Comment When will we hear the last of this futile dispute? (Score 1) 360
This arguement seems to go on and on, but few of the comments left on this article actually attempt to make a resolution to one of the great problems posed to Linux today. As I see it, Linux only has two paths: The first is to accomidate its enthusiasts, and the second is to appeal to the mainstream computer users. However, Linux is not built to accomidate mainstream users and I feel that the community is rushing things. Linux has a long way to go before it can support mainstream users. Distributions like Ubuntu have done the best job of supporting users, with its ease of installing products. But what of proprietary media codecs, and games? These qualities are the only reasons why Windows is still dominating. Typical computer users of nowadays love media, but media is one of Linux's weak points, as it only can legally support it with a valid Windows license that contains said codecs. Users want to be able to edit photos, listen/watch music and movies and play games. If you think about it, the process for using such things requires much effort and patience. Support for photos is no big deal, but many complications come into the light with Music and Movies, as the user now has to tackle the issues with Xine and its codecs. And don't even think about games. Wine is garbage, and unless you're a UT2004/Quake fan, you're out of luck. So really, Linux only provides 1/3 of what users really need. Browsing is all right, but many sites are or claim to be incompatible with Linux, and playing media from the Internet is limited.
I've learned to work around these problems on my Kubuntu PC, but most users migrating from the PC will hate it. Linux has a lot to offer, and getting everything working on it requires more knowledge, patience and effort that doesn't appeal to the rest of the users. Also, Linux doesn't seem to be making much progress towards solving these problems. And think about it guys, what typical user REALLY cares whether or not the software they are using is open source.
(please excuse any grammatical mistakes, Safari on Windows doesn't check these things.)
I've learned to work around these problems on my Kubuntu PC, but most users migrating from the PC will hate it. Linux has a lot to offer, and getting everything working on it requires more knowledge, patience and effort that doesn't appeal to the rest of the users. Also, Linux doesn't seem to be making much progress towards solving these problems. And think about it guys, what typical user REALLY cares whether or not the software they are using is open source.
(please excuse any grammatical mistakes, Safari on Windows doesn't check these things.)
