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Why Linux will never have widespread acceptance

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  • Why Linux will never have widespread acceptance

    So the other day I reached my personal nerd-vana and set up a dual boot on my laptop of Windows XP and Ubuntu. It's real nice now that everything works, but it really underscored why I don't think Linux distros will ever have much of an audience beyond techies and small businesses.

    The install program for Ubuntu is really nice, you basically install it like a regular Windows app and it creates a partition on the drive to boot from. The tricky part (and this has happened on every Linux distro I've ever tried to install on a laptop) was that when it first boot into Ubuntu it didn't recognize my laptop's display screen. I had to poke my way through critical install screens with a display that looked like a TV on rabbit ears between channels. What's worse, is at the end it popped up a dialog box saying that the open source drivers for the display card in my laptop wouldn't work and I'd need to use the manufacturer's drivers. The way it was written would have easily led a less than technical user to infer this was a bad thing to do. The one thing I can say was always easy with Windows was the setup. in 15 years of installing Windows, the worst thing that ever happened when it didn't recognize my graphics card was that everything was in 640x480 resolution until I installed the manufacturer's drivers. May have been some big ass window boxes, but at least I could see them. The default generic display drivers for Linux seems to still have a long way to go.

    It may seem like a trivial thing to get all ranty about, but if someone is trying out a new OS and runs into something like that, you just scared away X amount of potential users of your product right off the bat. Again, once the setup was done everything is smooth as silk, everything does run a lot better than it does in Windows. Getting to that point is still above the heads of the great majority of end users and I think sometimes the stereotype of the Linux user being an uber-nerd who writes his own drivers for every device sometimes gets in the way of making a really nice OS even better.
    "You know, there are times when it's a source of personal pride not to be human." - Hobbes

  • #2
    Bummer. Only time I've ever had an issue with a Linux install was when I created the problem (too many partitions, or bad cd-roms). Always worked for me outside of that, including the generic video drivers.

    Sorry to hear your experience went so poorly.

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    • #3
      The reason that windows has widespread acceptance is has a standard (granted it's low). Thus every developer has a higher chance of having his stuff (out of box) working on a wider spread of varying hardware. Linux getting better. Maybe if someone comes out with an easier, fast development that won't have companies tied up in odd licenses. Open-source is still preventive of capitalism software companies easiest path of making money. Now that the courts have ruled that even "open-source" authors can dictate how their stuff is used. People who want to make money aren't going to want to use a platform that can be yanked under from them. And most software are made by people who want to make money.

      Apple would have a shot of replacing windows if they would allow for non-apple computers to run it (thus lowering their standards). But they won't because they like charging more for less.

      As far as the laptop display not working, I can't really blame either. Someone didn't write an 640-480 4 color default VGA driver. Or someone did and the card itself don't really support it anymore. Hell, my video card driver for my desktop won't even go below 800x600 16bit color.
      I've lost my mind ages ago. If you find it, please hide it.

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      • #4
        It's still better than 8-10 years ago (or thereabouts) though....

        I installed linux (no happy little install screens like today), it was quick! And I was glad. I had to reinstall the OS every time I opened up a document in the included software (opening document = OS destroying user account). One of my professors installed linux to show how easy it was. And he got the equilvant of a blue screen multiple times, couldn't get it to boot, had to reinstall it a few times by booting to a Windows CD because the OS/install had messed up the install and partitions, and it took microsoft based utilities to recover and undo hard drive partitions.

        At least today it's got a GUI that works, and more or less has support from many companies for software and such.

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        • #5
          Quoth CancelMyService View Post
          Ubuntu it didn't recognize my laptop's display screen.
          I've had a number of different distros and this problem comes up a lot. What often makes it more frustrating is that the drivers for the LiveCDs are often right on the money. I wish they would use those for the initial hard drive boots and then prompt me to change them if needed. 'course, the only machine I have running linux right now is a headless server, so I guess the point is moot.

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          • #6
            Quoth LostMyMind View Post
            Now that the courts have ruled that even "open-source" authors can dictate how their stuff is used. People who want to make money aren't going to want to use a platform that can be yanked under from them. And most software are made by people who want to make money.
            My reply skipped straight into fratching territory, so I posted it there.

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            • #7
              Much as I like to raz on Microsoft, they did get their business model for windows right.

              a)It's easy to work with: if you're a computer illiterate, you just grab a for dummies book and you will know how to do everything you need to.

              b)It's versatile: Got some hardware assembled into a computer with some key basics? (CPU MBoard, RAM, Video Card) then it will work with just the windows CD. Granted, it won't run stellar, but it will run until you get hang of things. Meanwhile, power users are messing around, tweaking with it to get a more custom experience, and the ones who have circuits as opposed to veins can mess around with it enough where you're going "what windows?" It runs on most hardware, mac based included now.

              c)It works: Okay, I will grant that at launch, the windows OSes have major problems and microsoft's approach of 'release now, fix later' is a bad idea, but unless you're looking into doing something illegal, Windows does what it needs to to get it done. You're not sitting there for hours trying to figure out which command line you missed a character for 3 hours ago is screwing you up now.

              Is Windows perfection? No.
              Does it have problems? Yes.
              Does it have risks? Ask anyone that has had a virus.

              But it is easy to work with, versatile, and more or less idiot proof (take that with a grain of salt please) Nothing Apple has made and nothing under the Linux core design can do all 3. (An accidental rename in Mac causes a full crash and Apple has gone after anyone trying to make it work on other hardware.
              I AM the evil bastard!
              A+ Certified IT Technician

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              • #8
                Quoth LostMyMind View Post
                Apple would have a shot of replacing windows if they would allow for non-apple computers to run it (thus lowering their standards). But they won't because they like charging more for less.
                They tried it. It was one of the first things Mr. Jobs changed when he returned to power.

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                • #9
                  There's no request for tech help in here, and it's a debatable issue. Thank you for making a Fratching thread already Pederson, because this should have been over there to begin with.
                  Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                  http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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