3 ms·

This. People don't switch to Linux mainly because people don't switch operating systems.

• woleium 3y ago
  many don’t even know that it’s possible, or what the delineation between os and application is.
• SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  People use computers to accomplish tasks. Not to use operating systems, not to use applications, just to accomplish tasks. Often those tasks involve a particular workflow they know, so alternative applications must support the exact same workflow to be acceptable. Linux usually has different workflows, and thus can't accomplish the same tasks. It can often accomplish similar tasks, but that's not usually good enough to be worth the effort of switching away from a default. The alternative has to be significantly better than the original. Some tasks also have network effects, e.g. online games. Alternatives that aren't compatible with the existing network are useless. Most people don't care about the OS. They don't really care about the particular applications. People care about the tasks they want to accomplish & the workflows they know to accomplish them.
  • yoavm 3y ago
    Most of my friends use Google Docs for writing stuff, Gmail for emailing, Whatsapp Web for chatting, YouTube and Netflix for videos, Spotify for music, and Chrome for browsing the web. This is literally 95% of the way they use their computer, and these things work exactly the same in Linux.
    • SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
      Sure. But Linux doesn't do any of that any better than another OS, and the remaining 5% there's a decent chance it disrupts their workflow, and is thus worse. The effort of switching alone is a substantial downside, so Linux needs some substantial advantage towards accomplishing a desired task to get people to switch from other OSes. For developers, Linux is often worth switching to because so many dev tools have first-class Linux support, or are Linux-only. Most other domains aren't like that.