r/linux • u/Romantic_Legion • 6h ago
Discussion So Even Though Linux Has Gotten Better My Buddy Says it Still isn’t User Friendly And Doesn’t Have Appeal
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u/AlexWnet0 6h ago
Why should i care?
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u/Shopping_General 6h ago
This post just wasted your time and everybody else's time. Go find something to do.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
I was just wondering what other people thought since Linux was getting more popular.
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u/Shopping_General 6h ago
Well I won't be an asshole like some of these guys and I'll weigh in on it. I use Linux Mint everyday and at work I use some flavor of Ubuntu on my development box. I have to say I'm a big fan of either one. One of the nice things about Linux is if you don't like the particular desktop it came with, you can install a new one. Something more to your taste. Try doing that in windows. So anybody that rags on Linux in this day and age, doesn't really use it, or tried it for 5 minutes and quit.
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u/KnottShore 6h ago
To paraphrase the great Mexican actor, Bender Bending Rodriquez:
- "Who is he and why should I care?"
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u/themagicmaen 6h ago
Some of these comments are case studies in how people in these forums can't just ignore a post they don't like. "This post is a waste of time," buddy you took the time to comment on it. "Who cares?" You do, apparently. Yall are under no obligation to engage with any post on this sub. Remember that and Thumper's law.
To answer OP's question: Linux just doesn't click with some people and that's fine. Appeal is subjective to the person and what they need/want to do with their computer. Live and let live. As for your friend's stance that Linux won't grow, Linux usually requires a little more more technical knowledge and research than the casual computer user cares to put in. Combine that with inconsistent UI/UX across toolkits and there are definitely some barriers to mass adoption. That said, more and more people have been willing to try Linux to escape the unique flaws of Windows and macOS, as you already know, so to say there's absolutely no shot at it growing isn't accurate. It can and will get more popular, and has already done so, despite the barriers.
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u/Tactrix1 6h ago
I think he's wrong, it's gotten way WAY more user friendly. And sure it takes some learning to get comfortable with it, but guess what, so did every single other OS in history. And by the way statistics show it's grown exponentially, it went from 1.5% market share to 7% market share this year.
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6h ago
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u/Tactrix1 5h ago edited 5h ago
Which is why I didn't say he's wrong. I said "I think he's wrong." See how that works? And to be completely honest, I don't give a fuck if I repel people, I have no interest in changing their minds. I'm simply stating the facts. If he can't understand how a 5-6% raise in people using Linux is because it's way more user friendly, then he was never going to change his mind either way.
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u/Achilles-Foot 6h ago
im not gonna lie, it seems user friendly, but every now and then you just find something very basic that just really doesn't want to work for some reason. and if you are bad at troubleshooting then it can be tough to figure it out.
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u/Flat-Improvement8679 6h ago
i agree, but this also happens with windows
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u/Achilles-Foot 6h ago
yeah and I do feel like even though windows is very widly used, the documentation and fixes for linux are way more clearly documented. though i still feel that these annoying issues happen way more often with linux. windows it will be something weird i can ignore, but linux it'll literally be like suddenly im unable to install packages or something.
that being said i really miss i3-wm, i should switch back to linux since I don't really do much gaming these days.
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u/SEgopher 6h ago
Almost every server on the planet is running Linux. The majority of mobile phones are running Linux. Almost every TV runs Linux. Linux is literally everywhere. There are street lamps running Linux. The desktop is a dying market and windows is losing market share and creating a worse and worse product every year.
Your friend is extremely misinformed, Linux has grown beyond anything anyone would have imagined 20 years ago. The entire world runs on Linux.
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u/IeGamer_ 6h ago
I would say not very accurate because people will always look for an alternative to Windows and Mac if they want it,
I switched because I didn't like how microslop wanted to force us into things like copilot spyware and preinstalled apps that nobody uses. anyways Linux just gives you the freedom of what you want to do with your computer rather than being locked into one system. I love what valve is doing with Linux and making easier for gamers to switch
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u/Green_Ad5186 6h ago
i think hes wrong about linux won't grow,it will.
but hes right about what he means . no,normal people aren't going to suddenly install linux and use it instead of windows. not happening.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
True, something needs to happen in order for a wider desktop adoption to happen.
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u/Green_Ad5186 6h ago
won't happen. windows is the default for laptop and desktop computing. its what people think a computer even means.
there is no changing that,unless the whole concept of computing changes then new players can enter(and they won't be community linux. they will be corps linux or not)
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u/Single-Virus4935 6h ago
My wife has very little experience with Linux and she figured fedora with gnome out within 15min. My mother used Linux since 2007 with no knowledge and said its easier than on her work (windows)
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u/Modem_Sound_67 6h ago
Microsoft is doing all it can to drive users away from Windows, which could provide very interesting opportunities for Linux your pal probably hasn't thought about.
