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What the Linux desktop really needs to challenge Windows (www.theregister.com)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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As Torvalds pointed out in 2019, is that while some major hardware vendors do sell Linux PCs – Dell, for example, with Ubuntu – none of them make it easy. There are also great specialist Linux PC vendors, such as System76, Germany's TUXEDO Computers, and the UK-based Star Labs, but they tend to market to people who are already into Linux, not disgruntled Windows users. No, one big reason why Linux hasn't taken off is that there are no major PC OEMs strongly backing it. To Torvalds, Chromebooks "are the path toward the desktop."

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[–] 7 points 10 months ago* (5 children)

I agree, but only until the part you mention how people should install their software. And that's simply because I don't think that people should install random .exes or .debs from the internet, because repositories are:

  1. Easier to find software within: you've got a one-stop-shop for all/most of your most important software
  2. They're inherently more secure as the software should (emphasis on should) be checked by maintainers or the people who upload software onto them
  3. Software updates are much easier to enroll, as they are treated as system updates
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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah I'd say a large percentage of users don't even know what a repository is, have no idea what a maintainer does, and wouldn't even refer to their 'apps' as software.

    You're asking a lot of of people who don't give a fuck.

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago

    Yeah, but a lot of people nowadays only use a phone, and they don't download their software from a random website, but they use a front end (e.g. Play Store/App Store), so they don't need to get accustomed to it

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  • [–] -1 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    There's another thing that frustrates me about Linux and its various philosophies. Should I be allowed to do what I want with my software? Or should the machine protect me from myself? It seems at conflict with itself to allow you to do stuff like delete system files without much more than a warning while also having protections in place as you describe. Windows tried doing this exact thing with S Mode and people get pissed about windows not allowing them to do whatever they want.

    I fundamentally disagree that users should not be allowed to install whatever they want from wherever they want.

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  • [–] 8 points 10 months ago

    I fundamentally disagree that users should not be allowed to install whatever they want from wherever they want.

    You can install whatever dodgy file from wherever you want. I (and many others) don't think that should be the default

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