Linux And Average Joe

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes explains the five crucial things, he thinks, stops the average user from adopting Linux. I agree with the reasons, but not entirely. I think Linux, at least some distributions, has gone beyond the command line and geeky picture. They are targetting the everyday home and office user.

So what keeps the average user away from Linux. Here are my reasons.

Linux illiteracy

The average user is far from being aware about Linux. For most of them it is just one of the buzzwords or computer names or hardware company or a new planet. There is a good range of illiteracy out there. Some do have the correct picture, but the one that was correct a decade ago, the one painted with command prompts, shell scripts.

I think this is by far the most important thing to overcome for Linux to be popular. The average user has to be brought up to speed with the new Linux.

Linux computer not easily available

This has been a problem even to a lot of geeks. In spite of it being around for a long time, a Linux computer is like a custom-built car. You have to look for it. How many professionals need to buy a computer, remove whatever is there and install something new. Most of the time the default environment works fine. This is where I agree with Adrian, many users are not dissatisfied with Windows enough to take trouble to create a Linux computer.

This might change soon, and can be one of the triggers for wider acceptance of Linux.

Linux is a Windows clone

The ones that do migrate from Windows to Linux are under the biggest misconception that Linux is a Windows clone. It is not! The difference is what makes it better. The difference is not only in the license and community, but in the software as well. There is no start programs, there is no Internet Explorer and there is no Word. Sure there are many more replacements, which might suit better than others, but usually many simply reject it at this point.

Of course there are themes and GUI gadgets that can make it look similar to Windows, but accept the difference to gain the most out of it.

Several components

Unlike Windows, Linux is not presented as a complete package many times. Of course you can install a distribution and get everything up pretty quickly, but a lot of times the troubleshooting might include references to kernel versions or the X-servers or the window managers. This can sound intimidating for many. Not that they are not present in Windows, but they are usually hidden from the user.

The important thing to remember is that it just sounds intimidating.

Linux is the Culprit

Usually Linux gets blamed if the hardware is not compatible or if a certain browser plugin does not work or if certain web site does not work. I agree that the user is not going to bother about finding out who is the real culprit, it is usually the one nearest to you. This, according to me, is a true problem that has been hampering adoption of Linux. Whose fault is it if the dialup modem does not have a Linux driver? Whose fault is it if the user ends up reading this question and getting lost in it?

I think the problem lies partly with everyone. The community that wants to ignore solutions, the vendor who choose to ignore Linux and party, and the user who gets easily misled by this. Imagine a scenario where Linux would have 50% share of the market, would any vendor afford to not provide a driver for it?

I think these problems can be handled. One of the most important things is to educate the user about Linux. That can lead to other solutions.