Linux hit 4% desktop OS marketshare not too long ago. But it's still far away from competing with Windows or macOS. Question is - how do you make Linux more ...
  • Eager Eagle@lemmy.worldEnglish
    39·
    7 months ago

    With the amount of fuck-ups from Microsoft, this might not be necessary, but:

    The average user doesn’t want to install the operating system or doesn’t care about it as long as they can do their things, and those who care can easily do so today. Thus, IMO, advertising to the end user is a waste of resources.

    Focus on permeating it in governments, institutions, and OEMs to increase market share and break the “Linux is complicated / incompatible / for developers” stigma, then organic adoption out of these environments will grow - at least among people who can actually use it with the supported software.

    • Grangle1@lemm.ee
      9·
      7 months ago

      Really, this seems to be the best way to spread Linux adoption to me. I would bet that Linux got at least a good few users from the Steam Deck coming with it pre-installed. Big way to show people that for most things the average user doesn’t need to go into the command line to use their system for what they need as well. Of course, continued improvement in the software included in the most popular distros would really boost Linux adoption as well. I’ve seen plenty of people say they’d make the switch - if only they could use MS Office or Adobe software on it. Alternatives like LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Kdenlive and the GIMP have come a LONG way since I first made the switch around 2009, but especially the Adobe software still outclasses the competition when it comes to features. MS Office isn’t as hard to let go of, especially since you can still use Office 365 Online on Linux and LibreOffice is closer to having all the OOTB features of MS Office than the other programs are to Adobe, but you have to convince people to give it a try first and a lot of employers still require MS Office for work.

      I will also say, though, that it was only due to Windows Vista otherwise bricking my laptop back then that I even made the switch. I’d heard of this mysterious OS named Ubuntu so I thought I’d give it a try to save my laptop before I bought a new one, especially since I was living abroad at the time and didn’t want to deal with the hassle of buying a computer with a foreign language version of Windows on it. So I had a friend burn me a copy of Ubuntu 8.10, it worked like a charm, and I only ever since ran Windows at home when dual-booting for a couple years for gaming purposes before Proton became a thing. I didn’t even know Ubuntu was Linux until I’d installed it and started learning how to use it in earnest. Really showed me how even then Linux wasn’t so difficult to use for the average computer user.

      • Eager Eagle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        81·
        7 months ago

        The thing is, without a unified GUI it’s impossible to get an answer to “how to X on Linux” that doesn’t involve the CLI (and that’ll work for everyone). Even the ones that do are often distro-dependent.

        People can still get things done by searching for “how to X on <distro> using the GUI”.

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
        4·
        7 months ago

        CLI can be good. The benefit of CLI is that it is fairly easy to build GUI front ends on top of a solid based.

        Not to mention CLI makes “quick fixes” easier.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      7 months ago

      Your partially missing the point. Linux is unlikely to be something someone who doesn’t like computers is going to use. It is something people who are power users and computer lovers will use. Its stolen the market share from the old school windows power users.

  • azimir@lemmy.ml
    32·
    7 months ago

    I’m a die hard Linux user. I don’t spend much time telling people about it outside of actual tech conversations that should include the topic. I did raise my kids with a lot of Linux desktop use on their machines. They uniformly find the Windows 10/11 experience to be horrible, so I guess I’ve managed success on that front.

      • azimir@lemmy.ml
        6·
        7 months ago

        The crazy moment was when one kid was about 10 years old and he busted open the terminal without promoting to get something done. He already knew it was faster and more powerful so he just started learning the tools.

        I danced a little jig in my head once I realized what had just happened.

        • shipwreckt@mastodon.online
          4·
          7 months ago

          @azimir
          All I will say is your kid is smart and you should be a very proud man :)

          I suggest as a linux dude myself, keep encouraging him :D and as an extra suggestion if he wants to learn more about Linux see if he wants to try out arch linux because that has taught me a lot over the time I have used it :D

          • azimir@lemmy.ml
            1·
            7 months ago

            Thank you. I’m very proud of all of my kids (even the Windows user).

            I haven’t put anyone on the Arch path yet. So far, apt, video drivers, and Steam have been giving the crew enough trouble.

            If nothing else, just keeping Discord patched is getting them lots of experience with sudo and dpkg tools. Why doesn’t Discord have a repo?

            • shipwreckt@mastodon.online
              2·
              7 months ago

              @azimir
              Good :)

              Hm what distro do most of them use ?

              I’m not sure why it isn’t on their repo I know there is a .deb for it, maybe there is any other Linux launcher for Discord but for me discord just works whenever there is an update because I’m on a rolling release distro

              Also steam can be a bit frustrating I brought watch dogs because it was on sale and it won’t run with proton, I believe it works on lutris but I dont wanna install it just to play one game :0

              • azimir@lemmy.ml
                1·
                7 months ago

                Discord does provide a .deb, but I’ve never found a repo that carries updated versions. I’ve found plenty of hacks that download the latest one and install it every night, but for whatever reason, it’s not kept in the various Debian repos out there.

                The kids mostly use Mint with one Ubuntu machine (driver issues that worked on Ubuntu, but not Mint).

                I’ve only barely used steam myself (no time for games: see having many kids), but I know the kids often do have to do various tweaks for games at times. I let them have full sudo on their own machines with a scorched earth policy if something goes wrong. Mostly, it seems to work and they don’t bug me much.

                • shipwreckt@mastodon.online
                  2·
                  7 months ago

                  @azimir
                  I know the arch repos do since I’m on it, but if they ever check out a hacked one make sure it is safe just in case!

                  Ive had issues with mint before, I belive I was using an Intel laptop when I faced the issue, are they on Intel ?

