this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Mature as a server os or as a desktop os?
I've got a server running for 15 years straight with minimum changes beyond security patching.
For desktop though it can be a bag of mixed results: Casual users that I've convinced using Linux had been over the moon with it, their computers "just work".
Power users though, they have an incredibly hard time as they try matching functionalities with other OS but do not want to rely heavily on terminals and setting files.
The problem for this last group is that the desktop developers are mostly users, and they are comfortable with terminals.
In my own experience, the problems I had with desktop Linux are mostly drivers (spent a week learning how alsa/pulseaudio works).
My second, and most common problem is updates that break some functionality.
If I can detect it right away, no problem as I can revert it, but if it's something I only use occasionally, then I'll spend some quality time debugging.
I haven't tried Linux on desktop in years but I would like to explain why power users might prefer not learning the command line: they don't want to learn/memorize/understand the commands needed as that would take away from other things they want to spend that time on, I'm not sure why gui doesn't hold that friction but it doesn't
I might get lynched by my reply but coding a functionality for GUI rather than command line is way harder and more labor consuming as it adds an additional layer that is very very thin in a CLI.
We could blame the GTK vs. QT rivalry, but I think it's more of a user coding something they need and doing it the way its less work/more comfortable for them.
Consider that there's a wide range of Linux developers that prefer tiling desktops that only rely on keyboards, not mouse. Even, there's a Linux Window Manager called Ratpoison.
Again, if someone enjoys it or wants to do it that way, more power to them but if someone wants a common interface for most things without learning the specifics of something and the commands for it then they'll want a good gui, if it's not available they'll end up cribbing about it.
I do agree with you, if it didn't sound like it. But the problem IMO is lack of investment on GUI (notwithstanding all the amazing work the Plasma and Gnome team are doing).
If public entities moved their MS license money to buy Linux desktop OS support instead, that would probably solve this issue, while creating another 3 :).