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I've been using Linux exclusively for 15 years. Went through my entire university degree using only Linux. The biggest issue people face when switching is the

I've been using Linux exclusively for 15 years. Went through my entire university degree using only Linux. The biggest issue people face when switching is the desire for it to be the same as their previous OS. It's not. It never will be. It's different (and IMO better). Like GNOME Shell, so many people hate it. No dock, no way to minimize Windows, etc... Until you actually try to learn it a little. Launching apps is super quick with the search, you can bring up overview with 3 finger swipe up on the touchpad, scroll virtual desktops with 3 finger sideways swipe, arrange your windows with meta + arrow keys, etc... Its nearly as keyboard driven and quick to use as a tiling window manager yet my wife can use it as well (she's very much not technical). As for apps, there's an app for everything normal people need to do. For developers, it's easily the best OS. Games, it's got most of them. I guess if you're an accountant forced to use Excel don't bother (and if you're not forced to use Excel, Gnumeric is better anyway).

ranger_danger 2y ago
> the desire for it to be the same as their previous OS I think most FOSS developers completely miss this point, assuming their goal is to get more people to use their software. Sure GNOME can be usable if you learn a different way, but you can't force everyone to do that. Not even most people. So I think if they really cared about doing what's necessary to get a lot more users, they're going to have to make their product more like what the potential new users expect, whether the developers like it or not.
- akho 2y ago
  > assuming their goal is to get more people to use their software. That’s rare, and is a very difficult motivation to understand. Such projects are also usually a mess.
  - ranger_danger 2y ago
    Why do you think it's rare? Unless it's a personal project not meant for others, why would they not want more people to use it and get more popular? To me this is like people getting upset when their favorite indie band "sells out", even though their increased popularity is always seen as a much bigger positive than any potential downsides of the "sellout".
    - akho 2y ago
      My impression is that people are motivated by solving problems and filling gaps in the existing landscape. Popularity is not a goal, usually. Why would it be?
      - ranger_danger 2y ago
        More contributors, community building, more competition/innovation, I could think of many reasons... but not wanting something to become more popular is quite perplexing to me.
- dismalaf 2y ago
  Apple literally built a 3 trillion dollar business on "Think Different". Now they're the slow, lumbering behemoth, but copying cheapens your brand. Copies only reinforce the idea that the original thing is valuable.
  - ranger_danger 2y ago
    Nothing and nobody starts out original. We need copying to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding. Everything is a copy of something else, the only difference is how much is actually copied, and how obvious it is. Copying is how we learn. We can't introduce anything new until we're fluent in the language of our domain, and we do that through emulation.

ranger_danger 2y ago

> the desire for it to be the same as their previous OS I think most FOSS developers completely miss this point, assuming their goal is to get more people to use their software. Sure GNOME can be usable if you learn a different way, but you can't force everyone to do that. Not even most people. So I think if they really cared about doing what's necessary to get a lot more users, they're going to have to make their product more like what the potential new users expect, whether the developers like it or not.

akho 2y ago
> assuming their goal is to get more people to use their software. That’s rare, and is a very difficult motivation to understand. Such projects are also usually a mess.
- ranger_danger 2y ago
  Why do you think it's rare? Unless it's a personal project not meant for others, why would they not want more people to use it and get more popular? To me this is like people getting upset when their favorite indie band "sells out", even though their increased popularity is always seen as a much bigger positive than any potential downsides of the "sellout".
  - akho 2y ago
    My impression is that people are motivated by solving problems and filling gaps in the existing landscape. Popularity is not a goal, usually. Why would it be?
    - ranger_danger 2y ago
      More contributors, community building, more competition/innovation, I could think of many reasons... but not wanting something to become more popular is quite perplexing to me.
dismalaf 2y ago
Apple literally built a 3 trillion dollar business on "Think Different". Now they're the slow, lumbering behemoth, but copying cheapens your brand. Copies only reinforce the idea that the original thing is valuable.
- ranger_danger 2y ago
  Nothing and nobody starts out original. We need copying to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding. Everything is a copy of something else, the only difference is how much is actually copied, and how obvious it is. Copying is how we learn. We can't introduce anything new until we're fluent in the language of our domain, and we do that through emulation.