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I agree the usability issues of Linux are not unsolvable, they're just unsolved and have been for 20 years because the Linux Desktop community in general isn't

I agree the usability issues of Linux are not unsolvable, they're just unsolved and have been for 20 years because the Linux Desktop community in general isn't that interested in solving them.

bcrl 5y ago
My parents used a Linux desktop for years in the late '90s and '00s, mostly because it was substantially easier for me to help provide support for. The only reason they no longer do is because tablets are simply a much more convenient form factor to do virtually everything they need to do on a daily basis. There is a point at which usability is not about the specific interface, but that it's about applications and the OS being consistent. I, as someone using and programming computers for upwards of 40 years now feel that software is getting harder to use: it is less and less consistent while features are more and more difficult to discover. I hate the direction Gnome has taken where almost everything about the UI gets thrown out and re-written every few years, with features that I use simply disappearing. I hate newer versions of iOS where more and more gestures are added, while things like the home button are now gone and my phone pocket dials or turns on the light if I put it in my pocket the wrong way (which wasn't a problem in the first few generations). UI changes take mental resources away from the task at hand as one has to figure out how to do something that was easy to do before. An interface that that looks hard to use initially may well end up being easier to use if it is consistent and discoverable. My number 1 UI complaint about GUIs these days is about the complete lack of keyboard shortcuts. Google Earth is one of the worst offenders: so many of the menus and dialog boxes have no keyboard shortcuts. The ridiculous part is that the Amiga did better on this measure more than 30 years ago. There was even an official Amiga User Interface Style Guide published in 1991 that spelled out how apps should look and feel. Even most MS-DOS apps had a consistent style to their interfaces and menus with shortcuts. MacOS may be one of the few in which menus remain fairly consistent and discoverable. I now understand why the greybeards were grumpy with us young whippersnappers going and replacing the world. I am become one.
prmoustache 5y ago
I don't agree either. I have been using Linux as a primary desktop for 24 years and I don't have any major issue. I have a lot however, when I am using a Windows computer.
- bradlys 5y ago
  Try gaming then. Linux for gaming sucks. It’s been improving but it’s still dogshit. Especially with how games are always updating now and are constantly adding new content/changes. Drivers are often terrible too.
  - prmoustache 5y ago
    Gaming on computers is such an edge case for a tiny fraction of the population, the hardcore gamers. Most people simply don't even have a powerful enough computer to run AAA games anyway and buy a playstation, xbox or switch to play games. And I always had fun playing hedgewars on linux with some friends, thank you. It is funny you mention drivers because: - printing and scanning on my fedora laptops is a totally flawless and transparent experience, only requiring at the beginning to install a package which was pretty quick using gnome software. Doing the same on the windows laptop of my girlfriend required spending 10 minutes getting the correct driver on the manufacturer website, installing the drivers including a ton of random unneeded software, rebooting the laptop and now everytime she wants to print anything she gets some annoying popup windows. - the prior scanner I used for 25y before moving country was still perfectly supported on my linux distributions while the last available driver for windows was for windows 2000. Better hardware support from Linux actually allowed me to use my scanner more than 10y longer than if I had been using a Windows or Mac. Some exotic hardware may not be supported at time of release on linux but all in all if you do your homework before shopping there is no issue.
    - bradlys 5y ago
      You're kidding, right? PC gaming is huge.
      - 5y ago

I agree the usability issues of Linux are not unsolvable, they're just unsolved and have been for 20 years because the Linux Desktop community in general isn't that interested in solving them.

bcrl 5y ago

My parents used a Linux desktop for years in the late '90s and '00s, mostly because it was substantially easier for me to help provide support for. The only reason they no longer do is because tablets are simply a much more convenient form factor to do virtually everything they need to do on a daily basis. There is a point at which usability is not about the specific interface, but that it's about applications and the OS being consistent. I, as someone using and programming computers for upwards of 40 years now feel that software is getting harder to use: it is less and less consistent while features are more and more difficult to discover. I hate the direction Gnome has taken where almost everything about the UI gets thrown out and re-written every few years, with features that I use simply disappearing. I hate newer versions of iOS where more and more gestures are added, while things like the home button are now gone and my phone pocket dials or turns on the light if I put it in my pocket the wrong way (which wasn't a problem in the first few generations). UI changes take mental resources away from the task at hand as one has to figure out how to do something that was easy to do before. An interface that that looks hard to use initially may well end up being easier to use if it is consistent and discoverable. My number 1 UI complaint about GUIs these days is about the complete lack of keyboard shortcuts. Google Earth is one of the worst offenders: so many of the menus and dialog boxes have no keyboard shortcuts. The ridiculous part is that the Amiga did better on this measure more than 30 years ago. There was even an official Amiga User Interface Style Guide published in 1991 that spelled out how apps should look and feel. Even most MS-DOS apps had a consistent style to their interfaces and menus with shortcuts. MacOS may be one of the few in which menus remain fairly consistent and discoverable. I now understand why the greybeards were grumpy with us young whippersnappers going and replacing the world. I am become one.

prmoustache 5y ago

I don't agree either. I have been using Linux as a primary desktop for 24 years and I don't have any major issue. I have a lot however, when I am using a Windows computer.

bradlys 5y ago
Try gaming then. Linux for gaming sucks. It’s been improving but it’s still dogshit. Especially with how games are always updating now and are constantly adding new content/changes. Drivers are often terrible too.
- prmoustache 5y ago
  Gaming on computers is such an edge case for a tiny fraction of the population, the hardcore gamers. Most people simply don't even have a powerful enough computer to run AAA games anyway and buy a playstation, xbox or switch to play games. And I always had fun playing hedgewars on linux with some friends, thank you. It is funny you mention drivers because: - printing and scanning on my fedora laptops is a totally flawless and transparent experience, only requiring at the beginning to install a package which was pretty quick using gnome software. Doing the same on the windows laptop of my girlfriend required spending 10 minutes getting the correct driver on the manufacturer website, installing the drivers including a ton of random unneeded software, rebooting the laptop and now everytime she wants to print anything she gets some annoying popup windows. - the prior scanner I used for 25y before moving country was still perfectly supported on my linux distributions while the last available driver for windows was for windows 2000. Better hardware support from Linux actually allowed me to use my scanner more than 10y longer than if I had been using a Windows or Mac. Some exotic hardware may not be supported at time of release on linux but all in all if you do your homework before shopping there is no issue.
  - bradlys 5y ago
    You're kidding, right? PC gaming is huge.
    - 5y ago