Linux Doesn’t Cost Anything - But Should It?

[angychambers]

Linux is easy to learn, highly capable of fulfilling a typical computer user’s needs, and 100 percent free. So why is it that Linux still has such a miniscule share of the overall desktop market? Maybe its gratis nature has been keeping it down. It seems that when consumers don’t know enough about a product, they judge it by its cost — and “free,” at least on a subconscious level, translates to “not as good.”
Free Is Bad? Why?

Regards

Angy

[elija]

Free Is Bad? Why?

Because people are stupid

I read that article and I disagree on the simple basis that Red Hat and SLED / SLES are not free (as in beer) and they don't dominate the world.

The fact is; most people neither know nor care what an operating system is and as a result they will just use what ever is installed by default. Making something non-free (beer*) will have no better chances of overcoming that inertia than something that is free (beer*). I wanted to say ignorance there but it has connotations that I wanted to avoid.

* That should really be Non-Free[s]Beer[/s] but it doesn't seem to do superscript

[hazel]

The fact is; most people neither know nor care what an operating system is and as a result they will just use what ever is installed by default.

Actually a lot of people aren't even aware that it is possible to install another system. I recently wrote a letter to the Civil Service Pensioner asking them why their regular computer feature was always about overcoming the weaknesses of Windows and never about using Linux, which lacks those weaknesses. The answer was that nearly all desktop and laptop computers come with Windows so people need to learn how to use it safely; only a few netbooks come with Linux.
]
Here was someone who regarded himself as a computer expert and yet he simply assumed that you can't use Linux on a machine that "comes with" Windows.

[bflance]

most people dont care about anything that involves using their brains.
Linux is diffenent than Windows or MacOS and is less "user friendly" than windows becouse most of the world got used to windows, and they dont want to try something new or better, becouse that again involves using brain.
Computer experts, technicians, administrator or developers for years using linux for various business and development needs becouse linux is much more stable, faster and better than windows, and that is something that little by little making more and more people to consider using linux as operating system.

Have you ever seen a bank that will use its database on Windows server pc?
never
they would rather use Unix based servers.
same goes with most web server on internet, apache rules there as well.

so if you are asking where linux is standing today, answer is simple.
Linux is strong in server enviroment, but on user pc desktops windows is still major OS.

[techieMoe]

Free Is Bad? Why?

Because in the Microsoft Windows world (which makes up 90%+ of the home computer market) users are used to seeing "free" apps that are full of ads or malware. The concept that something can be "free" and also "quality" are just simply not compatible in their minds.

Applications like Firefox and OpenOffice are doing well to help try and change that perception, but it's an uphill battle.

[MASONTX]

I think the problem is two fold. 1) consumers percieve windows as coming with the computer at no extra cost. If computers were priced with or without windows, more people would look for an alternative. As a linux convert it is frustrating to have to really hunt for a computer that comes with no OS, or buy one with windows, then wipe the drive.
2) Most non-linux people think that the learning curve would be too steep to have to learn linux. Ubuntu helps, in that it doesn't force you to learn file systems, permissions, mounting, etc. It lets you load a system and use it with only the learning of what menu your ap is on and the neame of the ap that does what you want.
IMHO the biggest deterent to more people trying linux is "experts" who want to throw newbies in at the deep end to sink or swim. What I mean is we should point newbies to distro's like Ubuntu and tell them how easy it is to use without having to get into command lines. Some "experts" lead newbies into believing that they will need to learn all about file structures, permissions, and dozens if not hudreds of command line instructions. Unless they are really into computers, newbies are intimidated by this.

[Miller88]

What article?

It's a bunch of things, we can't just pin one on why people won't use Linux.

Here is what I think of:
1 - It's different, I don't know how to use it
2 - "My programs don't run"
3 - "Windows works fine for me"

There's a lot of people out there that don't know it's out there and that, for most things, it would be better.

@Masonx

You got it right with the throwing newbies off the deep end. When I "learned" linux in college, we started off the wrong way , IMO. Instead of installing it and getting familiar with it as a desktop os and resolving minor issues, we started right away doing drivers, manually mounting thumbdrives, recompiling kernel ...

Start slow then move up

[techieMoe]

IMHO the biggest deterent to more people trying linux is "experts" who want to throw newbies in at the deep end to sink or swim. What I mean is we should point newbies to distro's like Ubuntu and tell them how easy it is to use without having to get into command lines. Some "experts" lead newbies into believing that they will need to learn all about file structures, permissions, and dozens if not hudreds of command line instructions. Unless they are really into computers, newbies are intimidated by this.

I would agree, and give this forum as an example of how NOT to alienate new users. I had a similar issue when I was trying to learn FreeBSD a few years back. The forums I posted to consisted mostly of "read the friendly manual" and "geez, you don't know that?"

[MASONTX]

I have to compliment this forum for helping newbies instead of chasing them away. I joined several forums initially, but have stuck with this one because of the people. At some of the others it seemed like a private chat room for insiders with newbies ignored, others had the attitude that if you weren't willing to learn how to script for yourself, you had better go back to windows.

[Dave68]

I recently started using Linux as an OS. Have I had problems? Yes, off and on, but thus far every forum I've been to has been very helpful. (LinuxMint, Ubuntu and LinuxForums).

I really have no complaints with the assistance I've been given, but I have seen both types while reading through several Posts. I'm also pretty sure that I will ask a question that has already been asked because I didn't specify an appropriate Search Parameter. For that, there will be those that will berate me and dub me Stupid.

I truly enjoy the experience I have had with Linux, although minimal, but I enjoy learning new things, so Linux is right up my alley.

Thanks All,
Dave