Why don't more people use Linux? | Hacker News Reader

Why don't more people use Linux?

world.hey.com

5 pointsibobev13 comments

With macos, it just works 90% of the time when I want to do something. With linux, it just doesn't work 90% of the time.

Everybody uses Linux every day, on the server. It's evolved to become the leading cloud OS by a wide margin because its trimmed-down nature and command line interface are perfect for servers where there's no one sitting at a screen.

Windows and MacOS always targeted the desktop user and their need for a robust and complex UI, so those platforms won there. But much of what we used to do on those boxes got moved to Linux work that happens on a server.

Because Linux isn't made with the goal of getting as many people to use it as possible.

I feel like the post fails to address that fairly obvious point. It's like proselytizing a type of screwdriver. It only works on people who already care about types of screwdrivers.

I like the term "slow computing". Like slow cooking, computing with a FOSS/Freedom/Privacy mindset takes more time, has some rough edges, but it will also be more gratifying, at least it is to me.

Duplicate of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41427054. There are additional comments there.

It's all about installation.. most folks just can't be bothered to install a different OS then the one their laptop came with. I liken it to the small community of people who tune their cars vs most of the the people who use cars.. just use what they get when they buy.

There is the fact that gaming is a faff with Linux vs something like Microsoft.

It's amazing.. I am a Linux fanboy.. but it's just not a mainstream platform.. and I don't think it will ever be.. and that's OK!

no games, no excel, no photoshop and looks like shit

command line stuff is good but you can't do everything from there

And it ain't 1990 any more, for new users to accept using a command line after you explain "this is just a different dialect of the same old 'C:\>', that you're familiar with from MS-DOS...".

"Looks like shit". Time for a revisit my person. But let's not argue taste.

Also: No gaming? Perhaps shop around in Steam, try their Proton. Your information is old.

Btw, I am forced to live in MS365 a lot, works well enough on Edge on Linux (mostly use FF but there are slight annoyances from time to time).

Perhaps you could miss the ads in your start menu? Could miss reading about stars with swollen lips right from your taskbar (allthough that's just a click away)? Having a future in which everything you do is recorded and AI analyzed? There certainly are things to miss. I guess, allthough my wifes misses the old Mail app indeed... Oh wait, well, at least I easily got her on Protonmail right in that moment :)

libreoffice calc?

gimp?

you should consider learning these anyway, if you mind adobe and m$ slowly squeezing you dry

The requirement of Photoshop and Excel often comes from integrating to someone else's work. This someone could be in your team, in your company, an external collaborator, a state or government representative, a customer. Or a friend, or family.

Adobe tools are the only ones supported for both digital collaboration and print. It is not a simple question of whether it can open PSD files, or support the same editing tools and operations. In many cases, it absolutely has to get the correct colours on paper, Pantone or not. And not just paper, cardboard and canvas, too. And any exported PSD must open correctly in recipient's Photoshop, including layers and whatnot, not just colours.

When finance sends you an Excel file and you open it in Calc, and some of the personnel costs columns values from macros look a bit off, how do you know if they are? Does the $1k/month macro package run correctly on Calc? Does it run at all?

(I don't mean that Photoshop or Excel get these things always right, either. Sure there are many situations when the replacement is good enough, I use the open source variants exclusively. But when things go wrong, you can actually blame the tools as long as everyone uses the same ones. If you use a different tool than others, you really can't blame the tool, you'll be asked to switch. And other people quite possibly will blame you. And you might lose a contract or money, or both.)

For most people, it makes more sense to learn the industry tools, not the free copycats. This is unfortunate, but I don't see it changing. The network effect is too strong.

For most people, especially the target audience of the article, it makes sense to at least try. Most people don't match Pantone colors or deal with $1k/month macro packages.

All of those are great.. but let's be honest.. they services they are replacing are way way way slicker and easier to use.

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