Why Linux isn't ready for Mainstream Yet
May. 11th, 2010 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lostcarparkLet me nail my colours to the wall by telling you that I love Linux. I've experimented with several distros, and door the most part enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from it. I don't see myself going back to Windows any time soon.
However if you ask me would I recommend Linux to other people, unless they are the sort of techies who consider computing for its own sake an end rather than a means to an end, I would have to say no.
I find this a pity, as I would so love to be able to put Linux on my Mum's computer and leave her to get on with it, but I know there would be to many problems that I would have to fix, and they would invariably happen at a time when I wouldn't be able to remote access and I'd have to try to feed commands over the phone.
Let me give a few examples of things that are far to complex for mainstream users, and need to be sorted out before Linux can work for non-techies. These use Ubuntu, because in my experience it is the closest top being ready for wider use, mainly because it has had the most money thrown at it.
The first is upgrading Firefox. This is something Ubuntu completely ignores. New versions of Ubuntu only come around every six months, and the Firefox team aren't kind enough to follow the same schedule, so Ubuntu is often months behind the latest release. Sure, its possible to override that and shoehorn the latest version in, but it's much more complicated than just running an installer like in Windows. Of course the Windows version updates itself. It's not just Firefox. If you want Flash, that's another non trivial process. And of you want to talk to people with Skype, that's certainly not as easy it ought to be. Any program that that the Ubuntu overseers haven't seen fit to offer is a similar story, but the above are the real show-stoppers.
Another big issue surrounds graphics drivers. I've had several computers suddenly declaring they weren't happy with the state of their drivers, and dump you into "low graphics mode". From Googling, it's clear that this is far from uncommon, and virtually every solution requires command line gymnastics that would baffle most users. Another similar problem I've encountered is my window borders mysteriously disappearing. The command to fix this is simple enough, but it's not something most users want to be faced with.
The final issue that really doesn't work for novice users is support. Linux pundits are always keen to tell us how wonderful the community is, and it is, but I see the same questions over and over again on Linux forums. Linux experts get feed up of offering answers over and over again, will often provide the sort of terse answer that doesn't really give a novice user much of a clue of what to do.
I think that to properly broaden its appeal, Linux needs to be a lot more helpful. Major releases of main applications should be easily available in a timely fashion without the user having to do anything difficult. And when things go wrong, the system should take the user by the hand and guide them through the problem. I know there are many problems that really need community support, but if a concerted effort was made to identify the top 100 problems on forums and provide solutions that guide the user through the problem, this would make it an awful lot easier for Linux experts too, since they would only have deal with the more interesting, challenging problems.
I really hope that Linux reaches the point where I can offer it to my Mum wit confidence, but were certainly not there yet.
However if you ask me would I recommend Linux to other people, unless they are the sort of techies who consider computing for its own sake an end rather than a means to an end, I would have to say no.
I find this a pity, as I would so love to be able to put Linux on my Mum's computer and leave her to get on with it, but I know there would be to many problems that I would have to fix, and they would invariably happen at a time when I wouldn't be able to remote access and I'd have to try to feed commands over the phone.
Let me give a few examples of things that are far to complex for mainstream users, and need to be sorted out before Linux can work for non-techies. These use Ubuntu, because in my experience it is the closest top being ready for wider use, mainly because it has had the most money thrown at it.
The first is upgrading Firefox. This is something Ubuntu completely ignores. New versions of Ubuntu only come around every six months, and the Firefox team aren't kind enough to follow the same schedule, so Ubuntu is often months behind the latest release. Sure, its possible to override that and shoehorn the latest version in, but it's much more complicated than just running an installer like in Windows. Of course the Windows version updates itself. It's not just Firefox. If you want Flash, that's another non trivial process. And of you want to talk to people with Skype, that's certainly not as easy it ought to be. Any program that that the Ubuntu overseers haven't seen fit to offer is a similar story, but the above are the real show-stoppers.
Another big issue surrounds graphics drivers. I've had several computers suddenly declaring they weren't happy with the state of their drivers, and dump you into "low graphics mode". From Googling, it's clear that this is far from uncommon, and virtually every solution requires command line gymnastics that would baffle most users. Another similar problem I've encountered is my window borders mysteriously disappearing. The command to fix this is simple enough, but it's not something most users want to be faced with.
The final issue that really doesn't work for novice users is support. Linux pundits are always keen to tell us how wonderful the community is, and it is, but I see the same questions over and over again on Linux forums. Linux experts get feed up of offering answers over and over again, will often provide the sort of terse answer that doesn't really give a novice user much of a clue of what to do.
I think that to properly broaden its appeal, Linux needs to be a lot more helpful. Major releases of main applications should be easily available in a timely fashion without the user having to do anything difficult. And when things go wrong, the system should take the user by the hand and guide them through the problem. I know there are many problems that really need community support, but if a concerted effort was made to identify the top 100 problems on forums and provide solutions that guide the user through the problem, this would make it an awful lot easier for Linux experts too, since they would only have deal with the more interesting, challenging problems.
I really hope that Linux reaches the point where I can offer it to my Mum wit confidence, but were certainly not there yet.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:10 am (UTC)For example, I use Fedora and my firefox updates itself completely automatically all the time. Not a day passes when my laptop doesn't ask me if I want to install all the latest updates of everything for my computer.
Also, Windows has a ton of glitches and problems too. I realise this every time I have to go back and use it and get stuck on something. But users are used to windows problems and accept them as 'normal'.
Almost all of the problems you've pointed out are real, but they are real because we live in a windows world.
Except for the rude behaviour of some people on support forums, of course.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:52 am (UTC)Fedora may handle this particular issue better, but I'll bet there are others where non techie users get thrown to the lions.
And Windows may have its glitches, but apart from certain issues where it just sits down with a blue screen of death, it generally gets through them without panicking the user to much, where Linux will often leave the user with no option but resulting to the command line.
I wouldn't say purple are rude on forums, but answers to basic questions will often be a series of complex commands, with little explanation of how a novice should go about entering them. I'm often left feeling the writer is thinking "how can you not know this stuff?"
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 01:08 pm (UTC)Mind you, last week my only fix for a problem was to mess with the windows registry. That's no fun either.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 05:19 pm (UTC)Windows registry is, of course, the spawn of Satan.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:56 am (UTC)This is misleading. You do get "updates" between releases, but I see what you mean about not getting "upgrades".
This is however the problem when you ask someone else (Canonical) to approve your software before you use it. You get delays.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 05:15 pm (UTC)