This link has been bookmarked by 35 people . It was first bookmarked on 19 Aug 2006, by Scott.
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Because of these frequent releases that each come with new features, people who proclaim that "this year" is the year of the Linux desktop subscribe to and continue to perpetuate a myth about Linux--namely, that it's Linux's features that hold it back from widespread desktop adoption. In other words, according to the myth, there are hundreds of millions of Windows users out there (and some Mac users as well) desperately waiting for Linux to match their current operating systems feature for feature, and when that happens, they will all download a disk image, burn the Linux CD, install and configure the operating system themselves, and then ditch their current operating system for a Linux distribution. (If you don't know what a disk image or an operating system is, then I think you get my point--the majority of Windows and Mac users will not be installing Linux regardless of how many features it has.) What is holding Linux back?
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There wasn't a flood of new Linux users when Microsoft stopped support for Windows 95. I don't see why there would be a flood now.
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The other myth is that once Microsoft stops offering support for an older version of Windows, those Windows users in large numbers will install Linux instead of upgrading to the newest version of Windows. The truth is that most Windows 98 users will either stay with 98 without the security updates, will buy or pirate a copy of Windows XP and install that, or just buy a new computer with the newest version of Windows preinstalled.
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On Linux, I can get work done, too... and have fun while doing it.
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Well, certainly it doesn't hurt for distros to improve the quality of their software. Better usability is a good thing, more graphical frontends for tasks is a good thing. Good hardware detection and more applications are good things. It won't matter, though, how easy you make the installation of Linux (and, believe me, right now it's extremely easy if I can do it)--most users do not install operating systems.
It's true. Most users won't even use Windows restore CDs, let alone install Windows from scratch. Why would they install an unfamiliar operating system on their computers?
There are some small vendors who sell Linux preinstalled systems. Linux Certified. Emperor Linux. Koobox. Groovix. System76. The key to getting Linux on the desktop adopted is to support these vendors. Unfortunately, many Linux users (more than I thought before I did a poll of Ubuntu Forum members) prefer to build their own computers and install Linux themselves. Sure, they don't have to pay the "Windows tax," but they also do not send the message to small Linux vendors "Hey, you're doing a good thing" or, in turn, to larger vendors like Dell "Hey, this Linux preinstalled thing is a profitable enterprise."
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And since most people buy computers with Windows preinstalled, that also means most of their friends and relatives and coworkers also buy computers with Windows preinstalled, which in turn means that they don't feel left out. No one wants to make a stupid choice, but if you're going to make one, might as well not be alone in making that choice. After all, if you buy a Windows PC and it crashes, your friend with a Windows PC is likely to say, "Yeah, I hate it when that happens." But if you have Linux on your PC and it crashes, your friend will likely say, "Oh, Linux doesn't seem very stable." And, along with that commiseration in Windows, you may also get a helping hand. Maybe your friend will say, "Yeah, I hate it when that happens... have you ever tried...?" But if you're using Linux, all you'll get is, "Linux doesn't seem very stable."
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