Linux is fast, powerful, and inherently more secure, but it is not gaining the market share it deserves. There are many ideas and opinions and here we'll discuss them one by one.
I am a Linux user, full stop. I am comfortable with the fact that, unless I have a hardware failure, my system will boot up exactly the same way I have shut it down - no black screens, no blue screens of death, no clueless non-responsive screens, and no weird errors. I do not need to download megabytes of installation files which do basically nothing other than replacing some files of a couple of kilobytes in size. I love the things that I can do with my Linux computer, way beyond what the Windows and Mac users can think of. (For the curious, I use Windows under a VMWare Virtual Machine. I am not so brave to put my files into custody of Windows.)
But why is it that this beautiful system currently holds a tiny 2% of share in the operating system market? Why can't Linux crush the other operating systems? Why isn't it the clear champion in the arena? What is the reason that it is not triumphing over Windows?
Go to a computer shop and ask about Linux. Possible answers you may get are as follows:
- Linux is a text-based operating system.
- Linux is for the professionals.
- I have seen it on my friend's computer.
- Will you run a server?
- Yeah, I have heard of it.
- We do not sell Linux.
- Our hardware is only compatible with Windows.
- ... add your own favorite here
Seriously, which one is true? None. Really none. The salesperson is totally unaware of what he or she is saying and is unable to offer you anything other than what she or he was told in the latest training session. Ignorance about Linux results in misguidance.
Think about a common user who arrives at X-Mart to purchase a computer: “I want a computer that is not expensive, but I want to use it for a couple of years.” The salesperson is the only one that the consumer trusts and the salesperson is the “sales”person. Let's be realistic here. Grandma doesn't need the sidebar or DirectX 10. She just wants something that she can use like a kitchen appliance.
Microsoft's greatest success, much as Satan's greatest triumph was to convince the world that he did not exist, was to make everyone believe that Computer equals Windows. Add this to misguidance and you basically do not need any other reason.
Next: Read on for hardware vendors, and Windows' unified interface vs Linux's desktop environments.