Windows is by far the most widely used operating system in the world, followed by macOS and thirdly Linux . Leaving aside macOS and its ecosystem, whenever there is talk of alternatives to Windows, Linux is referred to as a much more secure and private system, with better features and better performance. However, users do not stop trusting it and installing it on their computers, why?
Almost everything that is said about Linux is true. This operating system offers users greater privacy compared to Windows, as well as more security. Even older computers can have a second life thanks to it. But even so, this OS is only present in 2% of computers around the world. And is that this system should change several things if you really want to gain popularity and stand up to Windows as it deserves.
Fragmentation is the first problem
The first problem with Linux is that it is not an operating system as such, it is just the kernel. The distributions are those that shape this OS and those that allow us to install it on our computer. It is not possible to “install Linux” as such, but we will install Ubuntu, Debian , Mint, Arch or whatever distribution we prefer. And there are hundreds of different distributions to choose from.
In the case of Windows, for example, it is Microsoft who says that we install its operating system, and all the advertising is aimed at it. In the case of Linux, in addition to having much less advertising media, there is no one who says “install Linux” , but each company recommends installing their distro. Canonical, for example, recommends us to install Ubuntu; Arch their distro, those responsible for Mint theirs … in short, not only do they not all row in the same direction, but they often try to compete with each other, and that makes it impossible to achieve unity.
The first step would be to change the mentality of the developers so that, instead of competing with each other, they all row in the same direction. It would be the only way for Linux to have more drive . And, once it became known as a unit, then we could start talking about distributions.
Linux has changed, but people keep thinking about the past
If you ask someone who is not very up to date on the evolution of computing by Linux, surely the first thing that comes to mind is a terminal with commands. And a hacker . And a user with glasses and half a hair. But things have changed a lot. Today, the major distributions are as easy to use as any version of Windows, and even simpler. They have very easy-to-look desktops (some even mimic the look of Microsoft’s system) and can be used without even running a command.
Linux is no longer difficult , neither a system without programs, nor a system for hackers. Linux is an operating system for day to day, capable of satisfying the needs that any user may have.
The Linux community sometimes leaves a lot to be desired
Unlike Microsoft, this operating system does not have a technical service to help us when we have a problem. Instead, it relies on communities of users who selflessly seek to help people. Unfortunately, there are communities (such as Ubuntu) that leave a lot to be desired. Many users, although they help, believe they have the right to despise users who do not use the same distro as them , or assume that they all know the same commands that they do.
If we want people to use this operating system, we must provide support and help for people who start out as zero knowledge. And is that nobody entered Linux, or any system, with some knowledge of sysadmin.
It is necessary to improve the support of programs and games
This operating system works mainly with open source software. We can find programs for everything, and surely we do not miss anything, from a browser like Firefox to LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, etc. But there are users who may miss other programs , such as Office or Photoshop. And, in that case, little else can be done than choosing to use a compatibility layer (called Wine) to run Windows programs on Linux.
Something similar for games. Besides the fact that the performance of the drivers is lower than in Windows, the number of titles available is very small. It is true that more and more developers are bringing their games to this system, but this is something that has yet to change a lot.
