[ubuntu-in] Why Linux's desktop market-share is 1%

[Parthan SR]

Hardeep Singh wrote:
> ------------------------
>  
>  
> Typical conversations with a relative about his or her computer which, 
> because of you, runs Ubuntu:
>  
> + "Can I have MSN on my Laptop?"
> - "You have"
> + "No, this is not MSN. On Kates' laptop it looks different."
>  
> + "I can't get The Sims to install"
> - "That's because it won't run on Ubuntu."
> - "Here. Try TuxRacer"
>  
> + "I want to view this DVD, but the player says it cannot open the disk"
> - "You have to install the xine_d4d_plugin."
> + "How? I can't find it in the software database"
> - "Just dowload the source, then ./configure, make and make install"
> + "......"
>  
> + "I bought a webcam, to work with skype, but I cannot get the sound 
> to work during a session"
> - "That's because the sound device is in use by gstreamer. You have to 
> disable gstreamer and turn on OSS emulation for Alsa by installing 
> snd-pcm-oss to get it to work."
> + "Wait.... what?"
>  
>  
> Here, the reason why Linux's desktop market-share is 1%
>  
> ---------------------------
>
May be this is not your view, and hence replying to your post just to 
let my 2 cents known. We were having a discussion within one of the most 
active and critical team in Ubuntu community and the topic was about 
giving replies to people, especially to those who are not one among us 
and are typical newbies to our way of doing things. If you look at the 
following replies, they are mere plain replies, with no concern of 
explaining why? and how sometimes. The replies do not try to let the 
other person know of the reasons for not having something but having an 
alternative or a bit hard way to have it.

It doesn't speak about what MSN is and how Pidgin offers the same 
capabilities of a MSN messenger. May be sometimes it can't offer all 
capabilities, if so a proper reply needs to address that as well.
It doesn't say why the person can't install Sims but gives a plain 
suggestion which is not a solution. I have seen people saying "Use Foo 
distro" when some one asks a solution to some problem in another distro. 
When the complaint is DVD can't open disk, he merely says to install 
some software without explaining why the person needs to do that.

I do not intend to say that giving explanations might change peoples' 
opinion always, but it indeed can save from giving a bad impression than 
one given by answer such as above.

One thing to be kept in mind is, no distribution is trying to be an 
alternative to Windows. In Ubuntu, we are trying to be a Linux 
distribution which helps common human beings to meet all their common 
computing need for their daily lives, we aren't 100% there but we are a 
lot better than an year ago for sure. If you are an user with 
extra-normal-human needs, then indeed you need to take extra efforts to 
get things done and believe me it really worth the effort.

-- 
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With Regards,

Parthan "technofreak"
<gpg>  2FF01026
<blog> http://blog.technofreak.in