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u/Artichoke808 6h ago edited 6h ago
Linux is growing regardless of what your friend thinks. If he doesn't find it user friendly then I wouldn't attempt to convert him. Whether you find it user friendly depends on a lot of things, primarily your use case and to an extent the effort you're prepared to put in.
I for example have put some effort in and it's not been without headaches but now it's way more friendly for me and my use case than Windows. All depends what you value.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
Yeah I thought about getting into the discussion with him but that’s such a deep and a very “what do you need?” conversation that getting into it would’ve turned into an argument.
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u/Artichoke808 6h ago
Yeah not worth the effort.. if someone is genuinely interested that's the time to do the advocacy work.
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u/unlokia 6h ago
Listen my friend, about 15 or 16 years ago I used to be one of these annoying, hyper worked up “Linux evangelists“, who used to (not so subtly) try to “convince“ my windows using friends that they should try my favourite operating system.
It doesn’t work, and it’s not a matter of them being “wrong” and you being “right”, you can mention it to them and give them some resources but don’t lay on the pressure or make them feel like they’ve done something wrong, because at the end of the day it’s just software, believe me I went down this route for years, and I believe I was actually quite subtle about my convincing, but it didn’t ever convince anyone to use anything.
You shouldn’t care about what other people do with their computers, it’s literally such a non-issue in the whole grand scheme of life. Leave people to their own devices.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
Oh I’m totally about people making their own choices for computers. I have CachyOs, I like CachyOS but I don’t think everyone should use CachyOS. That would just go against everything Linux stands for. I was just asking him with Linux becoming more popular if there was going to be a wider program compatibility.
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u/MatsuzoSF 6h ago
If you're looking for reassurance, your friend indeed does not know what he's talking about. But you already knew that.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
Not looking for reassurance, just wanted the opinion of others in the community.
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u/MatsuzoSF 6h ago
Fair. Well I mean the numbers are there for the adoption rates. We're past 10% in North America and steadily climbing. Usability is subjective but I feel most common desktop environments are at least as user friendly as Windows is by this point. They just might not feel user friendly to someone who is used to Windows at first.
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u/FatDog69 6h ago
He is kind of right and wrong at the same time.
Many companies use Linux servers and the interface is through the terminal. This involves scripting or lots of command-line commands. Most people do not want to fire up browsers or apps by typing in the name.
But people have created multiple desktop environments that sit on top of linux. This environment is very familiar to anyone who has used a windows operating systems. The different environments are actually more customizable than Windows.
Then - every Macintosh/macbook runs a version of Linux that is so easy to use - Apple does not even provide instructions.
In truth - Linux has recently increased in market popularity:
https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide
A lot of this is because Win10 has stopped supporting computers without the TPM module but millions of these PC's are still working just fine. So we look around, install a user friendly distro like LinuxMint and just keep using our older PC's.
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u/lmpcpedz 6h ago
I found over the years Most people who use Windows are computer illiterate, that's including my parents, my guess is Windows just made it this way. So imagine trying to figure out a whole new OS when you can barley work your email.
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u/Romantic_Legion 6h ago
Yeah my reasoning is he thinking about people genX and up, generally the most tech illiterate people ever.
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u/SiteSpecialist9200 6h ago
Who cares. Let him or anyone else use what they want. I've used linux since '98, and could care less. People will adopt it if they want.
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u/high-tech-low-life 5h ago
Linux is quite user friendly. It's just a bit picky in choosing its friends.
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u/tailurd 5h ago
Linux not being "user friendly" just means it's "unfamiliar", and the only way to make it "familiar" is use it.
Sadly, people believe that just because they've used Windows for a decade means that they're experts, therefore any time spent learning a new OS is a valid complaint against Linux.
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u/doc_willis 4h ago
sounds like meaningless use of buzzwords and small world view.
Going to sound mean, but I dont think he has a clue either.
There is much more to linux than being a Desktop OS. There is much more to being 'user friendly' than 'looking and acting like windows'.
I think you should use what you want.
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u/nene-thopu 6h ago
Woww this might be the next biggest take in history of science after einstein rejected quantum physics
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u/Arve 6h ago
Tell your friend to read this through Google Translate: https://www.gamer.no/artikler/er-linux-min-vei-til-friheten/520914
It's the experience of a non-nerdy gamer who discovered that her Windows games that no longer works on Windows still works on Linux Mint. Her only real, but minor gripe is that Telegram needs a brief visit to the command line to add a repo.
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u/inbetween-genders 6h ago
Why do you care? Thoughts?