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How exactly is a regular customer going to know what to type and where? Many have trouble with a GUI, let alone a CLI. And Archlinux is just one of many distros

How exactly is a regular customer going to know what to type and where? Many have trouble with a GUI, let alone a CLI. And Archlinux is just one of many distros and has its own idiosyncracies (e.g. "Pacman" isn't going to work on Ubuntu out the box). Installation of crapware has nothing to do with ease of installation, you've just purposefully made it seem drawn out. You could've just said Google "CD to MP3" and a few results down is a "how to" guide that uses the open-source CDex program - with a step by step guide.

webreac 14y ago
I am a linux user (linux mint cinnamon). When I need a new software, I launch the software manager, I type in the search criteria. This gives me a list of software. When I click a software, I have a list of users feedbacks and an install button. When I click install, it asks for my password and that is all. When I am on the command line and I type a command that is not installed, I get: jef@sweethome ~ $ 7z The program '7z' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing: sudo apt-get install p7zip-full I just need to do copy paste and type in my password. Sometimes, the software is not in the repository (for example xbmc), but the commands to type, or the installer to launch are clearly indicated on the site. I was a windows user, software installation (and removal) is a lot easier now.
- scrumper 14y ago
  > I am a linux user (linux mint cinnamon). When I need a new software, I launch the software manager, I type in the search criteria. This gives me a list of software. When I click a software, I have a list of users feedbacks and an install button. When I click install, it asks for my password and that is all. Which isn't all that different to the app stores on other platforms. It's quite a long way from Aardwolf's command line pacman stuff above though.
- keyboardP 14y ago
  I have Ubuntu and the software manager works fine. I was just responding to the the comment that somehow the command line is easier than Windows's GUI for a regular user. Windows 8 and, presumably, future versions of Windows will have the same store format. Regardless, I think your XBMC example highlights the difference. Ask a user to click on "Windows" from the XMBC download page and immediately the familiar installer starts downloading. Do the same for Linux and you're taken to a Wiki page. I doubt many regular users would know what Linux distro/version they're running let alone feel comfortable typing in those lines. For example Ubuntu, which is likely the most popular distro, includes these instructions: "Make sure to have the multiverse repository enabled, see /etc/apt/sources.list, it is needed for libfaad0, otherwise you get xbmc: Depends: xbmc-data (= 2:10.00~svn35648-lucid1) but it is not going to be installed E: Broken packages For more details, see the HOW-TO install XBMC for Linux on Ubuntu, a Step-by-Step Guide page" The guides are more wikis the user has to read. This is where I think the familiarity and standard installer process of Windows outshines the ease of Linux. As for the crapware and such, that's a different issue which, as seen from this post, is a problem with Windows software more than Linux.
  - jiggy2011 14y ago
    The solution some sites seem to use is just to look at the user agent. I often his software sites now and if there is a Linux version with an Ubuntu package it just gives me a big button that says "Download for Ubuntu", this either adds a repo or gives me a .deb which is as easy to install as a .msi.

webreac 14y ago

I am a linux user (linux mint cinnamon). When I need a new software, I launch the software manager, I type in the search criteria. This gives me a list of software. When I click a software, I have a list of users feedbacks and an install button. When I click install, it asks for my password and that is all. When I am on the command line and I type a command that is not installed, I get: jef@sweethome ~ $ 7z The program '7z' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing: sudo apt-get install p7zip-full I just need to do copy paste and type in my password. Sometimes, the software is not in the repository (for example xbmc), but the commands to type, or the installer to launch are clearly indicated on the site. I was a windows user, software installation (and removal) is a lot easier now.

scrumper 14y ago
> I am a linux user (linux mint cinnamon). When I need a new software, I launch the software manager, I type in the search criteria. This gives me a list of software. When I click a software, I have a list of users feedbacks and an install button. When I click install, it asks for my password and that is all. Which isn't all that different to the app stores on other platforms. It's quite a long way from Aardwolf's command line pacman stuff above though.
keyboardP 14y ago
I have Ubuntu and the software manager works fine. I was just responding to the the comment that somehow the command line is easier than Windows's GUI for a regular user. Windows 8 and, presumably, future versions of Windows will have the same store format. Regardless, I think your XBMC example highlights the difference. Ask a user to click on "Windows" from the XMBC download page and immediately the familiar installer starts downloading. Do the same for Linux and you're taken to a Wiki page. I doubt many regular users would know what Linux distro/version they're running let alone feel comfortable typing in those lines. For example Ubuntu, which is likely the most popular distro, includes these instructions: "Make sure to have the multiverse repository enabled, see /etc/apt/sources.list, it is needed for libfaad0, otherwise you get xbmc: Depends: xbmc-data (= 2:10.00~svn35648-lucid1) but it is not going to be installed E: Broken packages For more details, see the HOW-TO install XBMC for Linux on Ubuntu, a Step-by-Step Guide page" The guides are more wikis the user has to read. This is where I think the familiarity and standard installer process of Windows outshines the ease of Linux. As for the crapware and such, that's a different issue which, as seen from this post, is a problem with Windows software more than Linux.
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  The solution some sites seem to use is just to look at the user agent. I often his software sites now and if there is a Linux version with an Ubuntu package it just gives me a big button that says "Download for Ubuntu", this either adds a repo or gives me a .deb which is as easy to install as a .msi.