Computersight -

I recently read an article titled “10 reasons why Linux isn’t triumphing over Windows”. Without even opening the PDF, I disagreed with the article. After I opened the PDF, some of the reasons made sense, while others don’t seems like an issue in the battle (if there is one). If you would like to read the article, please visit this page. The article is the same as the PDF version I read.

Honestly, I don’t think the goal of Linux is to gain market share over Windows. Linux was created by geeks, for geeks. I don’t think that people who have never used a computer before should start out with Linux. They would be overwhelmed and would probably turn away from Linux. Windows is a lot easier for the first-time user to get accustomed to.

A computer expert for whom the command line interface isn’t intimidating or discouraging, Linux is the perfect choice. But why isn’t it for first-time users? Haven’t Linux distributions developed GUIs for practically every function Linux has? Technically, yes. But go ahead and recompile the kernel after enabling a module without command line. Have fun with that. Linux is no harder than Windows to use, AFTER everything is configured and working properly. Key word: AFTER. Let me illustrate my point with an example.

When I installed Linux (distribution is irrelevant) on a friend’s computer, his graphics card wasn’t detected properly, along with some other hardware components. Average user will give up there. There is no help desk for most distrubutions and without the GUI or Internet access, you really can’t get support online. A geek, however, will run some commands (xconfig, ndiswrapper, etc) and poof! The computer is working without any glitches. Now my friend (average user) can use his computer with no more difficulty than Windows.

Another reason average users don’t switch ot Linux is because of the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Windows comes preinstalled on most PCs and most users figure if it works, then why bother changing it. The reason geeks do bother changing it is the automatic updates (and restarting every time something big happens), viruses, and crapware. This is just a short list, but it illustrates the point. Most geeks use computer for A LOT more than email, homework, and social networking. When developing a program, the updates popup gets VERY annoying. Viruses may even infect the newly created program.

Linux was created by geeks, for geeks. I don’t think it was ever meant to be used more than Windows. There really is no battle. Windows is for the average Joe, and Linux is for the geeks.

Server OSs, however, are a different story. The problem with Linux servers is that either support must be provided in-house or it must be purchased from companies like Red Hat. And both of those options are EXPENSIVE. And while a Linux server will (typically) be more stable than a Windows one, it requires that difficult configuration stage described above. That configuration stage is very discouraging to many people, not to mention the time and effort it takes.

Overall, I believe there is much more competition between individual Linux distributions than there is between Windows and Linux. I think that Windows’s biggest enemy is Mac. The battles are really Windows vs. Mac and, in the background, Linux vs. Linux.