[Fsf-friends] The Linux Desktop Needs To Be Easier

[Tarun Gaur]

Hi Friends,

An Article in OSOpinion.com ....
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The Linux Desktop Needs To Be Easier
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Contributed by James Maguire
osOpinion.com
December 12, 2002

Installing a new program, or the OS itself, proves cumbersome for some 
users. Creating a home network or developing individualized settings can be 
confusing or frustrating.

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I was talking with a friend recently, a truly techie-geeky kind of fellow, 
and he told me a familiar story.

He talked about a recent experience of his, working on a Linux desktop  
system. No matter what he did -- and he did quite a bit -- he could not get 
the system to connect to the Internet. He switched over to a nearby Windows 
system, and -- bingo -- he was connected.

His experience points to a problem that may be reality or merely perception. 
But either way, it's a widespread attitude: The Linux desktop just ain't 
easy to use.

A Pocketful of Promise

Clearly, Linux has the potential to devour the desktop market. It is dirt 
cheap in comparison to Windows. And that's not counting those pricey Windows 
upgrades that are called for on a regular basis (ouch!).

With Linux, you can install the OS on all your machines without feeling like 
a fugitive. And if you're lucky enough to have a geeky friend, he or she can 
get underneath the hood and modify your software, customizing it for your 
needs (try doing that with Microsoft).

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Linux desktop is that many Linux 
packages are fully equipped with not only an OS, but also a full suite of 
programs. For example, the Lindows  3.0 release bundles the core OS with 
access to a library of free software.

Compare this with Windows' a la carte "each program costs more," which gets 
expensive fast.

Add it all up, and Linux's potential is bigger than Bill Gates' bank 
account. (Well, maybe not that big, but you get the idea.)

So, What's the Deal?

With all these advantages, why does Linux have a tiny 2 percent share of the 
desktop market, with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)  commanding a mammoth 93 
percent share?

Part of this disparity stems from Microsoft's marketing muscle. It's hard to 
beat an effort with that many ad dollars behind it.

However, it is also undeniable that Linux is not easy to use for the average 
desktop user. Installing a new program, or the OS itself, proves cumbersome 
for some users. Creating a home network or developing individualized 
settings can be confusing or frustrating.

Developers' Efforts

Linux' reputation for being difficult to use is "a [negative] rap that's 
going to take it a while to live down," Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio 
told NewsFactor.

However, she said, "I think we're getting closer." The open source  system's 
biggest problem in gaining desktop share is simple lack of familiarity, she 
said. "Linux hasn't been a desktop phenomenon until recently, in the last 12 
to 15 months.

"Clearly, Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT) , SCO, the Lindows people -- they are all 
aware of the fact that you have to make this stuff easy or nobody will use 
it," she added, pointing to the Lindows OS as a "major step forward" in 
terms of ease of use.

Incentive Exists

Although Microsoft essentially owns the OS desktop market at this point, 
there is ample incentive for Linux developers to create distributions whose 
ease of use makes the open source OS compelling.

As DiDio pointed out, the market is not just U.S.-based, but global. And 
whereas the U.S. PC market is mature, the global market is in its infancy.

"As you see Linux gaining market share, it's not that people will defect 
from Windows, it's that new users are going to Linux on the desktop," she 
said, explaining that European and South American users, among others, 
welcome open source alternatives. "The pie is not finite."
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regards,,
tarun gaur




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