this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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For most people computers are just the same as cars. People want a car that will drive them from place to place, are easy to refuel, easy to operate, and can be taken to an expert for anything difficult or that requires specialized knowledge. Same for computers. Most people want a computer to navigate the web, install the apps they are used to and that their friends use, is easy to operate, and can be taken to an expert for any involved work.
Even the friendliest of Linux distro don't check all those boxes. You cant get ready support from a repair shop, many of the apps are different or function differently, and it doesn't receive all the same love and attention from major third party developers as Windows does.
Most people could learn to use Linux; it's not that hard. Most people could learn to change their own oil. But for most people, it's not worth it. For most people it's not the journey, it's the destination and cars and computers are just tools to get there.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind being more knowledgeable about cars. I'm just afraid to touch anything, because I figure I'll break it and incur a massive bill to replace whatever part I broke. PC operating systems carry no such risk; you can give up on whatever you're trying and reinstall your old OS at any time without paying anyone anything.
Even PC hardware isn't that risky to tinker with. It's an order of magnitude cheaper than a car; lots of people have old, obsolete, but perfectly functional PCs lying around that they'd like taken off their hands; most components are within easy reach; and the component that isn't within easy reach (the power supply unit) is pretty tough to break.
To use your car analogy, using Windows is like using a car that has the hood welded shut and can only be opened with a special key that only the auto manufacturer has.
You can't repair it yourself. You can't just take it to any expert to get it fixed. Only the manufacturer can fix it, because the source code (or car hood) is closed.
That's not really a fair analogy, Windows isn't that locked down. It's more like the hood is open and for general maintenance you're fine, but all the parts are proprietary so if something breaks, you can only go to one manufacturer who controls the entire supply chain for that part. However, the parts are generally okay quality so for most people who just drive A to B, they're unlikely to encounter too many issues.
Linux is a kit car. You can pretty much build it yourself or have one preassembled but either way you can rip any part of it out and replace any component with anything you like, entirely within your control. Most people wouldn't have the competency to build one themselves because most people don't really know how cars work but for those that do, it's the dream.
I genuinely don't believe that one approach is better than another, but I do believe that the majority of folks out there want something that "just works" and Linux is usually not that option. Not on the desktop.
What about Ubuntu? Pop OS?
Most of the distros I've tried "just work". It connects to my wifi, I can go on websites, I can read my email. What are you trying to do that isn't working?
You are pretty lucky if you haven't experienced any issues. For most people thogh spots are gonna be:
Gaming. While a lot of games work perfectly a lot also don't work (mainly if they have a ~~kernel level anticheat~~ rootkit)
Nvidia. Do i have to say any more?
Wifi. Often wifi cards just don't work or work very poorly.
Laptop specific features. Stuff like a MUX switch, ambient light sensors and fingerprint scanners very often have no drivers for linux.
We need the equivalent of what Android is for phones, but for the desktop. A preinstalled, very opinionated OS that completely eliminates issues 2-4 and is supported by a major corp. We need someone like Valve to take things a tiny step beyond some combination of a Chrome book and the Steam Deck.
Dell had a Linux line some years ago where everything worked out of the box, never got the popularity needed to keep it alive.
System76 has Pop!_OS so that they can provide great out of the box experience with their computers, but they are not as big as other vendors.
A good way to really get a product like that to mass market is to make it available in general stores (Walmart, Best Buy, Etc.), the problem is that most of those customers will not understand why their system is so different and they cannot install that MS Office 2003 they have always used, or that Norton Antivirus that their cousin's son recommended to them 10 years ago that was working fine on their old computer.
And then you have the younger generations that use every other device but a computer. They'd rather do all their school and college work on their phones and tablets rather than open a laptop, if they even know how to use a computer (you'd be surprised how many don't even know how to use a computer).
I hate myself for saying this, but the only way forward is to treat PCs like a highly moddable console. They need to come with some "exclusive" software that only makes its way to other platforms at a later date. They also need to be built for a specific purpose (e.g. media centre, gaming) with the expectation that most people won't want to leave the comfort zone.
It's been more than a couple years since Ive tried using Linux (back when I used it as my primary os).
My experience have been mostly with ubuntu-based OSes like Mint. First laptop I installed Linux on, the audio didn't just work. It didn't work at all for a while, despite trying many fixes. Otherwise it actually did work decently well. On my next laptop, it would just one day no longer boot or login for some reason or another and I'd just have to do a clean install because I didn't know how to fix it. That happened maybe every other month? On both laptops, the two-finger scroll behavior had settings to change how it behaved in the default installed software, but on Linux it was always finicky getting it to work the way I wanted.
Also installing things is a lot more annoying for stuff that require command line vs just clicking it and telling it to install.
To expand on this metaphor:
Windows and Macs are like automatic cars, for all the people who just use it to get to a destination, it's the obvious and easiest option.
However, some people want manuals. Maybe they want it to race in the car (coding, resource intensive tasks, speed of computer, etc.). Maybe they just like the feel of a manual. Maybe they want to be able to control when the gears change more. Maybe they want to optimize the car for just one purpose. There are many reasons people might want a manual instead.