                  Games can be very annoying and yoi gotta then graphics down at least in my case :0 but in the future it will get a lot better :D have you tried the custom proton ?

                  Also sorry for the late reply, I have been busy ^^

  • ProgrammingSocks@pawb.social
    19·
    7 months ago

    There’s a circular reasoning happening that’s causing Windows to stay dominant. Why isn’t professional software being developed for Linux more? Because it doesn’t get used in the workplace. Why doesn’t Linux get used in the workplace? Because it doesn’t have professional software support.

    You need to break one of these things to succeed.

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
      7·
      7 months ago

      Agreed. Both things need to happen when they can.

      If you live with the applications available on Linux ( or prefer them as I do ) then you can use Linux in the workplace.

      At the same time, some “professional” applications are going to need to start targeting Linux. Some do. More need to.

      There is an implied contract above. If you need professional applications and they become available on Linux, you have to use them ( and pay for them ).

    • steeznson@lemmy.world
      1·
      7 months ago

      Yes I’ve observed small examples of this at various places I’ve worked where the devs want to use linux but the company want everyone on windows or macOS.

      The problem is that enterprise software like RMM which the companies usually need for compliance/security/insurance reasons don’t have working linux versions. It’s particularly intractable because most devs think of this software as basically being malware so you’re never going to get a coordinated effort to assist the SAAS companies with compatibility/integration.

  • tabular@lemmy.worldEnglish
    172·
    7 months ago

    Do we need to do anything? Microsoft updates do the bulk of the work - surely everyone has a last straw?

  • KISSmyOSFeddit@lemmy.world
    161·
    7 months ago

    Linux isn’t competing with Windows or MacOS.
    It doesn’t follow the capitalist model of a market, and that’s a good thing.

    • GreatDong3000@lemm.ee
      52·
      7 months ago

      I think I don’t even want Linux to become too popular. It will attract the wrong kind of attention. First, being more targeted by attackers it may become less safe. Most importantly, I don’t even know how but I know that if Linux becomes a huge market for home users, corporations will look at it and go “uh, big market sitting there let’s monetize it” and there is absolutely no way Linux won’t become shittier in more ways than one when thousands of big corporations out there are trying to get their hands on Linux users and our data in multiple different ways. Again, I don’t know how it will happen but I don’t like having this kind of attention on Linux.

      • silly goose meekah@lemmy.world
        2·
        7 months ago

        I don’t see how that could happen. You can always choose another distro, or make your own if absolutely necessary. But I understand why you’re concerned.

        • GreatDong3000@lemm.ee
          2·
          7 months ago

          Idk, where there is potential for data mining and money there is a will and a way.

          I am worried about stuff that is widespread like systemd, KDE, GNOME, flatpak, a bunch of stuff which is mantained by companies like redhat and canonical, etc. I also worry stuff like what was attempted with the XZ backdoor becomes more common.

          We can always hop to other distros but if the high level polished stuff that we’ve taken a long time to achieve gets compromised these safer distros may end up being a worse experience and set us back years or decades.

          I think I am fine with home use Linux growing a little bit, maybe if we get just under 10% or so that can be good in terms of software availability and just more people working on open source projects. Too much popularity idk, I am not onboard with that rn.

    • Tangentism@lemmy.ml
      5·
      7 months ago

      Exactly. If critical mass is achieved inorganically, it would result with a reverse in uptake & possibly even a revolt against it.

      You can lead a horse to water… (but a pencil must be lead)

  • krnpnk@feddit.de
    14·
    7 months ago

    Hm it’s probably “bundle with the hardware, make sure the hardware really works and there’s a price incentive vs Windows”.

    As long as you have to actively migrate (including backing up, losing access to several commercial apps) and could end up in the situation that your hardware isn’t 100% working or you’re workflow isn’t really supported?

    • joojmachine@lemmy.ml
      8·
      7 months ago

      make sure the hardware really works

      Also make sure the software really works, one of the main issues with Linux adoption by hardware manufacturers is their lack of dedication to it. In Brazil, for example, most brands that ship with a Linux distro (except for DELL, which ships with Ubuntu) ship with basically digital waste (unmantained, poorly developed distros) just to make the hardware cheaper, because they know people will get it to just install a pirated copy of Windows in it.

  • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    71·
    7 months ago

    Linux is the most used kernel on the planet - and it’s not close. Just the Android phones are enough to get a comfortable lead. Add the embedded systems. Add the servers. The competition is severely trounced.

    The few desktops left and right are just slivers of the complete domination that Linux exerts over commercial operating systems.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      7 months ago

      That’s kind of why it is so good. It comes from a solid base that’s well used and tested. Compare that to GUI first.

  • Angel Mountain@feddit.nl
    51·
    7 months ago

    Pretty much the entire internet runs on Linux already.

    For personal users I think a stable, well supported, secure and privacy focused version will help. Also, it helps if this is the version your “computer-guy” uses, the guy that you (or your mom) call(s) when your computer is broken.

    • swooosh@lemmy.world
      201·
      7 months ago

      The more people, the more donations, the more devs, the more user bug reports, the bigger communities, more communities, more brains, more software support, more game support, more likelihood of using linux at work, less microsoft and apple bullshit, …

  • just another dev@lemmy.my-box.devEnglish
    52·
    7 months ago

    As someone who uses Linux as a daily driver for both work and home, I have this very easy trick on making Linux more popular:

    I don’t.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      I want it to be better for me. Everything else just happens to benefit others. Do to others as you would want to be treated or something like that.

    • Pacmanlives@lemmy.world
      4·
      7 months ago

      All jokes aside Linux has grown a lot since the. Just need to keep pumping out good releases, integration and reducing the jank that used to be a thing