- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Tell me why linux wouldn't work for a large majority of residential users
Posted on 8/14/14 at 5:30 pm
Posted on 8/14/14 at 5:30 pm
I'm assuming most people just use web, email, printing? Some .doc creation/editing and spreadsheets?
What does your average user at home need that linux couldn't easily handle?
There must be something I'm overlooking.
What does your average user at home need that linux couldn't easily handle?
There must be something I'm overlooking.
6
Posted on 8/14/14 at 5:34 pm to Casty McBoozer
It would be great if you never, ever, had to fool with anything under the hood. Installing/uninstalling software, drivers, customizing things, etc is more of a "hands on" experience than a lot of people would be willing to learn. Say what you will about Windows, if you can click on a dialog box you can do just about anything that needs doing.
I'm not cracking on Linux, I'm running Mint right now. I love Linux, but doing what should be mundane things can be frustrating if you're not a guru with terminal commands.
ETA: It's worth it to me not to have to worry about malware, and to have nearly the Mac experience without paying Mac prices.
I'm not cracking on Linux, I'm running Mint right now. I love Linux, but doing what should be mundane things can be frustrating if you're not a guru with terminal commands.
ETA: It's worth it to me not to have to worry about malware, and to have nearly the Mac experience without paying Mac prices.
This post was edited on 8/14/14 at 5:36 pm
Posted on 8/14/14 at 5:44 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
Installing/uninstalling software
I'd argue that this is much, much easier on Linux, so long as your repository has what you need, and it typically does. Plus everything stays up to date without a dozen different programs popping up shite in your system tray.
Posted on 8/14/14 at 5:46 pm to Korkstand
quote:
so long as your repository has what you need,
I've had some bad luck with that. Finding a driver that works with a Canon printer I bought has been a real pain in the arse. On the rare occasion when I need to print or scan, I just boot up windows.
This post was edited on 8/14/14 at 5:49 pm
Posted on 8/14/14 at 6:48 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
I've had some bad luck with that. Finding a driver that works with a Canon printer I bought has been a real pain in the arse. On the rare occasion when I need to print or scan, I just boot up windows.
Yeah, drivers have been an issue but it is getting better every day.
Linux isn't QUITE there yet...but it is close. Most of my PC use is internet and gaming. Gaming is still a ways away. Improving, but not ideal. I do have a 2nd build and a laptop I run Linux on though (Ubuntu and Mageia).
Posted on 8/14/14 at 7:20 pm to Casty McBoozer
The vast majority of residential users would be absolutely terrified to perform actions in the command prompt.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 12:24 am to Korkstand
quote:
I'd argue that this is much, much easier on Linux
Sudo apt-get update mySO
If only life were as easy as (Debian-based) Linux.
Back before GNOME turned really terrible, i think it would've had better success. The current launcher is just not very good, comparatively, in my humble opinion.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 12:26 am to ZereauxSum
quote:
terrified to perform actions in the command prompt.
There's an "App Store" inside Ubuntu. It comes with a stock, mainstream web browser. It can semi-easily install most Windows applications. It's about as intuitive as Windows before cracking Terminal features. What exactly would the users being described need to so in the Terminal?
Posted on 8/15/14 at 2:08 am to Jim Rockford
quote:I was told I was an idiot for criticizing linux & printers
Finding a driver that works with a Canon printer I bought has been a real pain in the arse
Posted on 8/15/14 at 4:48 am to Hopeful Doc
quote:
What exactly would the users being described need to so in the Terminal?
If you're not mawmaw who only uses her computer to check email and keep up with her grandkids on facebook, you'll eventually find something you need to tweak. I'm far from a power user, and I have to bring up the command prompt semi-regularly for one thing or another.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 6:16 am to Casty McBoozer
quote:
There must be something I'm overlooking.
The fact that Windows costs less than $100 and is rolled into the price of the computer they buy anyway. We aren't talking about major savings here.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 6:49 am to Jim Rockford
quote:
If you're not mawmaw who only uses her computer to check email and keep up with her grandkids on facebook
With tablets making a large impact in the home pc market, I think it's more than just mawmaw who is doing this. There are some pretty basic/beginner distros.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 7:56 am to ZereauxSum
quote:
The vast majority of residential users would be absolutely terrified to perform actions in the command prompt.
