Agree. The article writes nothing new but it is ok to remind people anyway! I have been using Linux exclusively since 2005 and IMO there is nothing that makes it a lesser desktop in comparison with other OS:es. On the contrary, having become used to bare-bones and pragmatic look and feel of XFCE I find the Windows desktop bloated and forbidding. Linux and the Linux desktop have been mature enough for production use by non-technical people since many (>15) years. I know of several people who are not at all interested in computers that use Linux without any trouble. In my limited experience, the problem seems to come from the outside. For example, when one collaborator/coworker/friend wants this person to use a particular application or feature in application that is not easily found or replicated in Linux. Then that person may feel compelled to change.
Linux is great for a ton of use cases - like programming - because its common and theirs social support but not the case for so many other general purpose uses. Not being able to have a 15 year old on youtube explain how to fix a problem really holds me back from switching.
There are a multitude of such YouTube videos on Linux support for anything you can think of, as well as innumerable support vectors like forums, discord channels, irc, and so forth.
Overload with all the available distributions and desktop options and communities is a difficult hurdle, but really, it's just a matter of time availability for most people. It's going to be disruptive to switch your OS regardless of the particular flavor. You'll need to carve out chunks of time to learn and adapt, or you'll need a sacrificial week when you're setting up and troubleshooting and watching YouTube help videos. Most people don't want yet another "project" in their lives.
I've been using various GNU/Linux distros and BSD flavors on my desktop for more than 20 years now, and I like it ("it" in my case being MATE) much better than either Windows or macOS.
But to be fair, some parts of what I like about it are due to the tiny share Linux/BSD has on the desktop. Malware, in particular, is a non-issue mainly because people writing malware don't bother targeting it. Also, the amount of techies/nerds among Linux desktop users is much higher (I assume, at least) than on Windows, so the current state with a variety of desktop environments and window managers is viable.
What impresses me, though, is how much smoother the experience has become since 2001. Hardware support was a real issue back then, but in the past 10 years, I had no issues getting my hardware to work. Installers have become easier to use (except OpenBSD's, but loyal OpenBSD users will argue that their installer was easy to use to begin with, and they've got a point there), update management on Free- and OpenBSD is a breeze these days, and the gaming situation is pretty good (as far as my preferences go, anyway).
I've never been one to try and proselytize and convert people to GNU/Linux, but it works very well for me, and I'm happy about that. Others are happy with Windows or macOS, and that is okay with me, too.
> Malware, in particular, is a non-issue mainly because people writing malware don't bother targeting it.
This always struck me as a weird argument in a world where the vast majority of web servers - particularly high-profile ones - run Linux. It's gotten even weirder in a world where smartphones, routers, smart speakers, and smart TVs all have largely converged on Linux or something derived from it.
Oh, to my knowledge web servers (and mail servers, etc.) get attacked all the time. So do routers, IoT devices and so forth.
But those attacks work differently from a user innocently clicking a link they received via email or opening an attachment. And your desktop machine typically doesn't have any services exposed to the Internet.
I think Android malware is a thing, but I don't know enough about this to be less vague.
The Linux desktop has been pretty good for over ten years now. The real trend is that the Windows desktop has declined rapidly since Win 7.
I switched over from vanilla Ubuntu to Xubuntu recently. Wished I had done so earlier. XFCE is probably as good as it gets for a desktop, at least for myself. It can be configured to get out of my way and let me do my work in peace. I even have tooltips shut off globally.
The strength of a desktop isn't how "pretty" it looks in screenshots. That has nothing to do with real-world productivity. The strength is in its configurability.
I can only imagine how many people will jump ship to something else after having a taste of Win 11. Once they realize their tool doesn't work for them anymore, they will have no choice but to find a different tool that does work. Most will probably switch to OSX, but there will probably be a few that will give Ubuntu/Fedora/Mint a try and never look back. With virtualization, it's almost a no brainer to drop Windows as a host OS and to just use it for windows-only apps. Even gaming is getting better on Linux.
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[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 62.9 ms ] threadOverload with all the available distributions and desktop options and communities is a difficult hurdle, but really, it's just a matter of time availability for most people. It's going to be disruptive to switch your OS regardless of the particular flavor. You'll need to carve out chunks of time to learn and adapt, or you'll need a sacrificial week when you're setting up and troubleshooting and watching YouTube help videos. Most people don't want yet another "project" in their lives.
The problem comes with niche software like Photoshop, video editing, music production, gaming to some degree, etc.
it's what fits me better.
But GNOME,Xfce, LXQt all have their good sides :)
(and let's all just not forget about the Genode project. While not Linux, its very interesting as well)
But to be fair, some parts of what I like about it are due to the tiny share Linux/BSD has on the desktop. Malware, in particular, is a non-issue mainly because people writing malware don't bother targeting it. Also, the amount of techies/nerds among Linux desktop users is much higher (I assume, at least) than on Windows, so the current state with a variety of desktop environments and window managers is viable.
What impresses me, though, is how much smoother the experience has become since 2001. Hardware support was a real issue back then, but in the past 10 years, I had no issues getting my hardware to work. Installers have become easier to use (except OpenBSD's, but loyal OpenBSD users will argue that their installer was easy to use to begin with, and they've got a point there), update management on Free- and OpenBSD is a breeze these days, and the gaming situation is pretty good (as far as my preferences go, anyway).
I've never been one to try and proselytize and convert people to GNU/Linux, but it works very well for me, and I'm happy about that. Others are happy with Windows or macOS, and that is okay with me, too.
This always struck me as a weird argument in a world where the vast majority of web servers - particularly high-profile ones - run Linux. It's gotten even weirder in a world where smartphones, routers, smart speakers, and smart TVs all have largely converged on Linux or something derived from it.
But those attacks work differently from a user innocently clicking a link they received via email or opening an attachment. And your desktop machine typically doesn't have any services exposed to the Internet.
I think Android malware is a thing, but I don't know enough about this to be less vague.
but i've been using leenucks and BSD as daily desktop drivers for at least 25 years. before that i had a sun workstation and a vaxstation.
x/windows works, bash is tolerable and sed, awk and grep are my lovers.
I might give frame.work a try when it's time to upgrade my laptop.
There's a reason System76 builds their devices with 1080p screens still, sadly.
I'd probably be better off with a 1080p screen. The only time 4k is ever useful is on my larger monitor.
I switched over from vanilla Ubuntu to Xubuntu recently. Wished I had done so earlier. XFCE is probably as good as it gets for a desktop, at least for myself. It can be configured to get out of my way and let me do my work in peace. I even have tooltips shut off globally.
The strength of a desktop isn't how "pretty" it looks in screenshots. That has nothing to do with real-world productivity. The strength is in its configurability.
I can only imagine how many people will jump ship to something else after having a taste of Win 11. Once they realize their tool doesn't work for them anymore, they will have no choice but to find a different tool that does work. Most will probably switch to OSX, but there will probably be a few that will give Ubuntu/Fedora/Mint a try and never look back. With virtualization, it's almost a no brainer to drop Windows as a host OS and to just use it for windows-only apps. Even gaming is getting better on Linux.
If you want the desktop versions of Office, Photoshop, etc., you're going to want to run Windows, macOS, or a compatibility layer like WINE.
If you want to run commercial PC games, then you'll want Windows or a compatibility layer like Proton.
If you want Logic Pro or Final Cut Pro, you're probably going to want to run macOS.
If you want Procreate, you're probably going to want iPadOS.
etc.