Linux Is Free. Why Does Nobody Use It?

RefusdClassification on 01/05/2024 - 08:59
Last edited 02/05/2024 - 10:00

People love free stuff, with the sole exception of Linux. Yesterday there was a post where you could claim a few images linked to your Steam account for free. "[Steam] Free - 2 Animated Stickers, Avatar Frame (Steam Farming Fest)". 114 upvotes (including one from me; I average 3 upvotes a day), and 2028 click throughs. Linux just isn't a few mediocre images; it is an entire, fully functional Operating System. But ordinary people (ie non-programmers, people without jobs in IT, people who aren't running or administrating servers) don't want anything to do with it. Why hasn't Linux taken off?

I think about my personal history. I guess you could say I am locked into the Microsoft Windows ecosystem. Most of the programs I run are Mfc compiles, but there are also some .Net, some Java and a few annoying Python programs that I generally have to run from the Console, like gallery-dl (+ Chainner, which has a proper GUI). I started with DOS, then Windows 95, 98 2000, XP, 7 and now 10. If I wanted to switch to another OS I would need an OS with either native versions of all the programs that I use, or seemless Windows emulation (no having to start an emulator and tweak it for every program I wanted to run, like say Dosbox). It's different for Zoomers or younger Millenials, since they haven't become ossified like me over 3 decades. They don't really have an excuse for not using Linux.

Lastly, for people familiar with Linux, what is the best version of Linux for Windows users to try (for one who hates the Terminal/Command line/Console or whatever the proper name is)?

Real world figures (the people commenting here don't seem to be a representative sample): "For desktop computers and laptops, Microsoft Windows is the most used at 72.99%, followed by Apple's macOS at 16.13%, and Google's ChromeOS at 1.76%, and desktop Linux at 3.77%. Since ChromeOS is a Linux based OS, it can be added to the total desktop Linux share bringing it to 5.53%." I'm not bashing any OS, just saying what the reality is. I'm not a Microsoft shareholder, so I have no vested interest in hyping Windows. People jokingly talk about downloading Linux ISOs, but of course what they are doing is downloaded pir8ted films and/or pornography. Raid arrays on NASes with 4 x 16TB hard disks aren't used for storing and serving distros. Lots of Windows users use free software like JDownloader2, XnView, Thunderbird for email, Qbittorent, VLC, IrfanView, 7Zip, Audacity, CCleaner, and of course Chromium based browsers (at the moment the only non-Microsoft payware exe running on my system is Total Commander, a fantastic file manager than is infintely superior to Windows explorer). Windows users like freeware; they just don't like Linux.

Poll Options expired

  • 627
    My primary OS is Windows
  • 126
    My primary OS is Linux
  • 156
    My primary OS is MacOS
  • 6
    I use another OS
  • 4
    I don't use a desktop OS; all I need is a cell phone
  • 4
    What is an OS?
Computing Linux Operating System

Comments

  • chemix88 on 03/05/2024 - 10:51
    +1

    IMO I don't think it's because people are lazy, it's because people don't care, they only have so much time in their day between work, kids / family, maintaining the household that they prioritise what's important to them. I don't think changing Operating System on their home PC would even make a vast majority of peoples list of things they would look at or be interested in, home DIY would probably be #1 on a lot of peoples lists. With the prevalence of smart phones & tablets, a lot of people probably don't use a computer outside of work. So essentially in most people's eyes, there's no net benefit in changing OS on their home PC, but there would be on home DIY or other skills.

  • lunchbox99 on 03/05/2024 - 11:17

    Linux or variants of *nix are by far the most popular computing platform in use - both iOS and android and a significant chunk of the server market hosting online services.

    The only thing it doesn't dominate in is desktop, and in terms of total eyeball hours globally desktop would only dominate mobile for work use. For personal use people are using *nix based mobile for more hours by far.

  • scotty on 03/05/2024 - 14:55
    +4

    Interestingly after over hundred of comments here, no one asked the question — what's the definition of free here? I guess Richard Stallman doesn't really browse OzBargain, and the freedom to tinker with the software you've downloaded has been most irrelevant to the end users. However the free / liberal / open source software movement over the last 40 years have significantly changed how software development is done today, and you can argue that Linux is probably one of the most successful example. Even big behemoths like Microsoft or Apple are relying on free software somewhere on their stack. If you are running Windows or MacOS on your desktop, you might still be using services provided by a Linux server somewhere.

    So almost everyone is using Linux somewhere. It's just that not many people use it has their desktop operating system.

    • lunchbox99 on 03/05/2024 - 15:04

      Exactly. Linux is literally everywhere… except desktop.

