Linux Does Not Stand a Chance

Let me state upfront: I like Linux as an operating system, and I like KDE as its desktop environment. Over the years I’ve tried different distributions, such as Red Hat, Slackware, Mandrake Linux, Corel Linux, SuSE, Linspire, Xandros. My newest Linux toy is ArkLinux.

Most Linux distributions claim they are "lightweight" and have one thing in common. I’ve tried to capture this common "feature" on the image below. Click the image to see a bigger one (PNG, 153Kb).

Look at this "collage" of first-level menus of a fresh Linux installation (sans Games), compare it with a fresh Windows XP installation and tell me why Linux has no chance of becoming the desktop OS of choice in any foreseeable future.

Any comments, straying too far into the OS war zone, will be deleted. You’ve been warned.

On this note, of all installations I liked Linspire "Five-O" the most. If you are struggling with the answer, go check ’em out.

I won't use Linux as my main Desktop OS for more reason than what you have illustrated. I've never personally noticed that many child menus on a fresh Linux installation. That's pretty messed up.

However, using Linux as a server... Well, that's a different story all together.

Yes, let's stay on the desktop subject here.

I've always been a Gnome guy. The desktop is well thought out, menu entries have names that actually mean something (like 'web browser' instead of 'firefox'). The developer culture is highly aware of usability issues as well. Try Ubuntu as a distro.

Yep, I'm going to try Ubuntu next. I'm getting tired of ArkLinux's inability to just pull down security updates. Downloading a 650M SP1 is plain ridiculous. Other than that it's quite a nice distro.

I have to agree with you 100%. Most Linux supporters think it's a GOOD thing that Linux distro's ship with everything and the kitchen sink, yet they're the first ones to yell "Bloat!" at anything Microsoft.

The inability for Linux destkop environments to properly interoperate, create (and actually support) standards for Menu and desktop functionality, and the lack of simple ease of use features like dragging and dropping icons onto menus or toolbars is just plain ridiculous.

Everyone has to reinvent the wheel, which would be fine if the wheel actually got better. Instead, we have dozens of arbitrarily incompatible wheels all trying to get you to use theirs instead of the other guys.

Linux could really do with a bit of cooperation, rather than all the not-invented here syndrome.

[Removed a post by someone who doesn't understand the usability issue we're talking about here, and who is a random troll looking for an OS war flame. Prashant, next time please stay on topic.]

So you don't like software?

Wow, most of the time I hear individuals complaining about how you do not have enough software for linux based systems. You do not need to install all that software for your machine to operate. They will only be lightwight if you install them to be and you clearly did not. I have installed my machine with all the software, and having software avaliable so I can get work done, and thus do not use windows very often.

Erik Funkenbusch - I do not understand where you get the idea of 'Everyone has to reinvent the wheel'. Everyone is using X11 :)

With your menu issue kde, gnome, and most window managers have very configurable menu systems to have whatever configuration you desire. Mine are semi-transparent, organized, and even though I have more software than you have on your photograph, I use it all, and if I don't it does not hurt anything unless I am almost out of disk space. With windows systems your stuck with one GUI and you have little stupid things that would be easy without and eat cycles + memory.

One interesting GUI that could be installed on linux and is theoreticly fully X11 compliant and is in 3D, is sun's lg3d-core desktop. https://lg3d-core.dev.java.net/

Things I do not like about generic desktop linux distributions though: Kde and Gnome takes allot of resources compaired to other window managers. Plug and play devices do not usually have a automount function. And linspire does not have a proper security model.

But that is just desktop functions..... :)

I have several distro's of Linux installed, both as servers and as desktop OSes, and one Windows (XP) machine. The XP machine exists exclusively to be able to use DirectX based games, otherwise I would have no use for Windows of any flavour whatsoever, except to test problems that clients are having (and demonstrate why they should be using Linux instead).

I really cannot fathom the loyalty of Windows enthusiasts, considering how much they complain about the "latest problem(s) with Windows ", it is only when faced with users of other operating systems that they stand up straight and chorus "Windows is great."

One thing you will not see is Linux enthusiasts whining about problems with Linux. What you will see is people cooperating to solve problems, because they can, because their OS of choice is open source and they can do something about it, instead of wait to see if and when Microsoft will acknowledge and/or fix a bug, possibly years down the road if ever.

To put it bluntly, you have a choice, you can control your computer or you can let your computer control you. Being a "control freak" of a lesser sort, it is only natural that I do not choose the operating system that tells you how and when you are going to use your computer, and chooses for you what things you are allowed to do.

Well. I use Slackware Linux for year or two mostly, and I gotta say it's a pretty good system. I run it with the fluxbox WM and I've customized everything as I like.

About the mess with the programs in Linux well first of all not all of the distributions are like that (Ubuntu 6.06, Knoppix, Damn Small Linux and some small distros-look @ http://www.distrowatch.com) Second: well in the installation process of any Linux distibution you could install some software (not all of it).Do like me install only the necessary apps used by Linux to run and then download and install the apps you want.

oh, you mean besides the fact that you get everything for FREE. Its linux for god sake if you dont like it, its not hard to fix.

Yep. Ubuntu is my favorite. Graphical, easy installation, can repartition with ease, and highly customizable(at least in GNOME it is. I've just never gotten used to KDE. Don't think it possible to customize XFCE...)
Everything is very east to use, and the support community is huge.

The only problem I can see with it is it's ability to set up wireless networks, but that will be fixed with Ubuntu 7.04, which is released April 19th, 200-this year.

You see , I like the linux interface a lot but us linux users have been through at least 2 distros as we find some of the features annoying or clumbsy, whereas windows is pretty user friendly if you exclude all the crashing and errors. Personally I like slackware most.