The problem is like that xkcd comic about experts underestimating the common person’s knowledge in their field. Linux is still not user friendly enough for the vast majority of people. Linux users just don’t seem to understand that most people are in the “wtf is a distro?” level of knowledge and would absolutely panic at the mere sight of a terminal.
True. Most people wouldn’t know how to install windows. They use it because it’s preinstalled and works. It’s a lot of risk for the average user to attempt an install from media even if it’s well guided. There’s also the roadblock of having media for local backup and the migration of personal data to cloud obfuscating the access to the data even further.
Every time someone asks for a VLC replacement it gets recommended in here, xitter and some of the top results on google, I can easily pitcure someone searching for an alternative and finding about it or it getting recommended to someone trying out Linux.
Why would anyone need a replacement for VLC?
Also, Gnome, KDE, Xfce, LXQt all come with a video player out of the box that’s much better suited for newbies.
If you’re installing MPV, you’re looking for it and probably know why you want it.
It’s not “linux”’s job to be userfriendly, it’s up to the distro. Look at android, steam deck and chromebooks, three very userfriendly linux distros. Now we just need some billion dollar company to do what google and valve did with those for a desktop and we’re good to go.
Yeah but I think most of us have already… We are not many enough to matter though. Microsoft and Google will continue to do what they want with 99% of users.
Eh, I switched. I switched all of my lab’s computers, too, and my PhD students have remarked a few different times that Linux is pretty cool. It might snowball.
I don’t think Linux will displace Windows meaningfully any time soon, but I do think people underestimate the fact that most people don’t install their own OSs. They get people like you to do it for them.
If they keep going at this pace, even the average person will be sick of it. My company was already considering it (after some input from myself and a couple coworkers) after they first announced recall. We sometimes deal with sensitive information that we can’t share with anyone outside the company. Periodic screenshots, regardless of what Microsoft says they will do, is a huge security risk.
The way MS is headed, would it really surprise anyone if a faulty update accidentally re-enables it without telling you and cause a massive shitstorm, though? I‘m not sure how many companies are naive enough to have this sword of Damocles above their machines. Especially with that disastrous anti-hacker resolution by the UN on the way. Sure, there are a lot of companies who just don‘t care nearly as much as they should, but one massive leak caused with recall involved could be enough for thousands of them to switch.
This is where we say switch to Linux, right?
The problem is like that xkcd comic about experts underestimating the common person’s knowledge in their field. Linux is still not user friendly enough for the vast majority of people. Linux users just don’t seem to understand that most people are in the “wtf is a distro?” level of knowledge and would absolutely panic at the mere sight of a terminal.
True. Most people wouldn’t know how to install windows. They use it because it’s preinstalled and works. It’s a lot of risk for the average user to attempt an install from media even if it’s well guided. There’s also the roadblock of having media for local backup and the migration of personal data to cloud obfuscating the access to the data even further.
It’s hard enough to get professionals to rtfm.
Tell the average user to configure MPV and tell them to look at the documentation every time they ask for help.
See how fast they go back to Windows.
I’ve used Linux for 20 years and don’t even know what MPV is without looking it up.
Pretty sure that’s not an issue for any average user.
Every time someone asks for a VLC replacement it gets recommended in here, xitter and some of the top results on google, I can easily pitcure someone searching for an alternative and finding about it or it getting recommended to someone trying out Linux.
Why would anyone need a replacement for VLC?
Also, Gnome, KDE, Xfce, LXQt all come with a video player out of the box that’s much better suited for newbies.
If you’re installing MPV, you’re looking for it and probably know why you want it.
It’s not “linux”’s job to be userfriendly, it’s up to the distro. Look at android, steam deck and chromebooks, three very userfriendly linux distros. Now we just need some billion dollar company to do what google and valve did with those for a desktop and we’re good to go.
They don’t need to know what a distro is, the same way they don’t know the difference between Windows Enterprise, Professional, LTSC, etc.
If it’s not OEM, people like us are going to be the ones installing it for them anyway.
Yeah but I think most of us have already… We are not many enough to matter though. Microsoft and Google will continue to do what they want with 99% of users.
Eh, I switched. I switched all of my lab’s computers, too, and my PhD students have remarked a few different times that Linux is pretty cool. It might snowball.
I don’t think Linux will displace Windows meaningfully any time soon, but I do think people underestimate the fact that most people don’t install their own OSs. They get people like you to do it for them.
If they keep going at this pace, even the average person will be sick of it. My company was already considering it (after some input from myself and a couple coworkers) after they first announced recall. We sometimes deal with sensitive information that we can’t share with anyone outside the company. Periodic screenshots, regardless of what Microsoft says they will do, is a huge security risk.
It still can be disabled in windows enterprise using a intune policy, at least.
Yeah this is all my company cared about. They trust that it will be disabled…
The way MS is headed, would it really surprise anyone if a faulty update accidentally re-enables it without telling you and cause a massive shitstorm, though? I‘m not sure how many companies are naive enough to have this sword of Damocles above their machines. Especially with that disastrous anti-hacker resolution by the UN on the way. Sure, there are a lot of companies who just don‘t care nearly as much as they should, but one massive leak caused with recall involved could be enough for thousands of them to switch.
I’ll switch when Windows 10 is no longer supported. Or just before.