Linux popularization

JokaJukka

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Hey guys,
I was wondering the other day, is there any kind of Linux popularization going on?
Most people I talk with and argue about Windows x Linux say that why should they bother spending half an hour just choosing the distro. And by my quick research, there is no fancy "Get Started" guide, where you could read about the benefits of Linux in general, or maybe answer a few questions like "For what do you use your PC most" or "How well can you operate your PC", and the site would just choose distro for you. Because that's what majority of users want - to just use their computer, not to think about what bootloader they want to try today...
The thing I'm mad about is, I've seen a Mac billboard saying something about "It's compatible with all your devices. Yes, it can even open Word or Excel.". Heck, is that a reason to buy an "overpriced Linux"? I don't think so...

I believe that Linux has come to a stage that it is usable by a majority of the population. So, why the only thing I hear is "Year <choose year> is the year of Linux Desktop". Am I the only one that feels that way?
 



Just about all of the mainline distros are pretty much the same under the hood. Main differences are the package manager, and the default desktop environment, and maybe a few other tweaks and bobbles that most new users won't care about. New users don't realize that, because all they see at first is Gnome, KDE, CInnamon. And they think they have to change the distro to change the desktop, which is WRONG, and creates complication and confusion.

What I try to tell people who are new: Choose a single beginner friendly mainstream distro. Stay with that distro for a long while, and get used to the desktop environment. Dabble around in the CLI, install software. Only when you are comfortable, should you venture out into other distros and desktops.
 

Just about all of the mainline distros are pretty much the same under the hood. Main differences are the package manager, and the default desktop environment, and maybe a few other tweaks and bobbles that most new users won't care about. New users don't realize that, because all they see at first is Gnome, KDE, CInnamon. And they think they have to change the distro to change the desktop, which is WRONG, and creates complication and confusion.

What I try to tell people who are new: Choose a single beginner friendly mainstream distro. Stay with that distro for a long while, and get used to the desktop environment. Dabble around in the CLI, install software. Only when you are comfortable, should you venture out into other distros and desktops.
Oh yes. This is just what I was talking about. It does seem to be focused on somewhat experienced PC users though. Is there any campaign which aims on more common users, with message like "Linux isn't a mess" or "Linux isn't only for geeks"?

But apart from that, it looks great. I've already visited their GitHub, and found out they accept help with localizations. So thanks for letting me know about it, I'll surely submit translation to my language to bring this page to our country.
 
Hi & Welcome to Linux.org!

The beauty of it all is you can use a virtual machine and try any distro that you'd like to and decide from there.

I recommend Linux Mint if you are new to Linux:-

 
There is all kinds of help for newbie to Linux, but as far as I know word of mouth has been the driving factor.
most windows users never will see Linux ads which are run mostly in computer magazines and tech journals.

Everyone I know who has made the switch has tried it first because a co-work/friend has introduced them to the Idea so the best Linux Advertising is you and other Linux users. After they have been introduce then there is a lot of on line and in print material to guide their way. Make a few live usb sticks of your favorite Distro and give them away is another good way to introduce them to Linux. This removes one of the obstacles because believe it or not a lot of people are intimidated by the thought of having to download and burn a live usb.
 
Just for some perspective.

I use Linux as my daily driver, I was a Windows user for 16+ years but in the last year, I've converted to Linux, and I am happier on this side of the fence vs being on Windows. I do still use Windows for gaming, but mainly for games that dont work well on Linux, I barely boot into Windows these days as most of my games work flawlessly in Linux now, including games like New World, Warframe, WoW, etc.

My experience so far is that Linux is just different and fits my workflow better. I am also an IT professional so you could argue that it is a little less difficult for me to learn Linux than to a user who's not technical. But once you get over that initial barrier where you realize that things are done differently in Linux, you realize how different these OS is compared to Windows. Now, you could also mention Mac OS, but even with Mac OS, there are still quite a few differences so its not like you can just switch over to Linux from Mac and you're good to go.

Linux has become a lot more popular over the past couple of years, I think Steam Deck had a big part in this. Steam Deck literally uses Linux for gaming with Proton, this is insane to think about just a few years ago... now with all the effort put into Proton, Linux is becoming a serious contender. This could even be applied to Windows apps not just games, when using something like Wine (which is pretty much Proton).

I don't think we will have "The year of the Linux Desktop" but GNU/Linux distributions become better and better each year.

The best advice I can give to knew folks willing to try Linux, is just to watch some YouTube videos on this topic, try it in a virtual machine, and see for yourself if you feel like making the jump is the right thing. For me, dual booting Linux and Windows allows me to always go back to Windows in case Linux does not work with the game I am trying to play. But for the most part, I only need Windows for some games, which I hope at some point, I wont be the case once EAC becomes more adopable with games on Linux, it's getting there, but it is not there yet.
 
Hi & Welcome to Linux.org!

The beauty of it all is you can use a virtual machine and try any distro that you'd like to and decide from there.

I recommend Linux Mint if you are new to Linux:-

Oh. I think I've been misunderstood - I am driving Linux daily for about a year (Arch btw). I've been talking about "persuading" other people.

The best advice I can give to knew folks willing to try Linux, is just to watch some YouTube videos on this topic, try it in a virtual machine, and see for yourself if you feel like making the jump is the right thing. For me, dual booting Linux and Windows allows me to always go back to Windows in case Linux does not work with the game I am trying to play. But for the most part, I only need Windows for some games, which I hope at some point, I wont be the case once EAC becomes more adopable with games on Linux, it's getting there, but it is not there yet.
That's a fair point - I use dual boot too, because Microsoft Sharepoint & online Office, which I need for work, sadly. But still, research & trying Linux in a VM isn't for unexperienced people, that want computer, that "just works". This is the target audience that I am talking about.

With the "security improvements" that Windows 11 brought (TPM 2.0 etc.) can current device be by common user seen as "too old/dangerous", even if they are just fine.

And on the other side, most new computers/laptops have Windows preinstalled. Apart from few exceptions (Acer had Linux Mint preinstalled in some of their models at one point), you won't find Linux on any new PC.

So, these are the three main topics I'm interested in. Is there some sort of campaign about them going on?
 
I've been talking about "persuading" other people.
I'd say this is a bad idea. Typically, if someone isn't specifically interested in using Linux, and you try to coerce them, it'll fail. They may even have a bad taste about Linux. A caveat to this is someone who's interested in moving away from Windows/MacOS, and is looking for an alternative.
 


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