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>Most users don't know what sudo, wget, make, or apt-get commands are, just to start. Have you used Ubuntu recently? Or Mint? They've made a lot of strides in

>Most users don't know what sudo, wget, make, or apt-get commands are, just to start. Have you used Ubuntu recently? Or Mint? They've made a lot of strides in that direction, including fancy graphical package installers. On the other hand, when I use any Linux, I typically drop to the shell and edit config files, but that's because I'm always trying to do something unusual. Otherwise I wouldn't be on Linux to begin with. But for the 95th percentile of what typical people use a computer for (basic email, web browsing, maybe basic text editing), Linux is as easy to use as a Mac or Windows. In fact, Windows and OS X only recently are catching up to how easy it was to get software on the popular Linux desktop distributions: It was a matter of running the software installer app and selecting the programs you wanted. Now Windows and OS X each have their own "app stores", but Linux had that bit of convenience first. The only thing that prevents Linux from being on more personal computers is the fact that it doesn't ship on them. Consider Android, which is a Linux fork, is on millions of devices (a million a day are shipping now), so there's nothing wrong with Linux that can't be fixed with a few apps to smooth the edges. No, being a power user is what keeps me on Windows. There are no sufficiently good replacements for: * Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom (and Creative Suite in general) * Sony Vegas Video * Corel Draw Suite * FL Studio * Visual Studio * Microsoft Word & Excel (don't get me started on how badly OpenOffice sucks...I've tried to use it for years, and they just can't get even close to "It Just Works.") * Netflix and Amazon streaming Any one of these would require I keep at least a virtual Windows instance around, and some (like FL Studio) really need you to be running on the raw hardware. I've tried, again and again, to use free versions of all of the above, and the usability and feature set is nowhere near what I need in the free offerings. I've given up at this point; there are just too many critical apps on Windows for me to jump ship. >And I have used iTunes on Windows, and I found it wasn't bloated. In my experience, iTunes on Windows is one of the most hated pieces of software around; probably second only to QuickTime. I hate it with a passion, and I hate the fact that I can't use other software instead. I'm running 16Gb of RAM, an i7 with 8 threads, and a fast SSD hard drive, and yet it's still slow and frustrating, not to mention awkwardly designed and buggy. Not sure what you're running that it doesn't seem bloated, but it absolutely (and frequently) screws up in talking to iPads. And the fact that it considers every new upgrade a "new computer install", threatening to lock me out of my content and devices if I don't "uninstall" it first from the older computers (that have been reformatted) is absolutely infuriating.

csense 13y ago
> Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom > Corel Draw Suite What about Gimp and Inkscape? > Sony Vegas Video I think VirtualDub is open-source and exists on Linux. Good grief, it's been nearly a decade since I did serious video editing...but I'm sure Linux has something. > Visual Studio Eclipse, NetBeans, Emacs, KDevelop, ...there are plenty of Linux development suites > don't get me started on how badly OpenOffice sucks I've never had any problems; it does what it's supposed to do for me. What are you doing? > Netflix and Amazon streaming Linux has VLC, Totem, and Flash Just Works on Linux Mint. > I can't use other software instead Why not? Did you make the mistake of buying official Apple hardware? That's your bad, since generic MP3 players and Android phones do everything iJunk does, and are a lot cheaper.
- colanderman 13y ago
  Let me respond as a die-hard Linux user. > What about Gimp and Inkscape? I love both of these dearly, but they're a joke (feature-wise; Inkscape has a pretty sweet interface) compared to Adobe products. It's not that Gimp & Inkscape are feature-poor; Photoshop really does have that many more features. > Eclipse, NetBeans, Emacs, KDevelop, ...there are plenty of Linux development suites that are integrated with .Net? Almost certainly not. > I've never had any problems [with OpenOffice]; it does what it's supposed to do for me. OpenOffice's hit rate for correctly displaying MS-generated files is about 50%. I have to run a damn Windows VM at work to read .doc-formatted shit because it doesn't display correctly under OOo. > Linux has VLC, Totem, and Flash Just Works on Linux Mint. Not a single one of those supports Amazon streaming video (and I suspect not Netflix either, but I don't have a Netflix subscription). We have to use my wife's computer to watch Amazon videos because they don't work under Linux Flash. Note that in my daily personal life, none of these (except for the Amazon thing) affect me in the slightest – I love Inkscape; I code C and Erlang in a cheesy simple editor; I write documents in LyX; I can even watch The Daily Show in mplayer (compared to which Flash's playback quality is a joke). Hence I use open-source software and love it. But I'm not 99% of the population.
  - smacktoward 13y ago
    > that are integrated with .Net? Almost certainly not. There is MonoDevelop (http://monodevelop.com http://monodevelop.com), of course. But speaking more generally, if you're working in .Net, you've already chosen to lock yourself into a proprietary vendor's trunk. I wouldn't advise waiting for free software developers to come up with things to make your stay there more pleasant. > Not a single one of those supports Amazon streaming video (and I suspect not Netflix either, but I don't have a Netflix subscription). We have to use my wife's computer to watch Amazon videos because they don't work under Linux Flash. Amazon video has worked fine in Firefox for me on Ubuntu forever. If you're trying to access it via Chrome, it won't work because Google removed DRM support from the Chrome Flash plugin (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=3757 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&...). God help me for saying this, but that's one you can't blame Adobe for. Netflix doesn't work, but that's because Netflix uses Silverlight rather than Flash, and Silverlight has never been Linux-friendly.

