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Windows is still the desktop OS for the majority because you can't walk into Best Buy or Frys and buy a Linux laptop or desktop. There was a small window with t
by ZanyProgrammer 10y ago
Windows is still the desktop OS for the majority because you can't walk into Best Buy or Frys and buy a Linux laptop or desktop. There was a small window with the early netbooks, but that's it. My kingdom for the ability to walk into Frys and buy Dells XPS 13 with Ububtu.
- bluedino 10y ago>> you can't walk into Best Buy or Frys and buy a Linux laptop or desktop. Nobody has a reason to. Not at least to buy one over a Windows 10 PC (or a Mac, or a Chromebook). The people who want/need to will just buy one, stick a USB stick with Ubuntu on it and go about there business 15 minutes later.
- ZanyProgrammer 10y agoOr 15 hours or days later, after they've fixed the inevitable issues with installing *nix on a Windows PC.
- zanny 10y agoTechnically if given the choice and broad availability almost any Linux DE is less resource intensive than Windows (and uses much less disk space) so you can shave multiple kinds of bucks off the hardware costs. There is also a real benefit to users (the kind that don't care about ethics / privacy / control of the hardware and who think they can download more ram) that Linux desktops maintain their UX very consistently. Gnome 3 changed a lot, but MATE, Cinnamon, XFCE, and LXDE all cropped up to maintain the Gnome 2 metaphor. KDE gives you the option to do almost any metaphor, but has traditionally kept the defaults the same for some ~15 years. Windows changes their task bar, start menu, system settings, browser, and file manager every other release at least.
- digi_owl 10y agoThat still puts cash in Microsoft's pocket, unless each one go through the rigamarole of getting a refund.