  • OzHan on 03/05/2024 - 15:25
    +3

    title should read Why Does Nobody Use It on Desktop. apart from that Linux is almost everywhere from your home routers, your NAS, your SmartTV, your webcams. the list goes on.

  • Devastator0 on 03/05/2024 - 15:54

    I've been working in IT for over 20 years and I have used both Windows based systems and Linux ones personally. Primarily, I use a Windows based device due to the fact that I play a lot of games that just do not work properly on Linux. Many of the ones I talk about are ones not available on digital services like Steam (where I know the bulk of Linux compatibility occurs) and are ones I still have on physical media or ones I've ripped to an ISO. In Windows, they install and play (for the most part) perfectly fine, but to work in Linux, it honestly takes more effort than I'm willing to put into it.

    Linux die hards or people who say that "gaming is much better these days" are not factoring in all angles of it and are (I know this is a very broad statement) just relying on the Proton compatibility layer and Steam. If you have games outside of that sphere, it's a ball ache.

  • Camelface on 03/05/2024 - 17:27
    +1

    How do I play Windows games?

  • misfitt1911 on 03/05/2024 - 17:49

    I don't work in IT, and I am not a programmer. But, I use Linux as my daily driver, because I enjoy using it, even if I have to troubleshoot. I also enjoy seeing how Linux is evolving; it is far easier to install/use today compared to what we had during the 90s. And, flatpaks make life easier to find/install software. So, you rarely need to use the dreaded terminal to compile software.

    The terminal is not hard to use though. Once you discover how to use a command, you don't need to remember how to use it, because every command you have used is stored in a history file. You can also use AI to create bash scripts, etc.

    I am not much of a gamer. But, my experience with Linux gaming is 'hit & miss'. I use WINE/Lutris for gaming. I have good success with games from GOG. But, I haven't had any success getting productivity stuff such as Photoshop, MS Office working on Linux though.

  • demomanca on 03/05/2024 - 17:52

    Games.
    If my favourite games (which are all stupid DRM stuff protected) worked I'd move in a heartbeat

  • alexdagr8 on 03/05/2024 - 20:12
    +1

    for a windows user that isn’t familiar with Linux. Use Ubuntu as your windows alternative and first Linux distribution.

    Linux is used… a lot. Often in the server side of the world.

    There used to be a saying: For every 100 IT admins that knows windows, only a few know Linux.

    Linux is used everywhere whereas windows is marketed as more user friendly. (This also ties into money, where Microsoft can market and the open source community often relied on word of mouth)
    It also comes down to familiarity, support and security. (A lot of what I say next is debatable), if you needed fast support, historically microsoft was a call away. Whereas Linux you would have to email… America? - so essentially the enterprise support wasn’t at the same level. Again this is historical - they’re likely on par now.

    Historically Microsoft would also have easier DIY fixes as opposed to Linux which might require someone to write code to patch a bug - which often took longer from an open source community standpoint.

    But also, windows has/had faster support in alot of ways (this is again debatable)
    Security updates and software fixes etc.

    Often people didn’t know “open office”, whereas Microsoft has “Microsoft office” so again, it comes down to familiarity.

    another thing to note is that even Mac OSX is based on Linux- and a lot of OS’s that have sprung up over time have been based off of a Unix based system or a Linux based kernel. Even your home wifi (modem/router/wireless access point) is based off a stripped down version of Linux.

    I suggest doing more research to understand the history but the bottom line often comes down to familiarity.

    Linux is brilliant and used a lot more than you would know, most websites use it as their back-end (front end is the website this is what you and I see) and while it’s not necessarily always “free” it is used everywhere in the world.

  • alexdagr8 on 03/05/2024 - 20:14

    If you want to run Linux on your windows machine, I can suggest using: Virtual box

    This way you get a bit of the best of both worlds and you’ll learn how to build a virtual machine.

    • skillet on 04/05/2024 - 11:28

      FYI there's a thing called HyperV on Windows.

      It is also available on Windows Home but requires ever so slightly more work to install it.

      Or just go the always free accounts from Google Cloud, Amazon or Oracle if you want something for your resume.

    • scotty on 04/05/2024 - 17:41
      +2

      Or just use Windows Subsystem for Linux.

      1. Open "Microsoft Store" on Windows.
      2. Search "Ubuntu"
      3. Click on "Get"

      and a Ubuntu distro will be installed on your Windows where you can easily run command line programs or even X11 or Wayland apps. Can't get easier than that.

