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Comment by JoeAltmaier | Hacker News Reader

I've been suspicious of user-led development (e.g. open source), expecially Linux. Its popular to put in new features; less so to test, endure backward compatibility, control user experience. So it doesn't get done (much) in Linux.

My cohort have a phrase they attribute to me: Linux is not ready until they get the 'Have Disk' dialog.

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Eh, I don't agree. Linux has been "ready" for my usecase for more than a decade. There's pros and cons to each certainly, but I find Linux much more pleasant to use than Windows, and I like actually being in control of and able to modify the software I run. Until I can do that, Windows is not ready for me :)

Right. But the point is the vast, vast (non-HNer) use case is not in favor of Linux. For every 1 Linux-on-the-desktop person, there are what, 1M others?

I don't know if API stability is a barrier to adoption or not, but I was just explaining my experience with both platforms. For me, I don't much care how many people use Linux; I just want to use my computer how I like to, and Linux suits my needs best.

I hope that I never see the "Have disk" button again. The Linux way of distributing hardware drivers is so much easier.

As for usage, linux on the desktop is between .5% and 2% market share. And there reason to suspect that Linux usage is undercounted.

https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share...

https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/268237/global-market-sha...

https://hostingtribunal.com/blog/operating-systems-market-sh...

> The Linux way of distributing hardware drivers is so much easier.

You mean having to recompile them whenever there's a new kernel because the developers consider a stable driver ABI to be abhorrent?

I don't think I've ever compiled a driver. So no, I don't think that's what they meant.

Only because the disto does it for you. If they mean because the driver is distributed from a centralized repository over the internet... that's how it works in Windows too, only Windows also has the option to use alternate media and a stable enough driver ABI to have that make some kind of sense.

What dialog is that?

Perhaps this one?

https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-us/sln286269/how-to-...

About a third of the way down.

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