this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2024
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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It clearly doesn’t stop anyone from trying Linux.
What stops them is compatibility issues with apps or hardware. Otherwise, non geeky people don’t care about these things.
I’d even say that the amount of distributions or desktop environments is more scary for people.
Exactly
We go through cycles of this. People get it in their head that "linux is finally ready for mainstrream desktop usage". A lot of people "make the change" and then assess it for themselves.
But there is always this crowd of evangelists that insist on either being ridiculously pedantic or downplaying some of the headaches. And this is a perfect example of... both?
On the Windows side? Most people will never notice that. I think MS have reached the point where they don't even give users a choice after N weeks? You just go down in the middle of watching a naughty video and come up to Cortana turning on all the spyware and telling you to use Edge already.
On "Linux"? It is almost (?) always a series of special commands you provide your package manager and/or upgrade app where it feels like someone is trying to warn you at every step of the way that you WILL destroy your computer. And... it might. I am still not convinced that something didn't get borked with Fedora and plasma and I probably need to just set aside an hour or two to reformat.
The end result is largely the same (depending on what version and what distro). But it very much goes beyond "numbers are scary" and into "But you said I shouldn't run random commands I find on the internet with the word 'sudo' in them. And now I should?" territory.
Personally? I think this is actually an excellent selling point. I hate that Windows does whatever the hell it wants these days. I like that I am making a conscious effort to update my OS. And, while I dislike them in practice, I think "immutable OSes" are the way to make this palatable for the masses.
You don't know that it hasn't stopped anyone from using Linux. The reality of large numbers is that with a big enough sample size, any minor frustration (or seemingly minor) has almost certainly stopped someone from using Linux.
From that perspective, the fact that the mascot is a penguin named Tux has certainly stopped someone from using Linux, but I'm not sure that's a meaningful thing to worry about or a good reason to change it...
The same people must be terrified at the super-market