The only way Linux is going to become more convenient for everyone is if more major manufacturers start offering their products with Linux preinstalled and support. I would like to see them using any of the top Linux distro’s which some already do. It has to be on a larger scale and affordable prices but quality hardware that works with Linux there by having fewer issues. I am happy to see manufacturers such as System76 doing this albeit they are pricey. Would love to see schools using Linux laptops for students instead of the google chrome books.
Should Linux Be More Convenient For Everyone?
Yes and no. With convenience comes less flexibility.
I disagree. Linux has more flexibility. The issue is that everyone has been pushed to use Windows and Windows software. Massive marketing and brainwashing! Until they know which many don’t there are many better applications that are provided by Windows available for Linux that are much better. The problem is people are lazy and don’t want to learn. There is always a learning curve no matter what for most applications. Many people have never even used a Linux based OS. Until they do they don’t know.
There are a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions regarding Linux too. Just go on r/pcmasterrace and you will see just how many would go through 3rd party apps to disable Telemetry and other poop like that from Windows instead of giving Linux a honest try. Some have good reasons:
- they want to play games that feature kernel level anti-cheat
- they need/want to use software that doesn’t have support on Linux
- they are required to use software or something else that only works on Linux (that’s me. I use Windows sometimes because one of my classes uses Borland Graphics Interface from the 90s. I’m not kidding)
though, many give up too early on Linux because it is really steep to get into it, I can’t lie. Linux Mint and other newbies distros make the transition smoother, but sometimes stuff don’t work out, one after another, and people give up. I was close to giving up many times too, but I stuck with it and here I am.
There are increasingly distros that do work this way. Hands off, no understanding needed. They may not be a distro that you or I want to use because of the compromises that approach brings though.
True. At the same time, though, having something that offers some decent defaults and support for some nice things out of the box comes a long way, even for the tech savvy. EOS is honestly a good example of this. I don’t need to stress about archinstall not working, nor do I need to stress about doing the Arch install myself. It’s not hard, but it is annoying to do.
I want to agree with you so much because I actually dislike people that are only using Linux for any of the reasons below:
- Gaming
- Their previous OS is slow now because their hardware is older
- The previous OS will no longer receive updates
When a person is only using Linux for these reasons, the only benefit of them in the community is that they might spread the word about Linux, which might mean more users, which might mean more software companies make software for Linux.
Otherwise, they are just bad parts of the community because they will say:
“Well, this works on Windows/Mac.”
So why aren’t you using Windows/Mac then?
However, I used to be a person whose device got slow, and I started using Linux as a result, and it took me some years to use Linux for the correct reasons.
So, in the same breath, like I said, they might have a ripple effect that brings in more software. So, I think we should bear with them. There will always be people who don’t care about anything but convenience.
I’m genuinely confused by this reply. As I understand it, you hate people that use Linux as their OS to do something that they like…? Correct way of using Linux…?
I’m not sure if I understand the relevance of your question.
What I am trying to say is that if I link to the article, and someone clicks the link, they will see the conversation with the same username I use on this forum. So, taking the time to hide my username or the other person’s username would be a waste of time.
Are we on the same page now?
I re-read your reply. As I see it, you don’t like people who use their computer for doing what they want to do without spending a lot of time setting things up from the ground up and whatnot. That’s… a really weird take and I want to believe that I’m missing something here.
First the “,right” means it was a rechtorical question so no answer needed or wanted. Second you Inplied that there is no point in using a user name cause they’d just find your real name anyway.
I have to agree.
If I might chime in too (first post in this forum BTW, great community guys!): I don’t think the problem is only Adobe-like software or software for creatives and such, but also equally importantly, proprietary science/technology software.
I’m a chemist and work for a small biotech and I consider myself lucky enough to have a small IT dept. who were like “yeah you can put Linux on your work laptop, no problem”. I was able to work on LibreOffice and Zoom from the AUR and stuff just fine, but the two industry-standard chemistry software, ChemDraw and TopSpin are no-gos.
Yeah, if you look it up, ChemDraw works with Wine, but really, it doesn’t. For reasons that I don’t know, if you try to do that, the structures look like a train ran over them. TopSpin has a “Linux version” on their website that is actually just a .deb and then you have to jump through hoops to get it to work because it complains about Python and Java and a million other things before it decides to work. BTW, it’s also a few versions older than the Win version, but whatever. So in the end, what I ended up doing was create a Win10 VM, run only ChemDraw and TopSpin in there, pass the files to a shared folder etc. Painful, but I wanted to stick to Linux. Well, about a year of doing that later, I got a BSOD in the VM that I could not troubleshoot within a short amount of time and that was for me the last straw. Since then, it’s been Win for work and EOS for personal stuff.
It’s exactly like @dalto said in one of the early posts, chicken and egg problem: not enough of a Linux user base for the companies behind ChemDraw and TopSpin in this case to care and how are we ever going to get a bigger Linux user base if “it just works” on Win and Mac?
Well said and welcome to the forum @dimpan
Welcome to the forum! I hope you will enjoy your stay here.
Welcome to our forum @dimpan
Firstly, I didn’t say “hate”. 
Second, I think you may not realise this, but by using Linux you are an activist, a lobbyist, etc. Yes, this may not be your intention, but you are saying to big tech and the world, that I don’t agree with what is offered by default.
Activism doesn’t have to be marching and going on TV, social media, etc. It can be in the choices you make when given an option between convenience and control.
So, when there are Linux users who don’t care one bit about privacy, security, sticking it to the man, etc. you usually find that the way they interact with the community is terrible and unhelpful. This is what I dislike.
Also, as I said, I used to be one of those users many moons ago, so I understand why, and I am patient with the ones who actually try to learn stuff about Linux, their apps, etc.
So, at the moment the correct reason for using Linux, in my opinion, is because you prefer control, privacy, and the like, and/or you would like to make a change in the world, stick it to the man, etc.
It is, of course, great that it just works for many, can play games, use many apps from different OSes, an all that.
The correct reason for using Linux is expected to change over time as the user base grows, and I expect the privacy aspect to remain, while the other reasons would simply be, “I use Linux because I can”.
If Linux and its principles were dominant in the world, the only thing that would matter is customer service. I said this previously.
So yes, you did miss a lot. 
PS: By “Linux principles” I don’t mean the actual principles. I’m talking about why many of the advanced Linux community members use Linux. Again, though, this is my opinion.
Not sure how that makes it a rhetorical question…
And I’m also not sure how I implied they’d see my real name. At no point did I say “real”. To confirm, I am ddnn here and ddnn on alternativeto. Not the other guy — in case that’s what you were thinking. 
why do you measure value through the lens of ‘most people’? knowing how to do basic car stuff so you aren’t dependent on mechanics is not productive? we are on two different planets, but that’s OK. Most people do see thru the eyes of ‘most people’ and I know I’m the odd person out on this one.
Okay. I can see your POV better now. Thanks for explaining it!
I can’t lie when I say that while I don’t really like big tech and whatnot, I don’t consider myself an activist just because I like the way Linux does things and I choose to use it over Windows. I don’t know if people want that label either, even if you may be right about it. I can’t lie when I say that I just want to use Linux and FOSS apps because I find them cool. I find them nice and cozy and warm, made by people more close to me than Microsoft or Apple or Google will probably ever get.
I get your point now, though. I thought at first you hated people who just used their OS as they wanted, but I was wrong. I’m glad I didn’t jump to conclusions immediately.