This is actually awesome to see. Sadly the main thing holding Linux back is still just momentum. And for a lot of people MS word. Even if the free suites are pretty good nowadays.
I was on Slashdot circa 1998 and people back then kept saying mainstream adoption was right around the corner. Meanwhile, 25 years later, the core barriers to entry have yet to be addressed. But Linux is gonna hit the mainstream any day now!
I think the reason for that disconnect is that what a typical Linux user wants is very different from the mainstream desktop user. Linux users want flexibility and freedom, and they don’t mind getting their hands dirty and doing a little research to get there. They’re also patient with setbacks because they believe in FOSS and their privacy.
Now, the Steam Deck’s success, I think, happens in spite of Linux. It’s a closed environnement with a very specific target hardware, so none of the usual problems with a desktop distro are gonna show up. And I’m not even sure that many Deck users realize they’re running games on Linux, to be honest. The Steam wrapper is really its own thing.
I do wish Linux would make serious headway in the desktop space… It’s just frustrating to see that, 25 years on, the main strategy remains crossing fingers and whispering “any day now.”
Agreed on most points, but if you try to do anything unusual on Steam Deck like install Heroic Launcher or get emulators working, you fully realize you are on Linux.
The main thing holding linux back is a lack of federal contracts.
Until schools are issuing Linux machines to staff and students. Until military outposts are run on Linux servers. Until your average federal employee is being issued a Linux machine, Linux will always be 3rd place.
I mean, LibreOffice is usable, but if I could pay for a linux license of Word or Excel, I would pay for it. The UX is just so much better with feature search/animations/plugin support/etc.
This is actually awesome to see. Sadly the main thing holding Linux back is still just momentum. And for a lot of people MS word. Even if the free suites are pretty good nowadays.
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I was on Slashdot circa 1998 and people back then kept saying mainstream adoption was right around the corner. Meanwhile, 25 years later, the core barriers to entry have yet to be addressed. But Linux is gonna hit the mainstream any day now!
I think the reason for that disconnect is that what a typical Linux user wants is very different from the mainstream desktop user. Linux users want flexibility and freedom, and they don’t mind getting their hands dirty and doing a little research to get there. They’re also patient with setbacks because they believe in FOSS and their privacy.
Now, the Steam Deck’s success, I think, happens in spite of Linux. It’s a closed environnement with a very specific target hardware, so none of the usual problems with a desktop distro are gonna show up. And I’m not even sure that many Deck users realize they’re running games on Linux, to be honest. The Steam wrapper is really its own thing.
I do wish Linux would make serious headway in the desktop space… It’s just frustrating to see that, 25 years on, the main strategy remains crossing fingers and whispering “any day now.”
Agreed on most points, but if you try to do anything unusual on Steam Deck like install Heroic Launcher or get emulators working, you fully realize you are on Linux.
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Don’t forget accessibility. Vision, motor, etc. sorry but the state of most of that is not so good right now.
The main thing holding linux back is a lack of federal contracts.
Until schools are issuing Linux machines to staff and students. Until military outposts are run on Linux servers. Until your average federal employee is being issued a Linux machine, Linux will always be 3rd place.
I figured they just meant that people in government jobs don’t like change.
No MS office, no sale!
And why are federal contracts being issues out for Linux for general users? Because of lack of Ms office
No it’s because of lobbying. Other countries use LibreOffice.
I mean, LibreOffice is usable, but if I could pay for a linux license of Word or Excel, I would pay for it. The UX is just so much better with feature search/animations/plugin support/etc.
Almost like Libre Office isn’t free!
But yeah, u right