There is absolutely zero reason for "the vast majority of residential users" to EVER need to open a terminal and start typing commands. Modern distros of Linux are more simple to administer through the GUI than modern versions of Windows. I use the terminal for certain tasks because thats the way I learned it 10ish years ago and my line of work requires it. However, everything the common user needs to do can be accomplished in the GUI
This post was edited on 8/15/14 at 7:58 am
Posted on 8/15/14 at 8:45 am to Casty McBoozer
quote:
Tell me why linux wouldn't work for a large majority of residential users
An easy out of the box (computer box) set up? Most people don't buy OSes, they buy computers. You get Dell to start shipping boxes with Ubuntu or whatever the most consumer friendly version is and then it might start making it's way into the home. I guess to a certain extent Chromebooks are the first iteration of "linux" for the consumer.
quote:
What does your average user at home need that linux couldn't easily handle?
This might be a bit above the "average users" head, but one advantage I've always found with Windows vs. Linux is that if I have a problem it's very easy to find a wealth of documentation and solutions online for Windows, this is not the case for Linux, at least not the command line varieties I deal with for web serving.
This post was edited on 8/15/14 at 8:47 am
Posted on 8/15/14 at 8:51 am to TigerinATL
quote:
This might be a bit above the "average users" head, but one advantage I've always found with Windows vs. Linux is that if I have a problem it's very easy to find a wealth of documentation and solutions online for Windows, this is not the case for Linux, at least not the command line varieties I deal with for web serving.
you sure?
books too
This post was edited on 8/15/14 at 8:53 am
Posted on 8/15/14 at 9:01 am to TigerinATL
quote:
This might be a bit above the "average users" head, but one advantage I've always found with Windows vs. Linux is that if I have a problem it's very easy to find a wealth of documentation and solutions online for Windows, this is not the case for Linux, at least not the command line varieties I deal with for web serving.
When I first downloaded Ubuntu (10.04), the default browser search engine preferred Ubuntu discussion forums. Not only were my basic questions answered in minutes, but really deep-level stuff is abundantly discussed. All that needs to be done is teach people to use google and RTFForums.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 9:14 am to gmrkr5
quote:
you sure?
Very much so. Granted my situation is a bit different than the set up we're talking about for home consumers, but anything that needs to be done manually on a less than current system where you can't just use these software repositories to get the latest versions of a program, you are often stumbling around in the dark because the manual/command line side of Linux is populated by the type of people that came up with the RTFM acronym and would rather point you to a thick book they had to read to find the answer than share the answer with you. I once had to update a mysql installation manually and the only place I found the command line help I needed was in the comments on a less than helpful article on the subject. I think the GUI side of Linux is probably better, I know I've found plenty of soluitons for cPanel related issues, but anything old school command line relies on a population that would rather give you a manual on how to survive in the wilderness than an answer on how to catch fish.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 9:21 am to TigerinATL
quote:
Very much so. Granted my situation is a bit different than the set up we're talking about for home consumers, but anything that needs to be done manually on a less than current system where you can't just use these software repositories to get the latest versions of a program, you are often stumbling around in the dark because the manual/command line side of Linux is populated by the type of people that came up with the RTFM acronym and would rather point you to a thick book they had to read to find the answer than share the answer with you. I once had to update a mysql installation manually and the only place I found the command line help I needed was in the comments on a less than helpful article on the subject. I think the GUI side of Linux is probably better, I know I've found plenty of soluitons for cPanel related issues, but anything old school command line relies on a population that would rather give you a manual on how to survive in the wilderness than an answer on how to catch fish.
I've been working with Linux for around 10 years and hold certifications on the subject. What your saying simply isnt true. With about a 5 word goggle search I can find a step by step tutorial on how to add new repo to a yum config on any distro that uses yum. Same for apt-get for ubuntu and ever portage for gentoo.
there arent alot of people out there that need to compile their own applications, but there are just as many how-tos and step by steps for the ones you do. your Google-foo is weak
This post was edited on 8/15/14 at 9:24 am
Posted on 8/15/14 at 9:32 am to gmrkr5
I don't think we need to derail this thread anymore because it does sound like things have changed, and like I said I've found the information much more available for my more current systems. But I know how to google as well as anybody, and if there were easy to find answers when I needed them I'd have found them. Contrast that to any Windows problem where you can often find 2-3 helpful articles in the first 5 google results of your first query.
Posted on 8/15/14 at 9:38 am to TigerinATL
quote:
you are often stumbling around in the dark because the manual/command line side of Linux is populated by the type of people that came up with the RTFM acronym and would rather point you to a thick book they had to read to find the answer than share the answer with you.
quote:
anything old school command line relies on a population that would rather give you a manual on how to survive in the wilderness than an answer on how to catch fish.
This is a really, really old criticism of the Linux community, and it's really not like that anymore. Hasn't been for over a decade.
Page 1 of 3
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News