Originally Posted By: Killer223
I really don't understand why more people don't try Linux. 90% of people use the computer for web, email, photos, all things Linux does very well.
I think the big challenge facing Linux is its open source nature. The user has to accept some level of risk as stuff isn't "officially" supported. There is a tremendous user base for this, including very fine folks right here on BITOG, and folks here on BITOG (including many in this thread) have helped me a lot with various Linux distros. However, I've decided that officially-supported hardware/software combinations work best for me and my family. Manufacturers like Dell have offered factory-installed Ubuntu before, and that's an option that might interest me if I were buying a new computer in that price range. But I have decided that installing an OS on my own equipment, where it may or may not work, is not where my interest lies. I suspect that's a big factor in why Linux isn't more widely used.
In that vein, I like Chrome OS (which is a proprietary fork of the Linux operating system...Linux kernel 3.18 currently). Straight Linux has the advantage of being able to install programs onto the hard drive, but that delta may be tightening some as Chromebooks are beginning to support Android apps. Chromebooks have an advantage in terms of driver compatibility -- it's all built-in to the OS and you don't have to worry about whether or not your particular piece of hardware (graphics adapter, NIC, etc) has a Linux driver written for it...a challenge I've personally faced with Linux a number of times, and my personal context for the first paragraph above. But Chrome OS supports everything I do on a computer, with the help, certainly, of various cloud services. I use both Google Drive and Microsoft Onedrive/Office Online for various tasks. Our personal finance spreadsheets are in Excel and I used to do those on the desktop computer. I've since moved to editing those straight on the Chromebook using Excel Online (they're stored on Onedrive). I sometimes plug it into the desktop monitor for easier use. I would like to have a Chromebox one day, the Chrome OS analog of a Mac Mini.
Chrome OS, certainly, isn't for everyone. We have a reliable and persistent internet connection. While not strictly required, this is a big help. Others may not be in the same situation, or they may have more anxiety than I do regarding storing personal information on a cloud service.
I've used Windows since 3.0, DOS Shell, OS/2, Mac OS 8/9/X, Linux/Ubuntu, Android, iOS, Chrome OS -- all of the relatively modern mainstream OSes intended for consumer use (not server use), and I've decided that the factors that make one preferable over another are largely situational...each OS has its positive and negative aspects and each one will usually require a compromise by the user in some way. Each user will have to decide which compromises they're willing to take and which ones they won't, and that will be different for everyone. Some like Windows 7 with updates turned off. Some like Windows 10. Some still like XP. Some like Linux. Some prefer Macs. Some like Chrome. Some probably still live in DOS, and wouldn't have it any other way. It's all good...it just depends on what you want and use a computer for.
