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> that means more pretty than functional. Nope. I left the Linux desktop for OSX not because of aesthetics but because of the freedom from frustration that OS

> that means more pretty than functional. Nope. I left the Linux desktop for OSX not because of aesthetics but because of the freedom from frustration that OS X gave me. Design isn't about making things more pretty, it is about improving the way a system works where the human part of it meets the machine part of it. Linux distros just haven't put in the man-hours to make it a functional desktop for many.

deleted 10y ago
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Shivetya 10y ago
a while back, years ago, I looked at switching to Linux but too many times instead of implementing a consistent interface and action set they would ape another OS (usually Windows) but only partially which leads to frustration as it almost works... I am not sure the desktop needs conquering, we have more than one option and Linux won't make it unless it can get apps that people just have to have
- afarrell 10y ago
  > unless it can get apps that people just have to have. Which is hard for it to get. Developing an app for desktop Linux means targeting a small group of people who are willing to endure frustration in order to run code whose source is available. Unless you are have some other revenue stream besides your customer, you can't make it more than a hobby.
ywecur 10y ago
I don't think this is the problem at all. Ubuntu, for example, is perfectly usable and a very good alternative to Windows. The main problem, I'd say, is that there really isn't much of a reason to switch. People who buy a computer don't have any incentive to go through the with hassle. If computers came with Ubuntu pre-installed I'm sure people would use those without a second thought.
- afarrell 10y ago
  Perhaps desktop Ubuntu has indeed gotten significantly better over the past 3 years since I switched to OSX?
  - ywecur 10y ago
    Install Virtualbox and try it out. I'd say it's gotten way better.
    - 0xmohit 10y ago
      Yes, it has gotten much better without a doubt. However, the package management still needs to improve. One realizes that upon upgrading from one Ubuntu release to the other particularly if you have a bunch of software installed from PPAs. It would be unreasonable to expect a typical user to be able to fix the problems that it leads to. While `apt-get` is great, you realize the limitations when you need to resort to `dpkg` when the package management is left in a broken state due to the occasional mess created upon removing a package. I wish somebody from Canonical were looking at this thread.

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Shivetya 10y ago

a while back, years ago, I looked at switching to Linux but too many times instead of implementing a consistent interface and action set they would ape another OS (usually Windows) but only partially which leads to frustration as it almost works... I am not sure the desktop needs conquering, we have more than one option and Linux won't make it unless it can get apps that people just have to have

afarrell 10y ago
> unless it can get apps that people just have to have. Which is hard for it to get. Developing an app for desktop Linux means targeting a small group of people who are willing to endure frustration in order to run code whose source is available. Unless you are have some other revenue stream besides your customer, you can't make it more than a hobby.

ywecur 10y ago

I don't think this is the problem at all. Ubuntu, for example, is perfectly usable and a very good alternative to Windows. The main problem, I'd say, is that there really isn't much of a reason to switch. People who buy a computer don't have any incentive to go through the with hassle. If computers came with Ubuntu pre-installed I'm sure people would use those without a second thought.

afarrell 10y ago
Perhaps desktop Ubuntu has indeed gotten significantly better over the past 3 years since I switched to OSX?
- ywecur 10y ago
  Install Virtualbox and try it out. I'd say it's gotten way better.
  - 0xmohit 10y ago
    Yes, it has gotten much better without a doubt. However, the package management still needs to improve. One realizes that upon upgrading from one Ubuntu release to the other particularly if you have a bunch of software installed from PPAs. It would be unreasonable to expect a typical user to be able to fix the problems that it leads to. While `apt-get` is great, you realize the limitations when you need to resort to `dpkg` when the package management is left in a broken state due to the occasional mess created upon removing a package. I wish somebody from Canonical were looking at this thread.