Well I can tell you why Linux does not have a higher adoption rate: toxic shit like this.
Na the biggest and main reason why Linux doesn’t have a higher adoption rate (on desktop) is that it’s not preinstalled on the devices you buy.
There are obviously other factors but they are miniscule in comparison
Most people don’t want to have to use a cmd line to use their PC.
Edit: Seriously, why is it such a confusing prospect to linux users that linux is difficult. Literally, every thread on here comparing distros is filled with
“I used debian, but I had to update it every day or my graphics drivers would fail.”
“Oh to fix that regularly occuring issue, just type ‘cgreg320 -I1I0O xx /*poweruninstall the year your motherboard was manufactured’ into the command prompt.”
“Oh yeah, Nvidia graphics cards, AMD motherboards, Steam, Chrome, Adobe products, left-handed mice, and the letter F are unsupported on this distro.”
Windows is easy. Not great, but easy.
Cmon, this might have been true 15 years ago, but my grandma has been using Mint for 5 years + and TRUST ME she don’t know shit about Bash. Big distros work OOTB today, as soon as you stick to regular use you’ll never see a shell in your life.
I know people who use linux mint (or other distros that aim at user friendliness) who literally never have to touch the command line. This claim that you need to use the command line was true 5 years ago, but today it is largely false.
I am in a Linux User Group and I am literally the only person who uses a tiling window manager (I use hyprland) instead of DEs like kde, gnome, cinnamon, etc.
“Seriously, why is it such a confusing prospect to Linux users that Linux is difficult?”
Because honestly? It really isn’t. A couple of years ago, maybe it was hard, but now, Linux is easy to pickup and learn; so easy even someone like me who has zero programming/coding skills (not my profession) and still kinda thinks typing stuff into the terminal is basically black magic was able to pick it up and adopt it with very little hiccups and set it up for my ma on a seperate computer with no problems on her end. Unlearning Windows? That’s the hard bit, especially if you go into Linux (or even Mac, as was the case with me a long time ago) thinking it’s Windows with another skin instead of different beast althogether that has it’s own quirks one needs to get used to, just like with anything new (and just how the majority are used to Windows’s own quirks). That’s where you’ll start having a bad time.
All the parrots doing Ubuntu bashing over the last few years are really hurting adoption in my opinion. It still is the best Linux OS for new users for many reasons, even if there are many other ones that might be better suited for other uses or preferences.
Riddle me this—I’ve used Windows, MacOS, Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu to host a Plex server over the last 12ish years, and Ubuntu has been the most stable, hands down. Currently I’ve got a bunch of VM’s on ProxMox, but Plex still hums away on an Ubuntu Server LTS VM without a hitch.
I have plenty of reasons to chose other distros for specific needs, but when I want something to just work and be easy on me, Ubuntu is the right choice, and it is definitely a solid place for anyone to start getting into the Linux way of life.
No riddle really. The last time I checked, Ubuntu was the most used server Linux OS. Just like RHEL, it’s tested for and used in the enterprise, but unlike RHEL, everyone gets the same copy, including you and me. It follows that it should be solid. A big part of that comes from Debian of course, but there’s additional testing and patching in Ubuntu. It’s no wonder it just works.
I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux.
Oh no, I can no longer tell if you are serious or making fun of the people who are serious.
This is parroted all the time, all the while linux is doing just fine.
Why is adoption rate such an important metric?
Serious answer: we need a sizeable installed user base so that the cross-platform developers don’t leave us behind. I found this article to be a pretty compelling analysis of how dependent we are on “scraps” from MacOS/Windows versions of web browsers, and how the Mozilla foundation might not prioritize desktop Linux if it runs into financial difficulties. The recent Red Hat controversy also reminds everyone of how dependent Linux as a whole depends on financial backing from deep pocketed corporations.
Is this the best this sub can do? Just rehashed “I use x btw” memes ?
No time for distrowars
…says the guy that makes a meme shitting on users of every other distro.
I see this always get commented, but I don’t get it, what’s the right way to use it?
In this meme template both the lowest and highest IQ should say the same thing
Lol. Arch for desktop, Debian for servers is where it’s at, IMO.
I had a girlfriend who used Debian back around 2005.
Never have I been around an OS that didn’t work as often as Debian. It wouldn’t crash, but need to be updated or something every hour. It was a full time job keeping it running for her.
wdym, updates every hour? we’re you using Stable?
Even Arch doesn’t have updates every hour
Every hour was obviously hyperbole. It would break often. Normally due to some issue that would pop up, most often drivers.
She did run on unstable and had a fetch for updates automated every evening. Her goal wasn’t a stable OS, but to be at the forefront of testing. She knew no programming, so it meant that she would report bugs and have a box with a giant fan that didn’t run anything most of the time. She made bad choices.
I’m sure stable Debian is stable. I’m sure it’s gotten better in the past 15 years, but the fact my experience with Debian was an unstable mess that was more of a job than a useable system makes me suspicious of the distro.
man, i wish i would ever have a girlfriend that even knows what Linux is.
If you run testing or unstable there will be updates available very very often. But, you choose when to update, you don’t need to update anytime an update is available.
You should know what you’re doing and expect this if you’re running it. Otherwise, you should use stable. With stable, you’ll typically just have security updates until you choose to update to the next stable, which typically is released every other year.
