5 ms·

The best marketing campaign for Linux, is Windows 11.

by DecentShoes 2y ago

OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
This has been true every major Windows release.
falcor84 2y ago
Well, sales-wise it seems to mostly be driving people towards macbooks, but yes, also linux.
- hippich 2y ago
  Can you fully use MacBook (install apps, updates) without online account?
  - quag 2y ago
    Yes. Most MacBooks used in businesses don’t have an iCloud account associated with them. The store doesn’t work, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Downloading and installing applications by dragging them from the installer to the Applications folder works fine.
  - cyberax 2y ago
    Yes. But you'll be locked out of XCode-based development infrastructure (which arguably is a plus).
  - EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 2y ago
    Yes, there are few important apps that aren't available without Apple account, like Final Cut Pro or Xcode, but I don't use those.
transcriptase 2y ago
The best marketing campaign for Windows is finally deciding on a distro only to be presented with a bunch of bullshit options (gnome, cinnamon, xfe, kde, mate, etc) the average person is expected to somehow understand the difference between or care about if they did. And no, someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing is not going to feel comfortable picking at random. Then the 95% odds that trying to dual boot without the correct incantations fucks up being able to boot into Windows, which somehow after 20 years still hasn’t been fixed. And I say this as someone who’s been using it personally and professionally for 20 years. The year of the Linux desktop will come when people are met where they are, not where you want them to be. If the simplest standard things require sifting through forum posts from 2006 for hours on end, you’ve already lost.
- zozbot234 2y ago
  > Then the 95% odds that trying to dual boot without the correct incantations fucks up being able to boot into Windows This is fixed now with most desktop systems using UEFI. The bootloader will always show a "UEFI setup" option, and that in turn lets you pick alternate boot choices.
  - sidewndr46 2y ago
    This isn't really true from my experience. Windows 10 will update the BIOS of the computer without your consent. This can result in the BIOS getting reconfigured in such a way that the system no longer boots unless you happen to know how to reconfigure it
- bee_rider 2y ago
  Surely after 20 years you’ve given up on the year of Linux on the desktop. I’ve only used it for ~15 years but long ago came to the conclusion that I really don’t care about broader adoption. Why should I? It is good if people find their way to Linux. But it isn’t a product, they can come to it and accept it as it is, or fix it for themselves. But there’s no real benefit to increasing marketshare for its own sake.
- MattPalmer1086 2y ago
  I'm amazed at your experience, not sure what distros you've been using. I've been using Linux for over 20 years. Can't remember when I had to do anything other than choose my keyboard layout, region and enter the WiFi password. 20 mins later, all installed and working. Dual boot I agree can be awful, because for me, Windows has hosed the other operating system more than once on some update. Can't put them on the same disk together safely, but seems OK so far on separate disks.
  - transcriptase 2y ago
    It’s not so much my experience, but an understanding of why people unlike us face hurdles to even trying out Linux to make the switch. If you go on distowatch, look at the download pages for the top ten distros. Some are better than others, but most present a dizzying array of options and terminology that assume the person reading is already familiar with Linux and those options. It would be trivial to add in some “If you don’t know what you’re doing pick this one” to a given flavour to at least give somewhere to begin. Ubuntu at least got that part right at one point in time, but the community largely still has the soft-gatekeeping stance of “if you don’t know what you’re doing this isn’t for you”.

The best marketing campaign for Linux, is Windows 11.

OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago

This has been true every major Windows release.

falcor84 2y ago

Well, sales-wise it seems to mostly be driving people towards macbooks, but yes, also linux.

hippich 2y ago
Can you fully use MacBook (install apps, updates) without online account?
- quag 2y ago
  Yes. Most MacBooks used in businesses don’t have an iCloud account associated with them. The store doesn’t work, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Downloading and installing applications by dragging them from the installer to the Applications folder works fine.
- cyberax 2y ago
  Yes. But you'll be locked out of XCode-based development infrastructure (which arguably is a plus).
- EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 2y ago
  Yes, there are few important apps that aren't available without Apple account, like Final Cut Pro or Xcode, but I don't use those.

transcriptase 2y ago

The best marketing campaign for Windows is finally deciding on a distro only to be presented with a bunch of bullshit options (gnome, cinnamon, xfe, kde, mate, etc) the average person is expected to somehow understand the difference between or care about if they did. And no, someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing is not going to feel comfortable picking at random. Then the 95% odds that trying to dual boot without the correct incantations fucks up being able to boot into Windows, which somehow after 20 years still hasn’t been fixed. And I say this as someone who’s been using it personally and professionally for 20 years. The year of the Linux desktop will come when people are met where they are, not where you want them to be. If the simplest standard things require sifting through forum posts from 2006 for hours on end, you’ve already lost.

zozbot234 2y ago
> Then the 95% odds that trying to dual boot without the correct incantations fucks up being able to boot into Windows This is fixed now with most desktop systems using UEFI. The bootloader will always show a "UEFI setup" option, and that in turn lets you pick alternate boot choices.
- sidewndr46 2y ago
  This isn't really true from my experience. Windows 10 will update the BIOS of the computer without your consent. This can result in the BIOS getting reconfigured in such a way that the system no longer boots unless you happen to know how to reconfigure it
bee_rider 2y ago
Surely after 20 years you’ve given up on the year of Linux on the desktop. I’ve only used it for ~15 years but long ago came to the conclusion that I really don’t care about broader adoption. Why should I? It is good if people find their way to Linux. But it isn’t a product, they can come to it and accept it as it is, or fix it for themselves. But there’s no real benefit to increasing marketshare for its own sake.
MattPalmer1086 2y ago
I'm amazed at your experience, not sure what distros you've been using. I've been using Linux for over 20 years. Can't remember when I had to do anything other than choose my keyboard layout, region and enter the WiFi password. 20 mins later, all installed and working. Dual boot I agree can be awful, because for me, Windows has hosed the other operating system more than once on some update. Can't put them on the same disk together safely, but seems OK so far on separate disks.
- transcriptase 2y ago
  It’s not so much my experience, but an understanding of why people unlike us face hurdles to even trying out Linux to make the switch. If you go on distowatch, look at the download pages for the top ten distros. Some are better than others, but most present a dizzying array of options and terminology that assume the person reading is already familiar with Linux and those options. It would be trivial to add in some “If you don’t know what you’re doing pick this one” to a given flavour to at least give somewhere to begin. Ubuntu at least got that part right at one point in time, but the community largely still has the soft-gatekeeping stance of “if you don’t know what you’re doing this isn’t for you”.