Linux: The Myths are not True.
Time to play Devil’s advocate. As I posted over on tumblr, I posted a rather long comment on an article someone submitted for Chris Pirillo’s leg of the HP blogger magic giveaway. At the time I felt the comment along was justification enough but after thinking I feel the question of Linux’s usability needs a bit more:
Security
The normal stuff about viruses and malware apply here (I run no anti-virus on this ubuntu install), but theres another vulnerability with windows. Windows expects the user to be in charge of updating the software on their PC, while Linux regularly checks and reports on new updates without the user needing to start the process. Ever year we see surveys stating people are continuing to use old software (IE6 anyone?), which are usually far less safe and quite friendly to hackers. Sure you can install programs to check for updates but how many people know of these programs?
Speed
Yeah Linux has a ton of eye candy, much of it useless, but the thing that makes that eye candy different is the fact that it doesn’t kill your system simply to tab between windows. Aero is constantly the first thing recommended to be disabled to improve performance. I’m able run compiz on a 4 year old eMachines with 1GB of RAM and other dismal specs, trying to run vista on the same PC would be impossible or at the best too slow to do anything. As far as the useless statement goes, having multiple desktops makes it easy to break up work into categories. I’ve actually seen a rise in production with the multiple desktops
Customization
Lets share windows desktops! Now how many of them are the same? Sure you may have a different wallpaper or stuff on the desktop, but what about the core items, icons and theme. If your tech inclined you may have patched uxtheme.dll and run a custom theme, but if you’re not so savvy you probably just run a stock windows theme. Linux allows for the average user to customize their desktop as much as they want, with simple dragging and dropping. Download your theme open appearance options and drag the tar ball into the window, installed, no messing with dlls or registry.
The Alternatives aren’t bad
One of the common reasons is “I can’t live without MS Word”. Why? What does it do that makes you need to fork over at the least 130 dollars for? OpenOffice does everything Word can do and even comes with extendability via plugins. Again I don’t know of a windows-only app that doesn’t have a suitable alternative in Linux, and even if there isn’t said windows app will probably run under WINE or crossover (or run a VM).
Simply not use to it
The “its too hard” argument is simply a by-product of no experience. First time you used windows it was hard finding things you needed or how to do this or that. Same holds for Linux. People who write Linux off as too hard are taking a Windows mentality into a non-windows environment. Things are always hard when you’re new to them, but simply spending time learning makes it just as easy. Sudo apt-get install may sound like gibberish but over time it becomes second nature.
Support
Theres no support for Linux, is the stupidest reason by far. First there is actually a support section in ubuntu (and other distros) itself and its just as helpful as Windows built in help. But the real support comes from the community. This community is made up of the same people that built the OS and who provide help because of love for the OS. I’d put that support over a paid staffer who could simply be reading from a help sheet.
More reasons can be thrown around, but the basic principle is that Linux as a whole has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. There are still distros out there that are complicated, but just as many, or more, are user friendly. Linux is no longer the OS where you work soley in command line and compile your software, its advanced into an era of GUI interfaces and usability, yet the myths about it still persist, and probably will never die. Sure no OS is perfect for every person under the sun, nothing is, but we’d ask that you kindly stop spreading rumors, though the door is always open to come join us.
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