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Software and hardware manufacturers simply aren't as interested in Linux or Mac because there just aren't enough people using either to make it worth their while. No politics, just business.
The premise of the thread (o/s choice being political) is beyond stupid, and this thread belongs in the computer forum, closed and locked.
Why do people use Windows? For two big reasons. First, it's what they know. Most people aren't techies. They don't want to spend a semester being forced to learn the technology behind what they consider should be an appliance. Second, it's the dominant desktop operating system, which means that it's the platform that software publishers are developing for. The reasons for this are well documented (they even made a move about it), and have nothing to do with politics.
Choosing a linux flavor is daunting enough, even for a seasoned IT pro - and you expect consumers to do it? Having limited versions is actually a Good Thing(tm). Imagine if there were a hundred different versions of Photoshop. Which one's right for you? How much time are you willing to spend figuring it out? Wouldn't you prefer having only a few levels, such as Light, Standard and Pro, which are easy to do a side-by-side comparison of?
Linux is a great server o/s, but it's not a general consumer platform, and it's a LONG way from being one. The *nix world can't even standardize on a single GUI - how do you expect software publishers to support massive numbers of users, none of which are technically competent, all running on different distros, with different kernel versions (or different options compiled into the same kernel version!), different GUIs, etc.?
I don't want to sound mean, but like I said, the premise of your thread is beyond stupid, and based on your posts, you seem a bit naive as to what's actually involved with what you're promoting. I'm all for the idea of seeing more linux on the desktop, but the reality is that it's just not going to happen for a while, and it has nothing to do with politics.
Nobody but professionals and tinkerers care any more...
For leisure purposes, 90% will just be looking to get to a browser. That means taking home today's deal from Best Buy, plugging it in and firing it up. For these users, the O/S war has been fought, and it turns out nobody gave a sh.t.
For work purposes, almost everybody takes what their employer offers. Tends to be Windows on the user side, because it's easy to get support and because everybody in the workforce arrives somewhat pre-trained.
Of course, professionals have other requirements. For servers, Linux' purchase price is hard to beat. But with support (and you want support, if your business runs on those servers), you'll still pay. If you find yourself in a multi-vendor environment - and you do in any business bigger than 25 people - the idea of having an actual vendor to confirm that, yes, your O/S will work with this specific SAN and that specific virtual platform begins to take on some significance.
Nothing political.
That leaves the tinkerers, and having been one myself, I know where they're coming from. It's just that they're not a significant market.
Last edited by Dane_in_LA; 03-13-2012 at 12:07 PM..
As I've risen in my career in IT, I have labeled this phenomena. I call them the CS purists and the CS realists. The purists want everyone on open source, scoff at those that would prefer to use Windows, and really believe anyone that touches a computer should be as well versed in IT as themselves. The realists are those that realize most of the world could give a hoot about customization or open source, know most people want all the thinking part taken away from them, and see a computer as nothing more than a means to an end.
In the end, the realists are not lesser CS enthusiasts then the purists. Just means they get that Window's was built for Brad's Mom and Linux was built for geeky Brad.
My opinion is that there is no QA with Linux. Too many hands in the pot, so you get what you pay for and since you didn't pay anything, well, you get what you get. I used many different flavors of Linux and I had many issues with ALL of them. God forbid you have auto updates on, the next time it installs updates it won't freaking boot and you have to rebuild. I hate Linux for most things, although I still use it for SOME things. Now, with Windows, you are paying for the QA and bug fixes that WORK! I'm not a Windows fan so-to-speak, but all platforms are useful in their own ways. Linux has alot of growing up to do IMHO.
Because the company selling the computer has an agreement with Microsoft for this. With a few minutes of research you can easily find a PC pre-loaded with any flavor of Linux that you want.
Because 99% of the PC users want something simple to use without know what is happening behind the scenes. There are more users of Windows that can "support" these people. I run Linux on one of my computers but I also have a career in IT. It's hard enough to help my parents (both in their 70's) with Windows. They can't copy/paste in any operating system much less understand a sudo command.
No. Just because something is given away for free doesn't associate it with any ideology.
No it's not political. People don't switch to Linux for the same reason they don't drive a 1960's VW Bug. Yes, it's a reliable workhorse you can tinker with, but who wants to put in the time besides mechanics and hobbyists? I'll take a boring Honda Civic I can trade in every 3 years, thanks. I have no idea what's under the hood but it does the job.
Someone else compared the decision to furniture, and Linux is like Ikea because you have to assemble it and Americans are lazy. I don't think that is valid because Ikea is quite popular while Linux is not (amongst desktop consumers). I don't think laziness is an American trait, it is a human trait.
PC makers tried selling netbooks with Linux distros several years ago. I don't think they sold as well as the ones with Windows 7 starter. Linux distros have made great progress in the last 10 years with regards to usability but changing people habits is incredibly tough. If it takes you 15 minutes to figure out how to do something in Linux which would have taken you 5 seconds in Windows, you really need to be dedicated to the ideals of open source to put up with that. Most people would just say hell with it.
I run Ubuntu in multi and triple boot configurations on all my machines. When I want a 40 second boot up for something quick online I use Ubuntu. For gaming its Win7 or Vista. XP is kept around because I like it. In general though it’s a Windows world and if they wrote games for Ubuntu I’d game on that platform for its performance and stability.
When I built my new computer I bought Windows for these reasons:
1) Some of my professional software doesn't run on anything else. Even my ancient Word XP runs on Windows 7.
2) I was already used to it.
3) I wanted to try Linux years ago and it wouldn't even install (I assume such problems have been solved by now).
4) I get a very good anti-malware suite for free.
Politics has not played any role in my decision. I never bought into that Apple is for progressives and liberals prejudice, either. Actually, I think the Windows world is more open than the Apple world these days.
I am computer programmer who has actually most develops in Unix environment, so I consider myself For a few years, I started to use Linux (Fedora) as my OS on my main computer. It ran fairly stable once you get everything installed using CMD line interface! Seriously, there was quite a lot of trouble getting it fully setup. It does run fairly stable and I have left as a server. And no I am upgrading the darn Fedora version, every time you do it something breaks!
Finally I ended up building a custom computer running Windows 7! Man it was so much faster to setup all my customized programs and what now. Now I can even go back to playing PC (windows only) games! Windows is much easier to use even for an advanced user!
I used to use Windows XP.
Then someone told me about Linux, and so I tried it.
Now I only use Linux.
The reason? It's open source! You can distribute it for free, no need to pay for a license, you can modify it, tailor it to your own needs and likes, etc.
AND, rather than just 2 or 3 flavors, like Windows, Linux has hundreds of versions (distros), made for different purposes. The sky's the limit!!
---My impression though, is that Linux isn't so popular in the US. Why is that? Does it seem to "communist?" Why must a person buy a Windows license which costs 100 dollars or more every time they buy a computer, even if they don't want it??
Well, I like the freedom to use my computer to do what I want. (And I'm not even very expert in programming!!)
Your thoughts?
A real hilarious thread...
~ Why would I choose an OS based on the fact I can distribute it for free?
Normal people have a computer to accomplish certain tasks and really don't give a crap that they can adjust the physical address of start of kernel core image elf header or set the number of hash buckets for inode cache....
Trying to make Windowz vs Linicks a political issue is beyond retarded...
And with the growing popularity of tablets the age old Windowz vs Linicks discussion is going the way of the Dodo bird....
FWIW ahigherway, OS-X is BSD based....
Last edited by plwhit; 03-13-2012 at 12:47 PM..
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Nobody but professionals and tinkerers care any more...
