Why is Linux desktop not popular among non-programmers?

[Coburn Ingram]

I don't think it's as dismal as all that. I don't think it's an "I don't
care" attitude on the part of developers. On the contrary, Linux is built
on an attitude of volunteer cooperation. People are developing these apps
out of goodwill. If they don't have time to respond to every instance of
feedback, it's because they have limited time and energy to invest on every
new idea. They have to focus on what's most important. "Make it work first,
then make it work fast." I have always had good luck contacting developers
for help or solutions. Things work a different way in the volunteer
economy, but in the end we're all a little bit "ubuntu."

On Wed, Feb 5, 2025 at 5:22 AM Amit <amitchoudhary0523 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have now figured out what the main problem in the linux world is -
> The message from the linux world is that if you don't like something
> then please don't suggest anything to us, just go ahead and do it
> yourself, we are not going to do it. We will do what we want to do,
> irrespective of whether people will like our work or not.
>
> It is kind of strange because in the whole world I see that -
> "Feedback is most welcome" but not in the linux world.
>
> So, now I have given up. I am now not going to give any ideas to the
> linux world.
>
> I had mentioned this before in this thread - I had opened a discussion
> on GNOME discourse and I started questioning them on GNOME 3 user
> interface. I said that GNOME 2 user interface was more user friendly
> than GNOME 3 user interface and even Linus Toravlds had said a similar
> thing. But they didn't even want to discuss this in detail and they
> closed the discussion topic abruptly.
>
> I like GNOME Flashback Metacity because it has menus. GNOME 3 user
> interface doesn't have menus. Windows/MacOS both have menus. Almost
> all applications in this world have menus. So, I don't know what GNOME
> 3 user interface developers were thinking when they decided to remove
> the menus. I had read somewhere, probably, a few years ago that GNOME
> wanted to be different from Windows/Mac, etc. Well, they definitely
> made it different with GNOME 3 but they couldn't make it popular.
> Doing something different doesn't guarantee popularity. And it is
> clear that GNOME developers are not going after the popularity, they
> just want to do different things that they like to do. Well, then,
> they are obviously not going to get lots of funds.
>
> As an example - an employer will not pay you for doing your own thing,
> an employer will pay you for doing what they want. Similarly,
> companies won't give funds if someone just develops something without
> involving the companies and that something is not what the companies
> want. So, your software may be different but not necessarily be liked
> by companies and hence not much funds and hence you may go extinct one
> day.
>
> Already freedesktop.org and Alpine linux are struggling to get some
> money so that they can save themselves from extinction
> (
> https://linux.slashdot.org/story/25/02/04/0044210/popular-linux-orgs-freedesktop-alpine-linux-are-scrambling-for-new-web-hosting
> ).
>
> --------------------
> By the way, Linux Foundation is getting around $250 million funds
> every year because they do what the companies ask them to do. No such
> thing with GNOME, etc.
> --------------------
>
> Besides, linux kernel doesn't care much about linux desktop(s) and so
> they don't care whether companies are giving linux drivers or not and
> without drivers, it is very hard to use linux desktop(s) if some new
> (and necessary) hardware comes up. Also, as gathered from the
> discussions in this thread, probably, there are not linux drivers for
> some common hardware like - scanners, card readers, etc.
>
> I had mentioned here that I had sent an email to the linux kernel
> mailing list about making developing device drivers very easy on linux
> but no one responded. So, it is clear that they don't care much about
> linux desktop(s).
>
> So, the whole linux world is not working as a single unit and neither
> there is a will to do so.
>
> >
> > Do you suggest that the tens of thousands (or more) of linux developers
> > and all the linux companies drop the current plans that they have been
> > using and follow you instead, as if they haven't thought about these
> kinds
> > of things with orders of magnitude more depth and knowledge?
> >
>
> I really don't think that they would have thought about these things.
> What is the proof that they did think about these things? In my
> opinion, they would have implemented it if they had thought about
> these things (that is - to get funds, they need to involve companies
> and do what they ask for).
>
> Now, I have decided that if I want to work for increasing the usage /
> popularity of linux desktop(s) then I will do it in the background
> without revealing my plans to anyone. I have some plans but I don't
> know if I will go ahead with those plans or not. But anyways, I won't
> write about them here or anywhere else.
>
> I am sorry if I have offended anyone.
>
> Regards,
> Amit
>
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