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Comment by echelon_musk | Hacker News Reader

> Linux-based operating systems were generally built for engineers by engineers, with little consideration for regular users. We decided to fix this. [0]

I am extremely sceptical that any normal Windows user would have the patience to use WINE to get Windows software working. Sadly this feels like this distro is subject to exactly the problem they claim to solve.

I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort. Until then, the incentives will simply never align.

[0] https://zorin.com/about

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"I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort."

Dunno, I used to think that, but between Microsoft putting significant effort into degrading the Windows 11 experience and ever more stuff moving to the web, I'm not so sure about that anymore. My house is nearly full Linux now. The major thing that gets the gaming computer booted into Windows now is VR, and my oldest son is sometimes annoyed by needing to use Windows for some theater tech stuff. So it's not like we don't still have some things Linux can't do. But increasingly at our house it is the Windows-only stuff we find the annoying exception rather than the other way around. It's nowhere near as impossible as it was 15-20 years ago. The falling Windows is getting awfully close to meeting the rising Linux.

>I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort.

I think you're correct, but I also think this has already happened. Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux. With a huge success. Gaming on Linux is very close to being as easy as it is on Windows. That removes a barrier for many home users.

I do wish there was more commercial software. Getting Photoshop ported over would be the last hurdle for me personally. Everything else I can do through Steam, various open source programs like Calibre, Electron apps, and Web.

> Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux

I was gaming on linux when DXVK was just a library override in WINE before Proton or the Steam Deck existed. It's been fantastic to see how things have changed since then and I count this as a successful example of what's possible with desktop Linux.

If there was a commercial path to fund general purpose desktop computing on Linux, I'm certain that it is techinically feasible to achieve.

I think Valve have been very careful with where they put their efforts (hardware and software), their scope isn't that broad so much as it needs to have a direct link to steam. It's similar to why I don't think we'll have SteamOS released by Valve for generic hardware in the foreseeable future, because they're concentrating on their specific usage on the Deck.

Going broad means they need to support a whole lot more, and they probably can't tell users "go google it" in a similar fashion to how MS can't shrug off windows problems entirely when they happen for their users. The geeks are perfectly content with using a range of existing distros and there's little gain in adding one more, besides those that want the Valve/Steam brand umbrella to cover even more of PC gaming like they own the platform.

For running Windows only Steam games the support is very good. And actually "regular user" friendly .

But at the same time most professional Windows software will not run at all or will only run if you put significant effort into it. The idea of giving any Linux distro to a novice and telling him "he can run Windows applications" will result in server disappoint and frustration.

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