awareness by the general public that Linux exists.

I have seen probably hundreds of posts about the above issues, what do you think? can Linux make it into the big time? if so, what is it gonna take?

[boast]

instead of having two good programs... we choose tons of buggy ones.

[SomeGuyDude]

The good news is that it has become more user friendly, easier to install, and now comes with masses of eye-candy.

This is true... in comparison to itself. You compare the user-friendliness of the easiest Linux distro with OSX or Windows and it's not really close. You still have to do a fair amount of choosing in order to get everything in line.

Besides, there's one thing no one's picking up on... who would sell Linux PCs?? There's no money from a retail perspective in it. Sure they could sell machines, but they can't sell software (we're going FOSS here), they can't sell security suites, OS upgrades...

If Best Buy or Circuit City went the FOSS/Linux route, they'd annihilate their own computer section. "Here you go, a $500 PC that'll never need upgrading. Naw, the software's free. No, you don't need an anti-virus. Sure, if you want another version of the OS you can just download it."

Linux won't hit mainstream mostly for business reasons. Not quality.

[gn2]

What do you think is preventing the Linux desktop being adopted as a mainstream OS?

The fact that all major PC/laptop manufacturers are in league with the evil empire.

They will only switch when it becomes more profitable to do so.

[_sAm_]

What do you think is preventing the Linux desktop being adopted as a mainstream OS?

-To hard to use.
-Lack of programs

[SomeGuyDude]

The fact that all major PC/laptop manufacturers are in league with the evil empire.

They will only switch when it becomes more profitable to do so.

Yes, how dare those businesses have a profit motive! Why aren't they more selfless! They should stop trying to make money! That's not why they started!

[SunnyRabbiera]

1. A Lack of high end web development equivalent software (dreamweaver, flash etc)

firstly not our fault, blame adobe for not porting this stuff as we speak, however getting flash and dreamweaver can be installed if you knew how to

2. A Lack of high end video editing software

It is getting there, there a few programs i have seen that seem pretty decent

3. Games

Okay seriously not our fault, blame the game makers not linux

4. Hardware manufacturer support

see above

5. Lack of awareness by the general public that Linux exists.

this is getting there, Dell is the start to a possible revolution in awareness, give it time.

-To hard to use.
-Lack of programs

this depends on who you ask though, really if you had issues on using your system you should have asked.

[DeadSuperHero]

Actually, what I think Linux REALLY needs is:

- A standardized package manager that can also do some sort of easy compile, and have Alien built in.

- More native commercial games (There's been quite a lot of progress on this, though.)

- Less elitism.

- Promote open codecs more.

-precaching things before login/bootup. (things like compiz fusion --replace, emerald --replace, the OO.O suite, OpenGL etc)

-merge bootscreen with GRUB and GDM/KDM/etc, with some nice graphical transitions from one to the next.

-A good movie editor.

-More plugins for F-Spot and Evolution

That's about it, I think. Oh yeah, and functional eyecandy, can't go wrong with that.

Those are just some things I'd personally like to see.

[ICEcoffee]

Glad to see some serious posts in response to a serious question.

I have to say, whilst I acknowledge it is a real boon for Microsoft to have OEM versions of their OS installed in the vast majority of new PC's, I do believe that if Linux was not only a 'drop-in' replacement for WinXP or Vista, but the general public new the benefits, I believe a substantial portion would quite happily install Linux over the top of whatever OEM was installed.

Plus, we could always be entrepreneurial like Apple, and sell purpose built Linux PC's and sell them directly to the public.

[perce]

The only things Linux would need is a big hardware manifacturer behind. Do you remember how many programs did OS X run in 1997? or how much hardware it supported? None, zero, because it didn't exist yet. And though people bought it, and programs were ported because it had Apple behind. Linux's position now is much better of the position of the Macs just before OS X was released, but with word of mouth we will never reach 1% of the market share.