"Many people are looking to Ubuntu to be something that it is not: A mass market ready operating system designed to work with the same level of compatibility as Microsoft Windows. Where people get confused is in believing that if Ubuntu, king of the Linux distros, is not able to take the marketplace by storm, then something must be broken with desktop Linux. In this article, I'll explain what it will take to dethrone the mighty Ubuntu and gain a market share so large that it will eclipse anything seen by Ubuntu to date." More here.
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Member since:2006-08-18
If that were true Linux would be more popular right now. Unfortuantly, marketshare speaks for itself.
What actually happens is some people embrace the open source offerings on their existing platforms and dont bother to try Linux. This is completely appropriate to the ideals of open source but offers no incentive for Linux adoption and therefore no incentive for 3rd party developers.
People are smart enough to relize that it would serve them little purpose to migrate to a different OS and be forced to learn all of it's querks/differences, just to have the same apps they have been using before on Windows, yet no access to those "other" apps--also used.
If Linux is ever going to be anything but an alternative for those who hate Microsoft then a movement needs to form that is soley dedicated to Linux/Unix and develop exclusive apps to showcase.
Edited 2007-12-07 21:50
Member since:2006-08-18
What actually happens is some people embrace the open source offerings on their existing platforms and dont bother to try Linux. This is completely appropriate to the ideals of open source but offers no incentive for Linux adoption and therefore no incentive for 3rd party developers.
People are smart enough to relize that it would serve them little purpose to migrate to a different OS and be forced to learn all of it's querks/differences, just to have the same apps they have been using before on Windows, yet no access to those "other" apps--also used.
If Linux is ever going to be anything but an alternative for those who hate Microsoft then a movement needs to form that is soley dedicated to Linux/Unix and develop exclusive apps to showcase.
I'd also like to add:
Most people care about applications not operating systems. Linux users like us, care more about the operating system and ideology than the applications because the applications just aren't very interesting nor exclusive to the platform.
This is in complete contrast to the typical, no techy Windows user.
Edited 2007-12-07 22:05
Member since:2006-02-05
That is actually a major problem is linux advocacy. You have people who assume that if they can sell you on the idea of open software, they can sell you on the idea of linux. This is far from true, there is plenty of open software on windows and mac. Switching to firefox will get someone no closer to switching to linux.
Same thing with open formats. This is why everyone is flipping out about OOXML, because instead of selling governments on the importance of an end to end open platform, all the advocacy has been focused on open formats, assuming that the rest will follow and that MS will sit still and not respond to market pressure.
People need to focus. If you have decided you are going to be a linux evanglist, don't try to sell people on firefox for windows, sell them on linux. If you are trying to push for open software in governaments, push for open software, not just formats. If you are trying to sell the FSF ideology, dont even bring up specific software.
Member since:
2007-04-05
But it's not a problem. If you get used to THE SAME software on both platforms, it would be easier to switch to Linux exclusively. Thunderbird, Firefox, OpenOffice, Gimp - I use it every day on both platforms and that suits me just fine.