  • lesher on 03/05/2024 - 23:39

    God I would love to jump to linux but it's so stupid that many peripheral companies NEVER make linux version of their app, see logitech and razer for example, as well as stuff like stream deck

    It's just so incredibly frustrating that all of those software are windows exclusive and your device won't perform 100% in linux because of this

    That and running things that are made for windows in linux is such a very annoying process, quadruple so if you are like me and play japanese games that requires your machine to also be in japanese

    Also, another frustration with linux is there are MANY types of linux, and each of them have different set of instruction as well so when you're troubleshooting something and found an old post with the fix, it might literally not WORK because it's for different flavour of linux and then you find out there is no one that ever have that issue using your linux distribution so goodluck with that and enjoy troubleshooting in the dark! What fun.

    EDIT: please, if you can explain how to run an exe installer in linux in the easiest, least complicated way without doing longass spellchanting command, tell me how to do it.

    • Crusader on 04/05/2024 - 00:12

      EDIT: please, if you can explain how to run an exe installer in linux in the easiest, least complicated way without doing longass spellchanting command, tell me how to do it.

      Wine or crossover would need to be installed.

      Eg
      wine /path/to/file.exe

      If it's in your home folder
      wine ~/file.exe

      If it's a long filename or path, use tab completion as you type ( press tab after a character or two). If the name exists, it'll complete the rest of the name for you automatically.

  • Crusader on 03/05/2024 - 23:58
    -1

    I feel sorry for anyone not learning Linux or using it. It's without a doubt the best OS post Amiga.

    There is so much choice on linux, which is largely why Windows remains on the desktop. Most people can't be stuffed to learn and end up asking others for help who happen to be running the same thing.

    Give me Linux any day and every day. It's a pleasure to use, and I don't have to deal with all the licensing BS or artificial restrictions.

    For anyone taking the leap to linux and giving it a go, Respect! Try different flavours / distro's and see what you like / dont like.
    Don't expect to know it all either, the ecosystem is so large no one can ever know it all. I've been using it full time for 24 years, and I still love using it. It's like anything, set it up to how you like it and use it to learn what you want.

    Use Ventoy to set up multiple OS's on a bootable USB or HDD if you don't want to mess around with your existing system. Setup persistence so you can save your settings on the USB. Install as many linux distro's as the USB/HDD can hold.

    Go forth and live on the edge… It's where all the fun is.

  • deek on 04/05/2024 - 00:02
    +4

    Hey, who are you calling nobody!

    I've been using Linux as my desktop for the last 15 years, for both home and work. Granted, I'm an IT professional, and one of my responsibilities has been looking after Linux servers, so I kinda know a thing or two about the system. Though it's not too hard to get into for the average user. If all you do is browse and check email, then Linux has you easily covered. If you're fine with Libreoffice, you can also do your word processing and spreadsheet tasks. Finally, Linux does have very good support for many games. Not as good as Windows, sure, but many gamers may be surprised at the support.

    I've also set up Linux Mint for my dad, on his ageing PC. All he does is browse a few sites and check his gmail, so it suits him fine, and performs a hell of a lot better than Windows did on the system.

    Interestingly, when I use a Windows system these days, the interface just feels clunky to me. Though I guess I've customised my setup quite significantly, so programs I need and desktop actions I take are just a few keystrokes away, no mouse needed. It also helps that a significant number of business systems have been converted to web apps, hence a browser is all I need to actually interact on the business side. Often not quite as nice as native, but honestly, not having to deal with the monumental mess that is Outlook, I swear this has saved me signifiant time. Except when the boss calls me in to help him with his Outlook problems. Curse you, Outlook, and your .pst storage in OneDrive folders!

    • skillet on 04/05/2024 - 11:32

      With snap and Flatpack I feel the lag on older hardware. Better install the native package for best performance.

  • EightImmortals on 04/05/2024 - 09:05
    +1

    Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but W10 loses support next year. So I can either pay exorbitant fees to get the updates, but only for three years. Keep running W10 and risk the lack of security updates or accept W11, but then I'm not sure if my system handles TPM2.

    So might just be easier to move to linux more and just boot into W10 when I want to play a game or use an app that wont run on Linux.

  • Ooops on 04/05/2024 - 10:22

    I use Linux on my machines.

  • ImpulsePie on 04/05/2024 - 11:21
    +1

    As an IT sysadmin, I like Linux a lot and it's great for running servers of all sorts. I use it to host my webserver and game servers at home and some other utils.

