MX installer vs. Calamares

[AVLinux]

Indeed.. those now on Win10 will move to 12 or so eventually. My dad is a perfect example. I have heard him say: Win 95 is stupid (he was on 3something), I am NEVER using XP (when he was on 98), I will NEVER use 7, I will NEVER move away from 7 to 10.

He's on 10 now, he'll NEVER use 11. And indeed he won't. They skip stuff, and will just buy a new computer with the latest win version once stuff they want no longer works and surrender.

Haha, elderly parents and technology... I feel your pain!

[richb]

Indeed.. those now on Win10 will move to 12 or so eventually. My dad is a perfect example. I have heard him say: Win 95 is stupid (he was on 3something), I am NEVER using XP (when he was on 98), I will NEVER use 7, I will NEVER move away from 7 to 10.

He's on 10 now, he'll NEVER use 11. And indeed he won't. They skip stuff, and will just buy a new computer with the latest win version once stuff they want no longer works and surrender.

Haha, elderly parents and technology... I feel your pain!

Hey I am elderly and got on Linux as soon as I retired 19 years ago from a large company.

[Eadwine Rose]

You're young compared to my dad

[AVLinux]

@richb

Haha you're one of the good ones! We always need the strong exception to the rule! My parents are 99 and 96, my father won't touch these devil boxes with a 10 foot pole but my Mom was a Linux user (sorry it was Mint, I didn't even push AVL on her) starting from her mid-80's until she had to move into assisted living and adopted an iPad..

[Eadwine Rose]

Woooow.. awesome ages. :)

[uncle mark]

The issue is Linux isn't there completely enough for Big business, Industrial and power Users and for the large amount folks who simply do Social Media and email the technical curiosity and ability will not be there to replace Windows 10 on their devices and their phone has already taken over most of those functions. Getting Linux into the hands of the vast majority of non-technical people will be tied to it being ready to use and reliable on devices at the point of sale, not being installed later.

The only real success I ever had converting unsophisticated Windows users -- and I gave it up long ago -- was doing clean installs of Mepis or Mint KDE or MX KDE on old slow kit with an outdated WinOS and setting up their browsers and importing their documents. Even then, they eventually ended up buying a new computer and ending up back with Windows. If a cheap Linux laptop was available at Best Buy or Office Depot (USA) it might have had some traction, but even then it couldn't compete pricewise for the average Joe just wanting to buy something to do email and Internet.

[DukeComposed]

Getting Linux into the hands of the vast majority of non-technical people will be tied to it being ready to use and reliable on devices at the point of sale, not being installed later.

If a cheap Linux laptop was available at Best Buy or Office Depot (USA) it might have had some traction

If you've ever wondered why you've never heard of a major PC OEM selling a machine that dual-boots by default, consider the link I provide in this thread to a Byte magazine article by Scot Hacker called "He Who Controls the Bootloader".

[lonesomepoint]

how much emphasis should be put on the installer anyway?

Some, for the simple reason that it's what users see first. Distros need an installer that doesn't annoy or "scare away" newbies. More than that, the promise of a fast installation would attract them. Why not? The speed of the MEPIS/MX installer is one of the "selling points" that keeps me using MX, and I'm not a newbie. Keeping in mind that early versions of our installer were developed by Mr. Woodford for MEPIS, I've been using our installer for eighteen years (having discovered MEPIS in 2006).

[Melber]

Certainly not, For Windows business/industry Users and those who rely on specialized proprietary software that doesn't exist (yet) in fully functional Linux ports (ie much pro graphics, audio, video and emerging AI stuff...

You can add CAD and BIM software to the list.

[AVLinux]

Certainly not, For Windows business/industry Users and those who rely on specialized proprietary software that doesn't exist (yet) in fully functional Linux ports (ie much pro graphics, audio, video and emerging AI stuff...

You can add CAD and BIM software to the list.

Good point!

I'm keeping my eye on System76, no they'll never make Dell or HP quake in their boots but with a range of good quality components, their own boot Firmware and this new Cosmic rewrite of their own Linux OS looking more impressive with each release I think they may find a growing niche which may open the door to other companies taking a serious swing at eking out more market share. For all I've said I think there is a bit of potential market share up for grabs from computer literate Gen-X'ers and early Millennial 'Pro-sumers' who are generally proficient on computers and find the level of things like Gimp, Libreoffice, Kdenlive, VLC etc to be sufficient for their purposes.