This isn't even remotely accurate. The average person isn't a PC gamer.
The reason is because for the average person, Windows "works". It works with the applications they know, it looks and acts like they remember, they can get it repaired, and there is zero incentive to change.
Furthermore, Linux isn't as user-friendly as Windows on the desktop. The average user doesn't give a fuck about the terminal, privacy, ads, or any of the shit other people care about.
When someone creates a distro that has 99% support for all Windows applications, zero maintenance, no need to ever touch a terminal or change a config file, and comes preinstalled on the crappy machines they buy from the supermarket, then Linux has a chance.
The average user does not use a variety of apps either. All they need is a browser, a rich text editor, a simple image editor, a video player and maybe a messenger. All but the browser can be effectively substituted by web apps nowadays, so the browser is pretty much the only thing they really need. But then, they're better off with a chromebook, as it doesn't offer as much options to brick itself.
Honestly, I’d love a “Your Grandma Can’t Brick This” distro.
Numerous times I've heard Linux Mint be referred to as exactly this! :)
The funny part is some distros like that are perfect for the other extreme that basically just needs a browser and maybe a way to write letters or print things.
Mint is very GUI-heavy and tries to keep itself out of the box and simple to maintain while staying out of the way.
...and tech support scammers have no idea what "a linux" is half the time, for added benefit. Lol
IMO Mint is more “Your Mum Can’t Brick This”. I wouldn’t hand it over to my grandma and expect to not get a call in the future saying it’s all gone to shit 😂
Ahh you have one of those truly destructive force-of-nature grandmas that no UX can stop from working over a system until it begs for a complete reformat!
I feel for you <3
... Maybe keep a remote access service like RustDesk handy if she's more than a few miles away then. 😆
... And install with BTRFS and Timeshift rollbacks.
Haha but I've seen it posted multiple times: "I set them up with it and my phone stops ringing for tech support calls and they're happy with it!" haha. Some like to learn, some don't sadly.
But YMMV, depending on the appetite for chaos wielded by one's particular gran-gran. XD
The devil is usually in the details.
OSS rich text editors work, but then you send out the document to someone who has Word and they complain about the formatting since it doesn't translate some times.
Messenger app experience usually goes "Native Windows > Web app > Linux", at least in the few corporate I used. Stuff like Lark not even being up to date with their web app and Telegram having strange interactions with some window managers.
It works and I gotten people to use raspberry pi instead of their windows computers, but it just feels very unpolished overall.
And then there's the whole package/flatpack/snap/cosmopolitan thing
True, but Chromebooks are a type of Linux as well.
When someone creates a distro that has 99% support for all Windows applications
This seems to be a common misunderstanding.
It's not that Linux doesn't support Windows applications, it's that the developers of those applications chose to only support Windows. They are different OSes that require executables targeting the platform.
Expecting Linux to run .exes built for Windows is like expecting the sea to support your car
Ah - so wine is a lie?
The fact that most pcs ate sold with windows preinstalled is a strong factor too.
"the norm" part isn't accurate, but if it could match gaming performance/compatibility I know a lot of people who would switch. Myself included.
And seeing as how 2% isn't a very large percentage (but I think the number of gamers who are sick of windows, or have privacy concerns is quite large), I think it would be a notable increase in the userbase.
Even an increase to 2.5% market share is a 25% boost. A lot of products would be very excited indeed to boost their market share by 25%.
It might even light a tiny, tiny fire under Microsoft that they can't just keep being shit with no consequences.
This isn't even remotely accurate. The average person isn't a PC gamer.
The reason is because for the average person, Windows "works". It works with the applications they know, it looks and acts like they remember, they can get it repaired, and there is zero incentive to change.
Furthermore, Linux isn't as user-friendly as Windows on the desktop. The average user doesn't give a fuck about the terminal, privacy, ads, or any of the shit other people care about.
When someone creates a distro that has 99% support for all Windows applications, zero maintenance, no need to ever touch a terminal or change a config file, and comes preinstalled on the crappy machines they buy from the supermarket, then Linux has a chance.
The average user does not use a variety of apps either. All they need is a browser, a rich text editor, a simple image editor, a video player and maybe a messenger. All but the browser can be effectively substituted by web apps nowadays, so the browser is pretty much the only thing they really need. But then, they're better off with a chromebook, as it doesn't offer as much options to brick itself.
Honestly, I’d love a “Your Grandma Can’t Brick This” distro.
Numerous times I've heard Linux Mint be referred to as exactly this! :)
The funny part is some distros like that are perfect for the other extreme that basically just needs a browser and maybe a way to write letters or print things.
Mint is very GUI-heavy and tries to keep itself out of the box and simple to maintain while staying out of the way.
...and tech support scammers have no idea what "a linux" is half the time, for added benefit. Lol
IMO Mint is more “Your Mum Can’t Brick This”. I wouldn’t hand it over to my grandma and expect to not get a call in the future saying it’s all gone to shit 😂
Ahh you have one of those truly destructive force-of-nature grandmas that no UX can stop from working over a system until it begs for a complete reformat!
I feel for you <3
... Maybe keep a remote access service like RustDesk handy if she's more than a few miles away then. 😆
... And install with BTRFS and Timeshift rollbacks.
Haha but I've seen it posted multiple times: "I set them up with it and my phone stops ringing for tech support calls and they're happy with it!" haha. Some like to learn, some don't sadly.
But YMMV, depending on the appetite for chaos wielded by one's particular gran-gran. XD
The devil is usually in the details.
OSS rich text editors work, but then you send out the document to someone who has Word and they complain about the formatting since it doesn't translate some times. Messenger app experience usually goes "Native Windows > Web app > Linux", at least in the few corporate I used. Stuff like Lark not even being up to date with their web app and Telegram having strange interactions with some window managers.
It works and I gotten people to use raspberry pi instead of their windows computers, but it just feels very unpolished overall.
And then there's the whole package/flatpack/snap/cosmopolitan thing
True, but Chromebooks are a type of Linux as well.
This seems to be a common misunderstanding.
It's not that Linux doesn't support Windows applications, it's that the developers of those applications chose to only support Windows. They are different OSes that require executables targeting the platform.
Expecting Linux to run .exes built for Windows is like expecting the sea to support your car
Ah - so wine is a lie?
The fact that most pcs ate sold with windows preinstalled is a strong factor too.
"the norm" part isn't accurate, but if it could match gaming performance/compatibility I know a lot of people who would switch. Myself included.
And seeing as how 2% isn't a very large percentage (but I think the number of gamers who are sick of windows, or have privacy concerns is quite large), I think it would be a notable increase in the userbase.
Even an increase to 2.5% market share is a 25% boost. A lot of products would be very excited indeed to boost their market share by 25%.
It might even light a tiny, tiny fire under Microsoft that they can't just keep being shit with no consequences.
Competition (sometimes) breeds innovation.
Tis a lie!