    I have a MBP for work (that also runs Windows in Parallels) and Windows on my gaming desktop, mainly because I don't really want to spend time troubleshooting OS issues in my free time, I do enough of that at work. I just want to be able to game with mates immediately when I want to with the least amount of issues, rather that messing around with which games work with what versions of Proton, incompatible anticheat etc. on Linux

    If the gaming experience for ALL games was perfectly 100% stable and the same performance as Windows, then I'd probably consider switching my gaming desktop over. SteamOS has made some strides in that regard, but it's still far from perfect

  • skillet on 04/05/2024 - 11:42

    Why not have both?

    Over the pass two decades I have been using a bridging program called putty.exe which has given me the choice of Windows GUI as a frontend to my Linux work servers. It works really well. Most of you bash-ers fan will know.

    Linuxmint is my preference when I need to sterile a USB flash drive. It's as good as it gets on an older platform for eg 10th gen Intel. Linux works better on older hardware, drivers gets more stable and features as time go.

    From support point of view, Linux moves quickly. If you slack off 6 months, you will have lots to catch up. Windows, maybe not too much. So lots of training mean $$$, stick to Windows.

  • TightLikeThisx on 04/05/2024 - 11:44

    I assume you are talking about desktop computers to here goes:

    1. The alternatives are free to the end consumer. i.e. when was the last time you paid for Microsoft windows or macOS?
    2. Learning a new operating system to do what we are already doing on the current operating system we are using takes effort and people aren't willing to engage in effort for no perceived gain.
    3. The software people use isn't always available on Linux.
    4. Past bad experiences.
    5. Some people don't have a choice since they are using computers supplied by their employer.
  • khell on 04/05/2024 - 13:04

    macOS for desktop work, Linux runs on all my servers including a couple servers at home. Headless though.

    Your poll is more why we don’t use Linux as the main desktop OS more. Linux-based OSes are the most popular server OS by far.

  • YoursTruly on 04/05/2024 - 14:57
    +2

    some like 🐧,
    many love 🍎,
    most live with 🪟 in their lives.

    —-

    also:
    🪟 ≠ 🍎 ≠ 🐧

    • whyisave on 04/05/2024 - 20:01
      +1

      🐧 = 🤵

  • pragmaticguy on 04/05/2024 - 18:36
    +1

    For desktop use, Linux is awesome if you are a developer and your toolset is well supported in it. In such cases you will have a great experiencie and most big distros will be great - Ubuntu, mint, Debian, fedora, etc. Ubuntu and mint are my personal favorites.

    The other use case which I think works well in Linux is a superficial computer user; which just browses the internet, watches videos on Netflix, etc. that guy will never need any sort of software and won’t mind not having much else there.

    If you are anything but a dev as described above or a superficial user, Linux by itself can cause you some trouble for various reasons.

    I personally just use windows + wsl2 (which is Linux accessible from windows), which in my opinion offers the best of both worlds.

  • Vomo on 04/05/2024 - 18:40

    Linux runs like a treat on 10 year old computers so you can use them for web browsing / watching movies

  • skittlebrau on 05/05/2024 - 14:17

    If Adobe CC ran natively on Linux, I’d easily switch to it for desktop use. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects are the only things holding me back. The open source alternatives aren’t suited for real world production use because I have to collaborate with others who also use Adobe CC.

    I quite like Fedora with KDE.

    All my servers run Debian Bookworm.

  • bobz79 on 05/05/2024 - 14:21

    Office - MacOS
    Personal - Windows 11

    Tried switching to linux many times
    * Office - didn't allow, rather give option to go Mac
    * Personal - Mac is overpriced! Tried various distros of linux (ubuntu, manjaro, zorin, mx, pop, elementary, kubuntu, deepin etc). Something is always broken and didn't have too much time and patience to tinkle!

    Common Issues:
    * Dock/multi-monitor support
    * Ultrawide monitor support
    * Software support (eg: no Google Drive client etc)
    * Printer/Scanner support
    * Trouble accessing SMB shares, shared printers, windows partitions etc

    Windows just works out of the box, mostly! These days, if you have decent hardware, windows is quite fast enough. Linux needed only if old hardware or low specs!

  • diceman99 on 05/05/2024 - 14:37

    Ironically most people have more Linux distro at home than windows.
    For example these things probably run a Linux distro.
    Android phone.
    Wi-Fi router
    Smart fridge
    Car radio head unit
    Smart watch
    Amazon Alexa
    Smart TV

    Everyone should be very grateful for Linux otherwise the Microsoft bloatware would have you rebooting all these devices and endlessly upgrading updating these devices

  • krisspy on 05/05/2024 - 18:20

    Been using Windows for decades, did dabble on Linux and hackintoah when I had a lot of free time in uni. Nowadays I rarely use the pc when my tablet/phone can do it. Just like a printer, when I do need to use my Windows machine, I just want it to work and not have to spend time on forums troubleshooting or looking for ways to install a program I need.

