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Our Blogs Open Sauce Why Linux is not coming to a desktop near you
Our Blogs Open Sauce Why Linux is not coming to a desktop near you | Why Linux is not coming to a desktop near you |
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| by Sam Varghese | |
| Tuesday, 17 June 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 I didn't write down what I perceived as the advantages and disadvantages of switching but I had them clearly delineated in my mind. One of the pluses which I contemplated were the prospect of not having to reinstall the whole caboodle every two or three years; another was the fact that I wouldn't have to keep upgrading my hardware every time a fresh version was released. Featured Whitepaper
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I was also prepared to spend some time understanding the system and in that initial 18 months, I knew that at times it could be a pretty frustrating occupation. The help available on the web and on mailing lists then wasn't half as good as it is now. One big mistake that many would-be individual users make is assuming that just because Linux is free, those who are part of the community are nice people. Else, the reasoning runs, why would they be involved in helping others use this stuff? All one has to do to find out the reality is to get on a mailing list and post a question (and one who is new to these environs often ends up asking what is considered a "wrong" question). You soon find out that the community is as good or bad as any bunch of human beings - that's all. Or more likely, that it is more prone to be extremely unforgiving of someone who asks something which is considered "wrong". Individuals who want to switch are often driven by testosterone or emotion or simply a desire to be like some others who are considered "cool." He or she lacks staying power. The rather simplistic notion that you can do everything on Linux which you were doing on Windows and in the same way too is foremost in the mind. That is a one-way path to failure. The first time I used Windows 95 (a couple of months after its release on August 24, 1995) it felt very nice. Something like my first cigarette which I had with a cup of coffee after dinner many moons ago (after I had learned to inhale). By 1998, that PC was a pain to use as it had slowed to a crawl - and similarly three years after my first cigarette, that hacking cough in the morning wasn't something I enjoyed either. But when you pick up that first cigarette are you really thinking that far ahead? When you think of switching to Ubuntu because it has a cool name, do you consider that you may not be able to click your way around exactly as you do on Windows? Or that some things are going to look different? Are you prepared to start thinking slightly differently? Are you ready to understand that eggs will not taste the same as bacon? Are you ready to give up a few things to gain a number of benefits? |
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