Linux will not win. And that’s OK.
If you visit any forum or comment thread discussing Linux, you will undoubtedly run into true-believers who are convinced Linux will overtake Windows and MacOS some day. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking. Perhaps it’s zeal. In some ways, it reminds me of fanatical Mac users in the mid-to-late 90’s.
The OS holy wars are stronger than ever, with proponents from all sides pointing out the virtues of their favorite operating system while singling out the flaws in others. The truth is, no operating system is perfect, and your choice really depends on your use case.
Those of the geeky persuasion (which I count myself), like using Linux (I run popOS and Linux Mint) because of its flexibility and configurability. But, it’s by no means perfect. In my own experience, I’ve had issues with non-functioning WiFi, as well as flickering backlight issues after waking the machine from sleep. I was able to solve them because I like geeky challenges. But I’m the exception, rather than the rule. Normal folks just want their computer to work out of the box and won’t settle for anything less.
Linux has come a long way. For example: Installation is much, much easier now, compared to how it was 15-20 years ago. There is a robust development community dedicated to bringing meaningful improvements to their software, in both quality and design.
But it needs to get better.
Many people state that they would switch to Linux if heavy hitters like Adobe or ProTools were to make native Linux versions. That will never happen. But it doesn’t need to.
Linux developers need to go beyond what’s being offered and make software that’s far superior to what we already have on Mac and Windows. A radical re-thinking is in order. Don’t copy. Innovate. After all, cover bands don’t change the world.
Linux is not going to win the OS wars, and I personally think that’s fine. We should be glad that a free and open source platform is not only surviving, but thriving. Being the underdog fosters innovation and experimentation, which I see Linux-based operating systems doing.
-Krishna
No comments yet. Be the first!