Journal severoon's Journal: POST: Why People Don't Like Linux 1
This is the first post I made to the
Sir, you have NAILED IT!!!
IMO your description of your experiences and thoughts on this matter is exactly the sort of material that the developers of the Linux desktop and distro need to see. You need to get a website somewhere, put this up and point people to it - this mini-essay should NOT get lost in the bowels of Slashdot.
What can I say? It's all about the fans...
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I've talked to several non-linux users about why they don't use it, and I'm not talking about the die-hard MS supporters. I'm talking about people that have tried it at one time or another, ran it for a while, and just gave up on it.
Why did they give up instead of switching over to it as their primary desktop? Answers ranged over several salient (if not because they're real, at least because they're perceived) problems.
Die-hard linux people see variety as a good thing. That's true, and it's not true. Variety always has to be put in context, especially if there's a lot of it. Here's an example that even die-hard linux people can understand (assuming you're not chefs too). Let's say I'm making salsa and I send you to the store to pick up some heat. You don't know the first thing about peppers, and it just so happens I live next to a produce mart the likes of which you've never seen before. To choose from are: jalapenos, habaneros, anaheim, chipotle, ancho, pablano, thai, serrano, scotch bonnet, etc. What are you likely to do? That's right--grab the jalapenos, cuz that's what you've heard of before, even though they're probably not the best solution. Some die-hard linux people would argue, hey, if your goal is to help your buddy out, you'll head over to your favorite bookstore and read up, and then head back to the produce mart armed with this newfound knowledge. To these people I say, you are truly a die-hard fan of linux if you didn't get this point.
This is the pressure novices feel at every turn with linux, not just from what OS to install, but what is the install process? (Depends on the distro you've chosen.) How do I install an application? (Ibid.) Which application do I install if I want, say, an email client? (Good luck wading through all of the available options.) Why is it that everytime I head over to my buddy's house, he always knows about all this crap that I've never heard of, and he's got this smokin' setup that I wouldn't have the first clue how to begin assembling? How does one even keep up with all the choice that's available?
All frustrations that don't happen with Windows. You only rarely head over to a buddy's and see him running Mozilla instead of IE and think, hmm, I'd like that and didn't know about it. 99% of the time, you're both running the same media player, picture editor, etc, and if you're not, there's only a small handful of well-known choices to choose from.
The next barrier to installing/using linux on a long-term basis with these folks is what I call the "annoyance/showstopper" problem. Eventually, usually sooner than later, these people run into something that's either really annoying (they can't get X to run at a desired resolution, for example), or a really serious problem that impedes their ability to move forward (they can't connect to the web). They also don't really know where to look for help, or even how to find out where they should start. I myself ran into a problem years ago with RedHat, I simply wanted to upgrade the asteroids game, but the web of library dependencies that had to also be updated made it hardly worthwhile. Eventually, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work--I finally got to the end of a long dependency chain and discovered that, no matter what I did to upgrade this particular library, it wouldn't go in because it was replacing a basic graphics library that is used by virtual terminals. Because it was always in use, it couldn't be replaced, even in single-user mode. So I know this frustration well...even I was asking, how great can this OS be if a simple game can't easily be upgraded, and then it turns out when you finally commit yourself to an afternoon of hunting, it simply can't be upgraded at all? The bigger issue here for most users is, why should I have to know about library dependencies to upgrade a game, why are virtual terminals relevant to the problem I'm having, and what is a virtual terminal anyway? (The point is, whatever it is, it's totally unrelated to what I was trying to do, and most people find this incomprehensible.)
This has been fixed now with apt-get (and a subsequent RedHat bug fix), but these kinds of problems still abound. Furthermore, when graphical tools are introduced to aid the management of driver installs, program updates, etc, they just show up with no explanation when you install a new distro from the ground up, or if you're still using an old distro, you don't ever see it unless you put it on yourself.
I've also heard users express what I like to call the "critical mass" problem. The thinking goes, in Windows, you learn about directory structures, a few commands to navigate around, a few basic apps for looking at files, opening programs, etc...at some point you hit a critical mass of knowledge where you just innately know how to move around and navigate new programs. With linux, an equal investment of time does not suddenly cause a "click". I myself have been using linux and various desktops for years, and I have to say I agree. Of course this has a lot to do with the history behind linux and linux apps, but for an illustration of the point, just think about vi vs. emacs. It's possible to attain master level at either one of these, and still know absolutely nothing about the other. On the other hand, in Windows, you play with just a few programs, and that gives you at least the ability to play around with other programs with a semblance of confidence.
You're saying, hey, RTFM. But I think the linux culture of RTFM-type responses is part of what these users are objecting to. They don't want to RTFM. They feel that the product should be well-designed enough that most of what they want to accomplish should be apparent without having to read any doc. They're right.
A quick thought experiment. How many linux users, even experts, can install an app they've never seen before (only know the basics of what it's for) in linux and start using it productively inside a few minutes without ever cracking any documentation? I know I do this in Windows all the time...I don't claim to be a linux expert, but then again, after a decade of regular (though not intense) use, I think it is reasonable to have that expectation.
That example may not have resonated for some of you. Ok, then, think about a piano. Anyone, even a child, can figure out the piano if given a chance to hit a couple of keys. That's Windows. They hand you the keys and you hit a couple and soon you're banging out simple tunes. Linux is more like, you're presented a vast array of piano concertos and told to figure out how to use a piano based on listening to and watching these performances. Assuming you've never seen a piano before, you might first look at the orchestra and say, ok...but which instrument IS the piano, then? To which the other person says, RTFM, and hands you a dictionary. To start with, though, all this person wants to do is play Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Don't get me wrong, people. I like linux and what it stands for. I think that someday, it will take over the desktop. But not before it becomes more usable from bow to stern than Windows. The die-hard linux people need to wake up here, because they're in the best position to solve this problem...there are a LOT of places where linux is worse than Windows, and hiding behind the philosophy of choice or the culture of RTFM only ultimately hurts the platform.
sev
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But is Windows really as straightforward? (Score:1)
My wife is using Linux daily. I configured her account with a nice wallpaper, put the icons of the programs she needs next to the k-menu, removed the additional desktops, added K-weather, a second clock showing the time it is where she's coming from etc... etc... She is using the computer for 4 major tasks:
1- surfing the internet
2