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Windows will keep dominating the desktop PC market as long as manufacturers ship it by default. Convincing someone to install an operating system from scratch i

by Venn1 1y ago

Windows will keep dominating the desktop PC market as long as manufacturers ship it by default. Convincing someone to install an operating system from scratch is a fantastically large ask.

greazy 1y ago
I ah haven't looked very hard but Lenovo is the only company I've seen offer Linux (Ubuntu) machines, limited for a very small number or devices though. Do any other companies do the same?
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  Dell does (or did, haven’t looked in a few years).
- esseph 1y ago
  The bigger players like Dell and Lenovo do and have for a very long time. Maybe HPE? Not sure Then there are more bespoke vendors that cater specifically to Linux. System76 is probably the most well known, but there are many others. I'm speaking mainly for laptops/desktops. For servers it's always been you just put whatever on. Linux gets the most time on servers and containers but the desktop base continues to grow, so expect most problems to be there (bluetooth, wifi, etc.). Accessibility is getting much better.
  - dontlaugh 1y ago
    It depends on your region and models.
- lproven 1y ago
  > Do any other companies do the same? Important relevant note: Some companies offer "DOS" or "FreeDOS" computers. This is notably common in poorer countries. These commonly do not really run DOS. They run a very old version of FreeDOS in a VM under Linux. HP uses Debian. https://blog.tmm.cx/2022/05/15/the-very-weird-hewlett-packard-freedos-option/ https://blog.tmm.cx/2022/05/15/the-very-weird-hewlett-packar... 1. When you look for Linux machines, look in other countries than your own. 2. Include machines described as DOS machines. They are really Linux machines and will run Linux fine because they in fact ship with it.
okanat 1y ago
and Linux will not penetrate that market unless it makes it possible to release completely proprietary (even woefully crappy, move fast and break things) software easily. For most proprietary desktop software businesses, porting to Linux is not profitable. There could be incentives for hobbyists and off-hours professionals to contribute to it for fun. However, there are huge missing gaps of usability for the wider population. Windows, macOS, iOS and Android guarantees good support for internationalized, proprietary-first, out-of-the box working OSes which disappear under apps. Making Linux popular means commonizing things. It requires finding economic incentives to people to maintain unwanted parts not for fun but for money. It'll bring all the things that make the technical people avoid. It has to drive zealots and strong open-source people away. It happened with Android, it will happen to Linux, if somebody finds a way to monetize it for the consumer market. Ultimately, I don't believe we can solve a socioeconomic problem surfacing on technical devices with technical solutions. Whatever fight against big tech has to be won on the streets, parliaments and courtrooms.
- Seattle3503 1y ago
  The hate Electron apps get is perhaps a good example of this.
  - roscas 1y ago
    Any Electron app is a privacy nightmare as it connects to Google for "dictionary" download. You cannot disable this, unless you block redirector.gvt1.com domain.
    - akimbostrawman 1y ago
      I have not seen that in signal and element desktop apps. I imagine you can configure it.
    - jcgl 1y ago
      I use opensnitch and has always wondered what that was. Thank you!
- 1y ago
SlowTao 1y ago
Pretty much. I could see Linux share peaking at 10% tops until that changes.

by Venn1 1y ago

Windows will keep dominating the desktop PC market as long as manufacturers ship it by default. Convincing someone to install an operating system from scratch is a fantastically large ask.

greazy 1y ago

I ah haven't looked very hard but Lenovo is the only company I've seen offer Linux (Ubuntu) machines, limited for a very small number or devices though. Do any other companies do the same?

SoftTalker 1y ago
Dell does (or did, haven’t looked in a few years).
esseph 1y ago
The bigger players like Dell and Lenovo do and have for a very long time. Maybe HPE? Not sure Then there are more bespoke vendors that cater specifically to Linux. System76 is probably the most well known, but there are many others. I'm speaking mainly for laptops/desktops. For servers it's always been you just put whatever on. Linux gets the most time on servers and containers but the desktop base continues to grow, so expect most problems to be there (bluetooth, wifi, etc.). Accessibility is getting much better.
- dontlaugh 1y ago
  It depends on your region and models.
lproven 1y ago
> Do any other companies do the same? Important relevant note: Some companies offer "DOS" or "FreeDOS" computers. This is notably common in poorer countries. These commonly do not really run DOS. They run a very old version of FreeDOS in a VM under Linux. HP uses Debian. https://blog.tmm.cx/2022/05/15/the-very-weird-hewlett-packard-freedos-option/ https://blog.tmm.cx/2022/05/15/the-very-weird-hewlett-packar... 1. When you look for Linux machines, look in other countries than your own. 2. Include machines described as DOS machines. They are really Linux machines and will run Linux fine because they in fact ship with it.

okanat 1y ago

and Linux will not penetrate that market unless it makes it possible to release completely proprietary (even woefully crappy, move fast and break things) software easily. For most proprietary desktop software businesses, porting to Linux is not profitable. There could be incentives for hobbyists and off-hours professionals to contribute to it for fun. However, there are huge missing gaps of usability for the wider population. Windows, macOS, iOS and Android guarantees good support for internationalized, proprietary-first, out-of-the box working OSes which disappear under apps. Making Linux popular means commonizing things. It requires finding economic incentives to people to maintain unwanted parts not for fun but for money. It'll bring all the things that make the technical people avoid. It has to drive zealots and strong open-source people away. It happened with Android, it will happen to Linux, if somebody finds a way to monetize it for the consumer market. Ultimately, I don't believe we can solve a socioeconomic problem surfacing on technical devices with technical solutions. Whatever fight against big tech has to be won on the streets, parliaments and courtrooms.

Seattle3503 1y ago
The hate Electron apps get is perhaps a good example of this.
- roscas 1y ago
  Any Electron app is a privacy nightmare as it connects to Google for "dictionary" download. You cannot disable this, unless you block redirector.gvt1.com domain.
  - akimbostrawman 1y ago
    I have not seen that in signal and element desktop apps. I imagine you can configure it.
  - jcgl 1y ago
    I use opensnitch and has always wondered what that was. Thank you!
1y ago

SlowTao 1y ago

Pretty much. I could see Linux share peaking at 10% tops until that changes.