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submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[-] [email protected] 50 points 3 weeks ago
[-] [email protected] 28 points 3 weeks ago

The original image said windows where this would be accurate but I doubt it applies to the average linux user

[-] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago

thanks for the red circles

[-] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

Extremely important stuff here

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

The red circles convinced me to enlarge the picture to read it.

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[-] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago

I actually do. All the time. And I think you should too. Don't understand why people seem to think there's something wrong with that.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

I do too. Its just for fun. BTW you should check out _____.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Wow this looks awesome! Thanks for the recommendation!

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

No! I prefer ______, and you are WRONG for thinking otherwise!

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[-] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

Well, I do. In fact I've installed Linux on 4 classmate's laptops, after insisting for some time.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

You are a true friend.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

People don't have any reason to recommend Windows because it's the regular OS everyone already uses.

Linux may be an improvement for a lot of people's use cases but a vast majority of them don't even know it exists and its not just for servers and stuff. Mac people probably do this too.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

People do this all the time.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

You don’t tell people that you use Arch in random conversations? /s

[-] [email protected] 39 points 3 weeks ago

With the amount of fuck-ups from Microsoft, this might not be necessary, but:

The average user doesn't want to install the operating system or doesn't care about it as long as they can do their things, and those who care can easily do so today. Thus, IMO, advertising to the end user is a waste of resources.

Focus on permeating it in governments, institutions, and OEMs to increase market share and break the "Linux is complicated / incompatible / for developers" stigma, then organic adoption out of these environments will grow - at least among people who can actually use it with the supported software.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago

Really, this seems to be the best way to spread Linux adoption to me. I would bet that Linux got at least a good few users from the Steam Deck coming with it pre-installed. Big way to show people that for most things the average user doesn't need to go into the command line to use their system for what they need as well. Of course, continued improvement in the software included in the most popular distros would really boost Linux adoption as well. I've seen plenty of people say they'd make the switch - if only they could use MS Office or Adobe software on it. Alternatives like LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Kdenlive and the GIMP have come a LONG way since I first made the switch around 2009, but especially the Adobe software still outclasses the competition when it comes to features. MS Office isn't as hard to let go of, especially since you can still use Office 365 Online on Linux and LibreOffice is closer to having all the OOTB features of MS Office than the other programs are to Adobe, but you have to convince people to give it a try first and a lot of employers still require MS Office for work.

I will also say, though, that it was only due to Windows Vista otherwise bricking my laptop back then that I even made the switch. I'd heard of this mysterious OS named Ubuntu so I thought I'd give it a try to save my laptop before I bought a new one, especially since I was living abroad at the time and didn't want to deal with the hassle of buying a computer with a foreign language version of Windows on it. So I had a friend burn me a copy of Ubuntu 8.10, it worked like a charm, and I only ever since ran Windows at home when dual-booting for a couple years for gaming purposes before Proton became a thing. I didn't even know Ubuntu was Linux until I'd installed it and started learning how to use it in earnest. Really showed me how even then Linux wasn't so difficult to use for the average computer user.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

break the "Linux is complicated / incompatible / for developers" stigma

This is entirely on Linux developers and users.

Try searching "how to x on Linux" and tell me you're not immediately sent into the CLI.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The thing is, without a unified GUI it's impossible to get an answer to "how to X on Linux" that doesn't involve the CLI (and that'll work for everyone). Even the ones that do are often distro-dependent.

People can still get things done by searching for "how to X on using the GUI".

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[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

CLI can be good. The benefit of CLI is that it is fairly easy to build GUI front ends on top of a solid based.

Not to mention CLI makes "quick fixes" easier.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Sure it can be. It's also a huge hurdle for any potential users.

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[-] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago

I'm a die hard Linux user. I don't spend much time telling people about it outside of actual tech conversations that should include the topic. I did raise my kids with a lot of Linux desktop use on their machines. They uniformly find the Windows 10/11 experience to be horrible, so I guess I've managed success on that front.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

@azimir @urska

I'm happy your kids are into Linux! It's better to raise on then windows in my opinion.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

The crazy moment was when one kid was about 10 years old and he busted open the terminal without promoting to get something done. He already knew it was faster and more powerful so he just started learning the tools.

