I’m a big fan of Linux, I use it professionally and personally however it is NOT to the level of usability that Mac OSX and Win 7 have. The Linux community has been saying for 10+ years that Linux would be the desktop OS of choice for a majority of users but it’s not going to happen. Why? For the exact reason that makes Linux a powerful, scalable and open platform....it’s *too* open and thus development is fractured and not refined. As a result, there’s very little polish on the user experience side and that alone will turn off a vast majority of people. Not to mention the average user has no desire or use for a command shell which is the core of using Linux.
Apple got it right with development of OSX. They started with a base of BSD and built a polished, centralized and controlled GUI; yet the user has the ability to use the power of BSD. Anyone that has had to get wireless working on an Ubuntu laptop without native drivers will agree that Linux isn’t giving MS or Apple a run for their money. Is there a place for Linux? Absolutely, IMO it’s the server platform of choice and can be a powerful workstation for specialized use but it’s not going to be the everyday computer for most users.
Yeah, Anyone who still thinks Linux is going to take over the desktop is insane.
I can just see “Mom & Pop” building the kernel for every machine they own.
Why did you install it on the laptop without trying the live CD first to make sure everything worked? It’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen Linux not work with any piece of hardware. I’m sure it happens, but it’s pretty rare these days and certainly preventable. Certainly can’t say the same for OSX, which has no live CD and doesn’t work with a huge lot of hardware out there, because it’s only made for Apple’s designer hardware.
I find the UI of Ubuntu and Mint quite pleasing. Windows 7 lifted some key UI features from Linux, which made it a lot nicer to use, but I still prefer Linux. Especially with Compiz Fusion enabled.
Haven't done that in a long time. Xubuntu 9.04.
I see your appraisal as honest, but yet the potential is still there, If Linux could do with an OS what Firefox has done with the browser (far far superior to IE8) then it would be more used.