If Linux is so great, why aren't more people using it?

Question

I got into a Windows vs. Linux discussion not too long ago. I took the Linux side of the argument. And in the middle of the discussion, he asked me, "If Linux is so great, why aren't more people using it?"

I came up with a quick answer there, and later gave him a longer answer once I had a chance to think about it, but I wanted to know what you thought.

(Please no two-word "Linux sucks" type answers... if you don't like Linux, that is fine, but please say why you don't like it.)

Answer 1

Two Words inertia and ignorance. How many people think the Internet is a blue "E"? Microsoft was the first with an operating system for the IBM and clones, aka the PC, and they got PC makers to put it on every computer. As far as most people are concerned a PC is a Windows computer, if it uses something else it is something fringe and strange like a Mac, which is also a PC with another operating system. Just educating people that there is something else is the first step in having more people use it. I got my non geek neighbors to use it, they like it better than Windows. There are Myths from past limitations and misinformation. Linux really is easy for beginners. It works really well with sharing docs and talking to Windows computers. Not having to worry about viruses and spyware very appealing for many people. Though it's Windows app support isn't perfect, it is becoming pretty adequate.

Answer 2

Basically Linux is not more widely used because Linux is not pre-loaded on more PC's. Especially in the US. Linux is more widely used in many other countries and increasingly even governments are moving away from Windows systems. But Microsoft has a pretty firm hold and most OEM's have very little reason to begin loading Linux other than as a token gesture. And some could probably find evidence that MS even discourages their vendors from offering Linux any more widely on pre-installed systems than they currently do.

Answer 3

countless organizations use Linux, nonetheless it quite is specifically interior the server end. some organizations , you may be a great deal surprised to discover... surely do use Linux. Google! LOL! as a lot as i'd like to bash abode windows in this, the actuality is they beat quite everyone to the punch for personal computer use, (business enterprise /abode) and they have been unwilling to launch that carry. They presume they personal it, and anybody or something that tries to reinvent the wheel is both sued, threatened, or offered out.

Answer 4

1 - Most versions of Linux are not "load n go", like Windows. Computer illiterate people can not set up their machines like they can Windows machines, and many ISPs, while they can accept Linux customers, do not actively support it.
2 - Major game companies do not make versions of the popular games to run on Linux.
3 - There really have been no major advances in the kernel. Everything new from the different versions is refined and reworked, made easier in some cases, but not researched and advanced.
4 - Many people have Windows at work, and would like to be able to share files, and work seamlessly from one computer to another, and that includes people who aren't really computer illiterate.

Answer 5

Cos most people are lamers. Lamers don't like things they think complicated. They install Linux once, face any problem they did not when using windows, and never use it again without even being interested in reasons. And the reason is HANDS, not software. Some of them blame Linux because "it doesn't run some of my programs". 1) - Linux is NOT Windows. 2) If you still want Linux to be Windows, there are lots of Win32 emulators. Moreover, they don't like open source cos they don't know what to do with it

Answer 6

These are the exact reasons that I use it, but the reasons why others choose not to. These are in no particular order:

Why people don't use Linux:

1) It doesn't do everything for you. You need to think about what you are doing because it is not "plug and play." It's like when I asked my buddy "Why do you use Macs?" He said that he "doesn't care what the operating system does, he just wants it to work..." There are those who don't care how calculators figure out problems as well.

2) There's too many different vendors making it, which one is best? The competition makes it better, but picking a clear winner out of the pile makes it difficult to select one.

3) Poor "advertisement" and lack of vendor support. Most manufacturers don't offer it because they'd have to support it and people who do choose it have to step out on a limb and figure it out. Newer versions of Linux are really easy to use compared to the days I started using it in Slackware 1.0...

4) Poor game support. My computers serve purposes like being a server, desktop, firewall. I don't play, so I don't care about this.

5) Difficult to update and keep updated. Compare to Windows simple point and click to Windows update and Office update. Of course, I think people disregard the fact that you have to separately update Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, Winzip, etc and simply don't do it. Some don't update at all...

6) It's more difficult to secure than Windows. Saying this is probably going to cause some argument about it, but it's true. Yes, I feel that overall, Linux starts out more secure than Windows, but because of reason 5 and because people don't understand things like putting realistic firewalls on ALL Linux systems, don't understand exactly what they are loading when they install it (so they load everything), and the lack of selection of virus protection for Linux systems (although most feel it is impervious to viruses...), I think that over time, they become less secure than a regularly patched Windows system. In case you want to argue this, think about sendmail or bind. They've had their share of root level security flaws and if you're not up to watching the lists of vulnerabilities, you quickly fall susceptible to being owned.

7) Lack of training on it. People go through high school and possibly college on a Windows based platform. Unless you're an engineer, computer science/technology, science, programming major or a hacker/cracker, you probably see nothing other than a Windows based system. Do you think you're going to want to switch to something foreign after you've already had 5-8 years of experience on it? Nah.

8) Black box thinking. People want to put something in and get a result. They don't care about the inner workings of the computer. They use it to accomplish a job. That's why I think others choose Windows because it's "magic."

WG

Answer 7

The biggest advantage you have for windows is the number of applications taht you have around it. The ease of installing as well as installtion of drivers and other software is the biggest advantage. Anyone can use windows, Its just an OS. You dont need to spend hours on figuring out how to use the OS. I presume thatz the way it shudbe.In my case I never managed to get my boradband modem properly configured and workinfd, and thetre was little or no help available, wheras in windows dont even remember configuring it. Then what abt Itunes for my ipod. Linux developers forget one thing. You have to make it very user friendly for peoplr to use. There shouldnt be anything like learning to use an OS.

Answer 8

Fear and laziness. It takes a bit to learn Linux and people would rather be able to point and click on AOL than to think about it or learn something new. I agree with you ... Linux rocks.

Answer 9

I'm on Linux now, but it took some "geeking" to get to work
the way I want it. Most people just want what's easy.

Answer 10

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