It’s… different. Especially for those with other OS backgrounds. It’s come a looong way- GUI is common across many Linux Distros now and it’s no longer the home OS for people who want to feel cool while taking 30 minutes to do what windows or OSX could do in 10 seconds. It’s a lot more likable when you’re doing things that are less “standard home computer” stuff. Linux server is awesome IMHO, and things like telnet/ssh etc. are just super smooth across Linux platforms. Linux still is very much command line driven even with a GUI- so if you know the file structure and commands well, things like operating on huge numbers of files and such are a lot easier. Sort of like SQL vs spreadsheets/folder GUI for operating on data.
But even for those sorts of things Linux isn’t for everyone. That’s ok. I’m not a Linux salesperson. We like what we like or use what works. Linux is nice for a lot of things. It’s nice for “home brew” and for use where other OS would be cost prohibitive.
Android has opened up a lot of options to overlap a similar use case for businesses and individuals who want to build tools or products with alot of compatibility and flexibility without huge costs, so Linux isn’t the only game in town of you are starting a small business making devices with proprietary software/OS set ups.
But yeah- for most people a straight Linux (as opposed to something Linux based or Linux like such as OSX) probably isn’t the best fit. That said- there are so many distros and there has been alot of progress towards ease of use that unlike 15-20 or so years ago I’d be willing to say “sure” if the average user asked if they might like trying Linux for their home machine. Not so long ago I’d have advised anyone who didn’t want or need to do more technical things to stay away lol.
I use Linux a lot and it can be incredibly powerful. My favorite way to explain it is something I heard years ago: "Linux is only free if your time is worthless."
Lol! I have never heard that, but it’s absolutely amazing and perfect. Thank you. I’m going to use that one. Agreed on the powerful- sometimes ever perhaps TOO powerful for many average users who just want to do “normal, everyday” things.
Comments
But even for those sorts of things Linux isn’t for everyone. That’s ok. I’m not a Linux salesperson. We like what we like or use what works. Linux is nice for a lot of things. It’s nice for “home brew” and for use where other OS would be cost prohibitive.
But yeah- for most people a straight Linux (as opposed to something Linux based or Linux like such as OSX) probably isn’t the best fit. That said- there are so many distros and there has been alot of progress towards ease of use that unlike 15-20 or so years ago I’d be willing to say “sure” if the average user asked if they might like trying Linux for their home machine. Not so long ago I’d have advised anyone who didn’t want or need to do more technical things to stay away lol.