Last week Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols shared five ways he believes the Linux desktop "shoots itself in the foot." Although I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment on all his five points, as an Ubuntu user I feel comfortable discussing some of what he said.
First, he discussed the lack of advertising and marketing for Linux desktops. Sure, there isn't much in the way of advertising (though there was a radio ad in Austin recently), but how could there be? With so many distributions of Linux available, many of them community-driven rather than sponsored by a commercial corporation, money just doesn't isn't available to fund heavy marketing. In reality, it isn't just a question of advertising.
When an average person goes to buy a computer, they think in terms of Mac or PC. Rarely will the operating system really come up, unless it's a question of version. They expect to see OSX on Macs (if they even know the operating system's name) and some version of Windows on PCs. That's it. Linux doesn't even come into the picture. Most regular users simply see the software as part of the overall computer package they are buying. When they do buy a computer from a retail store that has Linux (and this is quite rare) they don't know what it is and often don't have the patience to work through the differences from Windows.
Apple and Microsoft are two well-established names with recognizable brands. Advertising and marketing would certainly help GNU/Linux, but where will the money come from, and who is going to take the time to help new Linux users figure out their new systems?
Second, Steven brings up "bad techie attitude" in his article. Supposing someone switches from Windows to Ubuntu, he or she is going to have a hurdle or two to overcome in gaining familiarity with GNU/Linux. It isn't that Linux is more difficult. Indeed, I truly believe that distros like Ubuntu and Linux Mint are ready for non-geeks. The challenge goes back to what I mentioned above with Windows-accustomed users trying to learn new (to them) paths in Linux to accomplish tasks they know well how to complete in Windows. The new Linux user will likely turn to the Internet for help and end up in a forum.
My experience with forums when I switched to Ubuntu was generally positive. I asked questions, making it clear I was a newbie, and I don't remember a single derisive comment. The only aggravation was that a couple of times I posted questions and was berated for either posting in the wrong place or for failing to look for the answer before asking. I hate being told to look harder, and I actually want to learn about technology. Imagine being an average user, just trying to take a screenshot or set up Empathy, and being told to "look before you ask."
I have to give the Ubuntu forums credit for making my first experience with Ubuntu positive. Questions posed were responded to swiftly and often by more than one person. Still, why drive away good people who just want to figure out how something works on their computer?
Third, Mr. Vaughan-Nichols says there's "too much infighting." I guess I've stayed out of most of that, although my post about not showing the command line to newbies upset some folks and exposed a division of thought and philosophy in the community. I've heard of spats between Debian and Ubuntu developers (although these groups overlap in places to some extent) and have heard more than one person at NYLUG meetings speak of Slackware as somehow superior to all other distros, but I have yet to see the real, serious "infighting." Maybe once I get deeper I'll see it, but right now I don't see how it's hindering the efforts to promote GNU/Linux.
The one attitude that I believe really can limit wider acceptance of Linux desktop distros is the one that insists that all people who want to use it must become deeply computer savvy. No, they don't. Photographers will want to learn how to work well with image manipulation software, recording studies with sound software, little old ladies with e-mail and browsing, etc. That's it. A regular, average computer user should not have to become a programmer or even open a command line in order to use their computer.
See Also:
Five ways the Linux desktop shoots itself in the foot (Computerworld)
No Linux Finger Pointing, Please (InformationWeek)
Please Don't Show the Command Line to the Uninitiated (Igneous Quill)
