Re: Chicken & Egg problem - One of my favorite problems, because it always prompts one to ask, ‘Was the egg fertilized?’
Moral: There’s a bit more that needs to happen than just having a chicken or just an egg. Neither can do much without a little outside assistance… And the ‘rooster’ on this problem, I quite agree, is application support. (Really, application access.)
If Linux cannot seem to somehow gain a foothold in the already established Industry Standard applications of the day, we need to work on inventing our own… and keeping them exclusively Linux based. (Why should a windows user switch to try linux if they could just use the same open-source software on windows? WSL is an attempt to appease those who are stuck on a windows platform but need to use linux apps.)
What apps should/could be linux-exclusives? How about we play to our strengths:
Security.
Privacy.
Customizability.
Ownership.
Speed.
Community.
Flexibility.
Programmability.
With the exception of speed, the competition (as it were) stumbles quite a bit on these fronts, and it is something we have going for us right now.
Oho… i had to laugh a bit there… In a sort of sad state, that is.
You mention security? You mention privacy? Ownership, speed, community? All those things we hold high and close to our hearts?
What i find in my surroundings is that the first 2 are seen as something dirty. (i appologize for repeating myself).
The casual windows/android/mac user has little to no understanding of these concepts.
Allthough you are completely right in mentioning these things, and that they are a true staple of linux, we’d do better if we keep those things not mentioned untill they’re truly under way with their new os.
My 2 cents.
This is correct. It is Linux only. I think this further underscores that Linux is the platform for game emulation. It is an obvious choice for retro and now modern platforms.
I’m really behind on podcasts, but really loved this! I relate to so much of it, having also used Linux since the mid-nineties. So much here, not sure where I’d begin, but I guess the conversation is a month old now. One point though, I just recently upgraded a device from Windows 10 to 11 – and it didn’t flake out, amazing – but first thing I noticed was how Gnome-like it is - lol - even to the oversimplification of the file explorer. MS are learning from us, folks
Also, @jill_linuxgirl, I remember the ZX81, Spectrum – C64, my earliest machine. Deciding against the QL even though it was technically brilliant… Brings back a lot of memories!
This is going to sound stupid, but it’s worked great for me on many an occasion. When I meet someone new who is wondering if Linux might be a good choice for them, I ask them: “Are you the sort of person who likes Star Trek”? (or other Sci Fi). If yes, then they would probably like Linux. If no, then probably not.
I always wonder (and worry), that whether it is only possible to gain wide-spread Linux desktop adoption if this platform would also move towards the lowest common denominator, seen in the other OSes.
Of course, the best way was if Linux didn’t need to change at all but people suddenly started to care about their ownership of their data and computer, because for that Linux (and BSDs) are the only viable solutions. But I’m afraid, that it’s just not gonna happen.
And frankly, to me, it was always more important that Linux works in a way that satisfies my needs for an OS, than how many other people use it. So, in my case, I’d rather focus on the more abstract issues, when discussing this topic with non-Linux users, and well, you can’t really convince someone to use a screwdriver who doesn’t care about screws being fastened.
So my thoughts on Linux Mints window manager is that in some ways it is almost as hard to change the look of the thing as Gnome. Just fine as long as you like green or dark themes…
Does anyone remember Window Maker, It was so easy to change the look of the thing. Now things seem to be headed in the other direction.
Never really got into KDE. If KDE started off with better defaults then I might be tempted to spend time with it.
@Craggles086 , Window Maker ! It is one of my default, and all-time favorite X window managers, and I have been using it since 1997. And NeXTstep and OpenStep before that! I am often using Window Maker when recording Destination Linux, and playing games!
Cheers!
Kinda makes me wonder how you would go about making a Frankenstein of Window Maker and Openbox. Actually sounds more fun then trying to merge Openbox with Xfce.
I didn’t actually answer the OP very well, which is what the Linux desktop needs to Dominate. I say OEM deals, as in, Linux needs to come pre-installed on computers/laptops/etc that the normies of the world can easily find, just by walking into, say, Best Buy. Linux-pre-installed machines need to be easily found right there alongside the pre-installed Windows and MacOS machines of the world. You know, a “place at the table”.
So this problem won’t be solved so much by the geeks of the world, but rather by the business-suit-wearing wheeler-dealers of the world, who jump through all the corporate hoops necessary to arrange those OEM deals.
That explains it! On a related note, I learned to touch type to be more like Data as a kid, rapidly interfacing with the computer panels… so… there is that…
!
