3 ms·

No, games aren't nearly enough. I'm a Linux user myself, but quite frankly Windows is simply a better consumer desktop. It's also already installed on every com

No, games aren't nearly enough. I'm a Linux user myself, but quite frankly Windows is simply a better consumer desktop. It's also already installed on every computer. The switching cost is simply too high and the only people outside of the tech world using Linux are generally those with old computers who had a techy friend install it for them. Problem is they'll be back to Windows as soon as they upgrade that old computer (or in my mom's case, as soon as the first thing doesn't work like it does on Windows).

obviouslygreen 13y ago
The only thing I don't agree with here is this: Windows is simply a better consumer desktop. That's like saying the Chevrolet Impala is a better car than all Holdens. Sure, more people are familiar with the Impala, and some Holdens will certainly be less friendly to the average driver, but those are not reasons to dismiss an entire make as unsuitable to an entire class of driver. You're definitely right that games aren't enough, though, and I think you make the most relevant point, that most computers come with and have always come with Windows installed.
EvilLook 13y ago
I'll agree with you and take it one step further. Windows is a better desktop for consumption of media. All of the major music, television show, and movie stores run there. Virtually all of the gaming digital download stores run there. Almost all of the file sharing applications run there. All of the TV tuner hardware works there. If you want to consume media the Windows is ideal. Even though Windows is an ideal desktop for the consumption of media there is something much more important. Windows holds the lead as the top desktop for the production of anything creative: code, graphics, music, videos, and games. While certain parts of this may not be without frustration (I'm looking at you, Visual Studio) the support provided is generally superior to what you find in the Linux world (there is no Linux parallel to MSDN). Photoshop has no peer in the professional image manipulation world, though GIMP could fill that role for an ambitious amateur. Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premere or Sony Vegas are in no way threatened by any free software solution. While Ardour is amazing, Cubase and Pro Tools make it look like a joke in a professional environment. Linux excels as the platform that ties the Internet together. Windows, by and large, sucks as a server. Any of the major free software mail transfer agents (sendmail, postfix, exim) blow Exchange Server out of the water for email (not counting all of the other things Exchange Server does). IIS is a sick joke compared to Apache, lighttpd, and nginx. Nobody can look me straight in the face and say FileZilla Server outclasses vsftpd or proftpd. Now, the gaps are closing little by little. I think that the Windows consumption market is going to be cannibalized by Windows RT on tablets. I think that free software production tools are going to get better and better and eventually beat out their professional counterparts on Windows. I just don't think that day is today. Or next year. Or the next ten years.
Shorel 13y ago
I can't argue for Linux in general as I find most distros too old school for me, but Ubuntu with Unity is better to me as a consumer desktop than Windows 7. I guess you have some very specific proprietary applications in mind, line Netflix, but they are what they are because of Netflix, there's nothing in Ubuntu that prevents Netflix from creating a great Ubuntu client. I have no idea about Windows 8, as I have never used it.

obviouslygreen 13y ago

The only thing I don't agree with here is this: Windows is simply a better consumer desktop. That's like saying the Chevrolet Impala is a better car than all Holdens. Sure, more people are familiar with the Impala, and some Holdens will certainly be less friendly to the average driver, but those are not reasons to dismiss an entire make as unsuitable to an entire class of driver. You're definitely right that games aren't enough, though, and I think you make the most relevant point, that most computers come with and have always come with Windows installed.

EvilLook 13y ago

I'll agree with you and take it one step further. Windows is a better desktop for consumption of media. All of the major music, television show, and movie stores run there. Virtually all of the gaming digital download stores run there. Almost all of the file sharing applications run there. All of the TV tuner hardware works there. If you want to consume media the Windows is ideal. Even though Windows is an ideal desktop for the consumption of media there is something much more important. Windows holds the lead as the top desktop for the production of anything creative: code, graphics, music, videos, and games. While certain parts of this may not be without frustration (I'm looking at you, Visual Studio) the support provided is generally superior to what you find in the Linux world (there is no Linux parallel to MSDN). Photoshop has no peer in the professional image manipulation world, though GIMP could fill that role for an ambitious amateur. Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premere or Sony Vegas are in no way threatened by any free software solution. While Ardour is amazing, Cubase and Pro Tools make it look like a joke in a professional environment. Linux excels as the platform that ties the Internet together. Windows, by and large, sucks as a server. Any of the major free software mail transfer agents (sendmail, postfix, exim) blow Exchange Server out of the water for email (not counting all of the other things Exchange Server does). IIS is a sick joke compared to Apache, lighttpd, and nginx. Nobody can look me straight in the face and say FileZilla Server outclasses vsftpd or proftpd. Now, the gaps are closing little by little. I think that the Windows consumption market is going to be cannibalized by Windows RT on tablets. I think that free software production tools are going to get better and better and eventually beat out their professional counterparts on Windows. I just don't think that day is today. Or next year. Or the next ten years.

Shorel 13y ago

I can't argue for Linux in general as I find most distros too old school for me, but Ubuntu with Unity is better to me as a consumer desktop than Windows 7. I guess you have some very specific proprietary applications in mind, line Netflix, but they are what they are because of Netflix, there's nothing in Ubuntu that prevents Netflix from creating a great Ubuntu client. I have no idea about Windows 8, as I have never used it.