I danced a little jig in my head once I realized what had just happened.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

@azimir
All I will say is your kid is smart and you should be a very proud man :)

I suggest as a linux dude myself, keep encouraging him :D and as an extra suggestion if he wants to learn more about Linux see if he wants to try out arch linux because that has taught me a lot over the time I have used it :D

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[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

That's when you know you've won!

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[-] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

There's a circular reasoning happening that's causing Windows to stay dominant. Why isn't professional software being developed for Linux more? Because it doesn't get used in the workplace. Why doesn't Linux get used in the workplace? Because it doesn't have professional software support.

You need to break one of these things to succeed.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Agreed. Both things need to happen when they can.

If you live with the applications available on Linux ( or prefer them as I do ) then you can use Linux in the workplace.

At the same time, some “professional” applications are going to need to start targeting Linux. Some do. More need to.

There is an implied contract above. If you need professional applications and they become available on Linux, you have to use them ( and pay for them ).

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[-] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago

Linux isn't competing with Windows or MacOS.
It doesn't follow the capitalist model of a market, and that's a good thing.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

Windows and MacOS are products. Linux is a technology and common human knowleadge.

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[-] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

You don't. It's already happening. Slowly but steady.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

Exactly. If critical mass is achieved inorganically, it would result with a reverse in uptake & possibly even a revolt against it.

You can lead a horse to water... (but a pencil must be lead)

[-] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago

Do we need to do anything? Microsoft updates do the bulk of the work - surely everyone has a last straw?

[-] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

This is an extremely sheltered view. Most people don't even know what an operating system is, and they assume that it is an unalterable component of the computer they purchased at Best Buy. They don't have a last straw because as far as they're concerned there isn't anything they can do about it other than perhaps switching to a Mac.

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[-] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Hm it's probably "bundle with the hardware, make sure the hardware really works and there's a price incentive vs Windows".

As long as you have to actively migrate (including backing up, losing access to several commercial apps) and could end up in the situation that your hardware isn't 100% working or you're workflow isn't really supported?

[-] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

make sure the hardware really works

Also make sure the software really works, one of the main issues with Linux adoption by hardware manufacturers is their lack of dedication to it. In Brazil, for example, most brands that ship with a Linux distro (except for DELL, which ships with Ubuntu) ship with basically digital waste (unmantained, poorly developed distros) just to make the hardware cheaper, because they know people will get it to just install a pirated copy of Windows in it.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

Ask India, they hit 15% Linux desktop use

[-] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

High Fives India, Well Done!!!

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Forced financial constraints? Because I am an Indian.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

It's not like pirating Windows is hard or expensive.

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[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Quite possibly. North America still has too much disposable income to start making OS decisions based on pricing

[-] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

Why does Linux need to be more popular? This isn't some NRM with a proselytizing mandate. Use whichever OS you prefer and let others do the same.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

Linux being more popular means more applications of higher quality. I guess this does not matter to you. For those of us that would prefer more high-quality applications, Linux popularity matters.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

Linux is the most used kernel on the planet - and it’s not close. Just the Android phones are enough to get a comfortable lead. Add the embedded systems. Add the servers. The competition is severely trounced.

The few desktops left and right are just slivers of the complete domination that Linux exerts over commercial operating systems.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

I guess they mean "how to make buggy messy often usermade Desktop distributions more popular."

As Linux itself is insanely popular, it's everywhere and runs everything. From the vast majority of server and network infrastructure to most phones.

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[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Pretty much the entire internet runs on Linux already.

For personal users I think a stable, well supported, secure and privacy focused version will help. Also, it helps if this is the version your "computer-guy" uses, the guy that you (or your mom) call(s) when your computer is broken.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

As someone who uses Linux as a daily driver for both work and home, I have this very easy trick on making Linux more popular:

I don't.

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[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Why, though? Like, why should we care?

[-] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago

The more people, the more donations, the more devs, the more user bug reports, the bigger communities, more communities, more brains, more software support, more game support, more likelihood of using linux at work, less microsoft and apple bullshit, ...

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this post was submitted on 20 May 2024
17 points (65.5% liked)

Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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