csense 13y ago

> Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom > Corel Draw Suite What about Gimp and Inkscape? > Sony Vegas Video I think VirtualDub is open-source and exists on Linux. Good grief, it's been nearly a decade since I did serious video editing...but I'm sure Linux has something. > Visual Studio Eclipse, NetBeans, Emacs, KDevelop, ...there are plenty of Linux development suites > don't get me started on how badly OpenOffice sucks I've never had any problems; it does what it's supposed to do for me. What are you doing? > Netflix and Amazon streaming Linux has VLC, Totem, and Flash Just Works on Linux Mint. > I can't use other software instead Why not? Did you make the mistake of buying official Apple hardware? That's your bad, since generic MP3 players and Android phones do everything iJunk does, and are a lot cheaper.

colanderman 13y ago
Let me respond as a die-hard Linux user. > What about Gimp and Inkscape? I love both of these dearly, but they're a joke (feature-wise; Inkscape has a pretty sweet interface) compared to Adobe products. It's not that Gimp & Inkscape are feature-poor; Photoshop really does have that many more features. > Eclipse, NetBeans, Emacs, KDevelop, ...there are plenty of Linux development suites that are integrated with .Net? Almost certainly not. > I've never had any problems [with OpenOffice]; it does what it's supposed to do for me. OpenOffice's hit rate for correctly displaying MS-generated files is about 50%. I have to run a damn Windows VM at work to read .doc-formatted shit because it doesn't display correctly under OOo. > Linux has VLC, Totem, and Flash Just Works on Linux Mint. Not a single one of those supports Amazon streaming video (and I suspect not Netflix either, but I don't have a Netflix subscription). We have to use my wife's computer to watch Amazon videos because they don't work under Linux Flash. Note that in my daily personal life, none of these (except for the Amazon thing) affect me in the slightest – I love Inkscape; I code C and Erlang in a cheesy simple editor; I write documents in LyX; I can even watch The Daily Show in mplayer (compared to which Flash's playback quality is a joke). Hence I use open-source software and love it. But I'm not 99% of the population.
- smacktoward 13y ago
  > that are integrated with .Net? Almost certainly not. There is MonoDevelop (http://monodevelop.com http://monodevelop.com), of course. But speaking more generally, if you're working in .Net, you've already chosen to lock yourself into a proprietary vendor's trunk. I wouldn't advise waiting for free software developers to come up with things to make your stay there more pleasant. > Not a single one of those supports Amazon streaming video (and I suspect not Netflix either, but I don't have a Netflix subscription). We have to use my wife's computer to watch Amazon videos because they don't work under Linux Flash. Amazon video has worked fine in Firefox for me on Ubuntu forever. If you're trying to access it via Chrome, it won't work because Google removed DRM support from the Chrome Flash plugin (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=3757 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&...). God help me for saying this, but that's one you can't blame Adobe for. Netflix doesn't work, but that's because Netflix uses Silverlight rather than Flash, and Silverlight has never been Linux-friendly.