this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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"The vast majority" is useless if the hardware someone has doesn't work, and you usually don't get official support and warranty from the manufacturer for Linux. There are also some categories like webcams, audio equipment or fingerprint readers where Linux support is still notoriously bad. And even if something mostly works, it's fairly common for some hardware to have missing features, instabilities or minor issues on Linux. E.g. my mouse works on Linux ofc, but the software to set and edit profiles doesn't.
Usability issues are mostly cases where you have to fall back to the terminal. An example from my experience would be that trying to upgrade the system from the app store fails half the time, so I have to use the terminal. Another would be a failed boot or graphics issues due to a broken Nvidia driver installation or messed up SELinux policies. It's all fixable in the terminal, but good luck if you can't use that.
I would not agree that is common at all, these are edge cases and I bet your mouse works with piper.
plus soon immutable distros will fix any chance of system breakages, and it's not like similar things don't regularly happen on windows.
How much are you willing to bet? I give a hint, there is an open issue from 2016 on their GitHub about supporting the manufacturer of my mouse. And that's pretty much the point, because on Windows I just get the software with the box and that's it. Of course it's closed source and stuff, but it still provides a better experience than no support at all. And that's just one example, Linux also can't use the highest available resolution of my webcam, and the fingerprint reader on my laptop has been completely unusable on Linux from day one.
Immutable distros fix most boot issues, in the sense that you can undo a failed change, but that's about it.
Ofc Windows has its fair share of issues, but it just doesn't break as much in my experience. Probably because they have orders of magnitude more people working on finding and fixing consumer issues, incl. from 3rd party device and software manufacturers.
I'm sorry, but you're lying to yourself if you think consumer support is on par with Windows. It's getting closer and closer every year, but we are not there yet.
You can not agree with OP, but that doesn't change reality. Linux is a pain to use for a regular user. Linux doesn't support some programs that people depend on and have learned to use. Those things aren't an issue for Windows, people don't need to look around for fixes.
I get it, you like it. But the reality of it is - it's a niche operating system for home use for a reason.
I don't agree that it's a pain for the regular user, I think it's a pain if you use niche software, or software that's designed to not run on linux intentionally.
Outside of that, it works perfectly fine. The vast VAST majority of users will not miss any software.
I've dealt with enough regular uses to know that no, it's not good for regular users. But you do you - I know that it isn't ready.
I've done the same, I don't think windows is ready for normal users.
Demonstrably false.
Weird that Linux can't run some applications written specifically for Windows. It's a nitpick, but your sentence should be "some programs don't support Linux", because the issue isn't with the OS, it's with the developers of the software.
In any case, outside of some specific examples, most Windows software actually does work on Linux thanks to Wine and Proton.
Maybe not, but they need to look around for fixes to dozens of other issues that shouldn't exist. Like getting rid of ads in your OS.
Who gives a shit what's the reason a critical program isn't running on linux? It doesn't work. That's what counts to me, a user of this program. I won't switch to linux as long as the things I need don't work there. I won't learn alternatives simply to be able to say "I use linux". A lot of people share that sentiment, since for them, the OS they are using is a tool, not a way of life.
Perfectly fine, but it doesn't discount what I said before.
You're right about this also. I want my OS to work for me and I want to not have to fight against the OS to get things done. For me that's Linux. When I used to use Windows regularly it was nothing but annoyance and hindrances.