Feature article: Three weaknesses between Linux and Windows

First of all, I have to declare that I am still not an expert. I have only started using GNU/Linux since 2001, and most of my friends who read this article use Linux for much longer than me. But I have always had high expectations for Linux. This article is just to express some of my personal views, that is, I think how to make Linux seize the market of mainstream operating systems. My goal is not to say "bad talk" about open source kernels and applications, but to suggest some ideas and ideas that I think will make Linux better.

Introduction

Why is Linux still not occupying the mainstream market of operating systems? There are currently several types of Linux that can be downloaded for free, but why don't people try it? In my opinion, before Linux can seize the strategic position of the market, there are a few things that need to be solved first. I think the three things that need the most improvement are: ease of use, usability, and support from third-party software.

Is the competition late?

According to my memory, Windows XP was released in 2001 and is now being used by most PC users. Out of curiosity, I used it for a short time when I took a Linux class at a university. In my opinion, Windows XP is out of date, and it is now old. What about successors? No, at least not yet. At least not before the end of 2005 or Windows Longhorn was released in 2006.

But what if you don't want to wait for such a long time for those who are eager to experience the most advanced software and the latest technology? For most people, the possible choice is Linux. But when most of these "temporary users" think of Linux, they always think of strange guys wearing grate shirts or glasses with glasses, or something completely unknown, which makes them feel a bit flustered. Of course, there are some people who welcome Linux with open arms. Some of them are surfing or chatting online every day. Others have another fun by recompiling the kernel or using Midnight Commander to manage files.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is one of the features that Linux is improving almost every day. When I first learned to use Linux, there wasn't even a "My Computer" icon in Gnome (until Gnome 2.6 did this, unless you made one yourself). In order to see the files on the CD or hard disk, I have to learn how to browse the files by entering some commands on the terminal. These conditions are getting better, but there is still a lot to be improved.

If you have to come up with a specific improvement, I think I should mention the software installation. This refers not to installing an operating system (for which we have Anaconda or many other tools to implement), but to install and upgrade the application software. For example, in order to install KDE3.4RC1 on my system, I first found some APT libraries to download and then installed them by entering the command. However, for a Linux novice (newbie from Windows), they are used to clicking on a setup icon, then repeatedly clicking Next, and finally finishing. It is not possible here. The last time I tried to explain to a Windows user what Apt was, I saw an expressionless face.

But why don't we let Linux work the same way? To upgrade KDE you need to download about 30 packages. Recently, another more powerful lightweight desktop solution, XFCE, released an installer that shocked the Linux world. Upon hearing this news, I am happy to log in to KDE's BUG Report Wizard and tell them that it would be great if KDE did the same. But I was told that KDE will never do such an installation package, or wait until my vendor to upgrade. I was also hinted that I could use Konstruct.

For me, "waiting for your manufacturer" is thrown into the trash. I think that without the installer, Linux will never make a difference on mainstream operating systems. In addition, when the vendor releases a new version of the software, I don't want to wait 3-6 months to use the latest software. When Windows releases his latest Directx, you don't have to wait for the next version of Windows to release it, you can download it and install it. I know that KDE has Konstruct and Gnome has Garnome, but they all need a command line. What I mean by "Installer" means that you can click on the installation, then select the component and have a progress bar to show the progress. Because this is the only way to make a typical Windows user feel unfamiliar. In short, asking a new user to use the command line command is exactly when Linux loses this user.

Availability

Let's move on to the next very important topic, usability. A good example is that they just installed a brand new "Ingernet Cafe" in the lunch room, which is based on Knoppix. They just installed the CD on the hard drive of the machine and once they restarted they ran Knoppix, which is somewhat read-only. This is indeed a good practice, but they forgot to install the Macromedia flash player.

Since I am the only "Linux guy" in our department, it is my responsibility to install a flash player for everyone, because I am the only one who knows how to get it. I opened the command line window, downloaded the Gunzip package of the flash player, and then entered a few commands on the terminal, the flash file can be played normally. (A newcomer to Linux can't do this.) I even saw someone downloading the Windows flash installation package, and then clicking on it, and then wondering "how can't it?" As I said before, I think that when Linux asks users to open Konsole, it is the time when Linux fails. Although this is not a Linux error in this example, it verifies my point of view.

Linspire brings the idea of ​​"Click n Run", which is a step in the right direction. But the best option for more Linux systems is Synaptic. I think that more "click n Runs" and Synaptics are exactly what we need, or other similar easy-to-use installers, something that developers need to focus on this year. Another way is to make the downloaded installer have built-in apt-like capabilities, automatically solve the dependency problem, and can help the user to some extent.

Third-party support

Now that more and more non-Linux developers are turning to Linux, this is really exciting, but it’s not enough from what we need. . According to the current situation, most newly released PC games generally only support Windows. Maybe some developers have some fear of programming for Linux? In any case, there are a lot of new technologies that are not available in the past. For example, I found that Cedega can run Windows games relatively well, but no matter how good the programs used to convert them, Windows games only work better in their original environment. Like Cedega, there is Wine, they are not directly solving the main problems. If this situation changes, I am sure that this will be the driving force behind Linux.

Conclusion

As the leader in the operating system market, it is inevitable that Linux will be compared with it. Windows is popular among more users because of its ease of use, and it has become the mainstream operating system, and this is precisely the lack of Linux and the need for improvement. Whether it is Windows or Linux, in order to seize the opportunity in the competition, you must ensure that the user is provided with a friendly user interface.

If you have any idea, you can start Linux better, don't keep it yourself! Stick to the web and let everyone know about it. The source of Linux's power is that people use it, and your ideas may become one of the important factors driving Linux forward. If some developers read this article, let's start with an installation package that has a friendly user interface so that no one else can enter complex commands on the terminal.