  • bashar20 on 06/05/2024 - 00:46
    +1

    Zorin os is the best for someone familiar with windows. You can dual boot with windows easily.

  • shaybisc on 06/05/2024 - 07:50

    I've tried a few times but in my experience little things that are easy on Windows were often hard. Like using a vpn. Like using cloud storage. Like having to use the command line all the time. Like trying get antivirus software with a firewall.

  • whitepuma on 06/05/2024 - 10:51
    +1

    I use Linux (unraid) on my home server, and if you count the numerous raspberry pi projects then i use linux there as well.

    HOWEVER
    On my Personal computer daily rig, i'm running windows.

    Every 5 years or so (since about 2005) i find myself always trying out a fresh install linux (usually ubuntu) on my personal computer or laptop (usually via dualboot or VM) in an attempt to find it as my new go-to OS. However over time i always find there are some things that it's just too difficult to use (potentially user issues), When i find a problem sometimes i can resolve it in 5 minutes whilst sometimes it takes 5+hours of me researching online and i'm still strugging to resolve it….so i usually revert back to windows.
    This all being said, i have found that my latest attempt of linux was a better experience than all prior experiences.

  • Oofy Doofy on 06/05/2024 - 13:32

    I highly recommend "Bluefin" for anyone looking to move away from Windows and have a set and forget PC.

    There are several options instead of my Bluefin recommendation, regardless. Horses for courses.

    https://universal-blue.org/

  • ihbh on 06/05/2024 - 13:44

    Linux is free

    So is Windows - after the sunk cost of it being bundled with most systems.

    OS are sticky; they are expensive (time consuming) to change; why learn another when you can do so much with the one you're familiar with?

    How many Westerners try to learn Chinese and replace their native tongue?

  • denz02 on 06/05/2024 - 15:05

    I used to use Linux but gave up when windows 7 arrived it is rock solid. Hardly ever crashed it was easy to use. In Linux everything is complicated and eventually just got tired of it.

  • paloverde88 on 06/05/2024 - 16:12

    Not stupid proof

  • leiiv on 06/05/2024 - 20:30
    +1
    • For most people, Windows is also effectively "free".
    • Linux DE is too fragmented, everyone is doing their own and none is as polished as Windows UI.
    • Most PC games are only built for Windows.
  • Doly on 08/05/2024 - 12:16

    Windows is not technically free, but it is practically free.

    1. OEM desktops and laptops all come with windows. That's like 80% of all people who use a computer. Not everyone is building their own.

    2. Anyone who has bought windows in the past could have been migrating from windows 7 all the way to 11 for free. I believe even today there are ways to still use older keys.

    3. Microsoft really doesn't care about end users buying windows. Free to install with watermark, OEM keys in the wild for dollars, activation scripts hosted on Github (which they own) that can be run with a one line command.

  • CascadeHush on 08/05/2024 - 16:51
    +1

    Here's my issues with linux this week - apps that have no configuration options provided through the GUI that you have to look up config files just to set basic stuff. Apps downloaded from the distros store that download and install but don't work. Copy and paste no longer works across a VM because of security changes that make that impossible to implement (this basically makes Linux useless to the small percentage of people like me who actually want to give it a go but can't afford to dedicate a whole system to it).

    And now the thing that brought me here to make a post. Even though I have sleep settings all turned off, the OS still locks itself after some arbitrary amount of time (probably, like an hour… just long enough that it stops in the middle of the podcast I'm watching).

    This is basic stuff, This is windows 95 level stuff that still doesn't work. How do you expect the average user to deal with that on top of the loss of all the programs they are used to using?

    I thought since I am now running a linux VM solely for the purpose of being a VNC client, that I may as well install some other apps from the apps store, stuff where there is no good alternative on windows, and so far literally none of the run. They launch, but all the buttons and menu options are greyed out, or the just sit there froever never actually initalizing. Stuff from the distro providers own store that is supposed to be easy to install and run… just DOES NOT WORK.

    I could talk about the sheer number of distros, and even within that there are multiple different versions to choose from and websites that do not help you to make a decision which version to download.

    I could list a whole bunch more but I really am over it all. Frankly, if you want to run a free operating system just run windows 10 with the watermark.

    Pretty much any descent serious open source application has a windows version, so fro 99% of cases if you want to run open source stuff you can do that easier and better on Windows.

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