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Originally Posted by garryg68
Point One: All the different distributions put mainstream people off. Mainstream wants one simple choice of 'current' operating system Mac and Windows give them this.
I also see a very defensive, to the point of hostile, reaction by many Linux users whenever they even begin to perceive any attack or negativity towards the system. This often continues even if the perceived hostility is proven to be misplaced.
Because of this Linux is often seen as an aloof system only to be used by people who are 'technically minded,' or 'geeks.'
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Mainstream wants a lot of things, but the end question is, "What do you want for yourself?" GNU/Linux isn't about "the box", it's about choices that you make for yourself.
GNU/Linux isn't just for geeks. Any OS can be geeky. If you dig enough into OS-X, Windows, and GNU/Linux you find geekiness everywhere. It's like peas and carrots. GNU/Linux just seems more daunting because of the aspect of using the Console to type in structured commands to launch applications. Many people forget GNU/Linux does in fact have a choice of desktop environments and many applications for GNU/Linux (if not UNIX on the whole) have UI based interfaces today so anyone can use GNU/Linux.
My wife can use GNU/Linux and she's as far from being a geek as far as I'm from being a muscleheaded jock.
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Point Two: Mainstream users want an accessible easy to pick up and use system, which appears as friendly and nonthreatening as possible. A commercially successful system needs to be usable by the self-proclaimed 'computer moron,' otherwise known as a novice or non-technical computer user.
I also regularly see the obligatory 'android is made from Linux, so Linux is already huge' type of quote everywhere.
Yes, yes it is, Android is built on Linux, and it is commercially much more successful. And Linux is built on GNU, and GNU is very much NOT UNIX... OK, I get that... So what?
None of these Linux enthusiasts ever seems to stop and ask why Android has been so much more commercially successful, or what this has got to do with the current state of the Linux based desktop environment as a viable alternative to Windows.
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See above answer also.
Windows and OS-X have spoiled users since the days of DOS. However, truth be told, teach a person how to use the command-line, and they can pretty much learn more than just point, click, and go.
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Point Three: Android is seen as having a unified front end, where you can easily download an application for your device and be relatively sure that it will just run, without any further user involvement. It is also seen as stable and easy to upgrade when required.
Now, for commercial success it doesn't matter if these perceptions are true or not. But it does matted that they are seen to be true, that the perception is of a well rounded, well defined, and stable single entity, that is easily learned/used and accessible.
Currently general public opinion of Linux is very far from that, and it doesn't look like a lot of Linux users are helping this perception very much.
I think the whole Linux setup is not cohesive with commercial Success. I think past experience has shown that there needs to be one single cohesive 'standard' version of a product for commercial success. This product must also be totally GUI controlled, and considered complete and stable before it can be publicly perceived to be a viable mainstream alternative to Windows or Mac-OS.
Sorry, but as things are just now I can never see that happening. There is just to much choice, that for a mainstream audience just means too much confusion.
The main question asked is "What exactly is Linux?" And they are looking for one definitive answer. e.g. It is that packaged operating system there, on that shelf, in the shiny new box.
You have to remember that they are not you. They have different needs and wants, and if Linux is to be a commercial success it needs to be different.
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The only problem Linux has is the willingness of manufacturers to offer it and application publishers to demand software ports for it. The biggest issue GNU/Linux faces is the gaming industry. The majority of games out there, not counting emulators and ROMs (whole different subject), are created strictly with Windows in mind.
Truth be told, DirectX is very enticing for developers. You have everything you need to get a game up and running as far as video, audio, and input, as well as networking. On the flip side, you have Simple Directmedia Layer (SDL) for GNU/Linux. It likewise has video, audio, input, and a plugin for networking. The only difference is, market penetration. DirectX is just more well known.
The biggest issue many people see in GNU/Linux is the problem of complexity and over-complexity. Nobody likes complexity, but nobody, likewise, will tolerate being made to feel stupid either, especially GNU/Linux users and veterans. People want simple tools, and not because people are simple either. Simple is "this is what it does, only what it does, and only what it ever will do" and it keeps user-friendliness to tolerable levels which increases the ability of learning.
Think of it this way:
0 will always equal 0 if you add, subtract, multiply, or divide by 0 against itself.
or if you want to make it messy:
0 = 0+0 0x0 0/0 0-0 now find the value of 0 and determine why 0 is a value even if not a whole number using whole numbers and give examples of each using the Common Core Theory of Math.
Which statement is more human based and logical? The first one right? It's less messy, more simple, direct, and doesn't involve wanting to take the person who wrote your kid's math book and beat them senseless with said math book.
GNU/Linux users don't like to be made to feel stupid either, but equally, a person new to GNU/Linux doesn't want to be made to feel, "How the hell will I ever understand this mess?" to which we don't need the reply of "You're too stupid anyway. Go back to Windows and be sad." which many of us all know full well, we've seen too many times.
Most people who want to come to GNU/Linux aren't doing it to be hip, cool, trendy, and the such. People come to GNU/Linux to get work done that needs to be done the right way without a ton of crap to deal with.
That said, it's not about the commercial success, it's about the individual success.
