What Linux Needs To Do To Reach The Masses.

[CrackMeUp]

Advocating Linux for the masses is a first step ... a lot of the effort involves a clear understanding of what folks use a computer for in the first place. Is it it for basic online stuff? Is it for production? Is it for pleasure/entertainment? Some or all of the above? Let's briefly look at each ...

(1) Online ... FaceBook, YouTube, File-sharing (Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, iCloud), Chat & Communication, Image/Audio/Video manipulation/creation, tons more in many, many catogories ... needs nothing more than a web-browser. Linux OSes do the job as well as any other platform. Heck, if one wanted to do without any of the apps the various Linux Distros include in their desktop-installation-repertoire you could still be super-productive with the free options that many online apps offer.

(2) Production ... whether it be e.g., Office, Multimedia, Internet, Education ... there are countless FOSS apps to meet even the most professional demands ... I, for one, have been using them for years in my audio/video creations .. and guess what? No steep learning curve (if you follow/research user-guides/videos) and FREE-to-use! ... Apps keep getting better and better as years go by ... for desktop-users who like to create, Linux OSes offer a plethora of big-time apps to do the job! Show people ... share your work .. let them know that you did with a Linux OS!

(3) Pleasure/entertainment ... setting up a Media-server (Plex, Kodi, etc.) ... legal (non-pirated) gaming Apps (e.g., Steam ... https://fossbytes.com/best-linux-games-steam-support/) ... more than enough stuff to keep the casual/professional gamer happy ... on top of it, there are many Distros created specifically for gamers in mind ... https://itsfoss.com/linux-gaming-distributions/

ADVOCACY is the key-word here ... needs be done at the the grass-roots level ... many success stories available ... to debunk "I live in the boonies" myth by a previous poster ... https://edscoop.com/student-laptops-lin ... nsylvania/

[Eadwine Rose]

When a buyer can walk into a main street store and purchase a computer with a Linux OS off the shelf, and have a choice of costs and features, then Linux
could be considered to reach the Masses.

Exactly.. AND when that buyer can also go back to the store to get help with the OS.

Until then.. not reaching the masses.

[JayM]

ADVOCACY is the key-word here ... needs be done at the the grass-roots level ... many success stories available ... to debunk "I live in the boonies" myth by a previous poster ... https://edscoop.com/student-laptops-lin ... nsylvania/

That's exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned Linux Elmers. An Elmer is an amateur (ham) radio term for an experienced ham who volunteers to mentor somebody who's just getting started in the hobby: helping him* get a rig, put up an antenna, get his license and get on the air. Linux needs more people like that, who personally help newbies with installation, initial hardware issues if there are any, learning their way around the distro, how to do updates and backups, and how to install and use Linux alternatives to Windows apps. Also things like hardware upgrades or choosing a new computer (or building one from components.)

*or her, of course.

[handy]

Most users don't want to know about OS's. (Likely most don't even know what one is.) They just want to buy a computer that has a browser, email client, media player, image viewer & the like on it. Buy any software that they may need to run (if they don't already own it) & do what they have to do on their computer, then go & have a life doing other stuff that they have to do & also stuff that they like doing.

Most people don't like computers all that much (& that may be putting it mildly).

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Linux needs more people like that, who personally help newbies with installation, initial hardware issues if there are any, learning their way around the distro, how to do updates and backups, and how to install and use Linux alternatives to Windows apps.

Isn't that what search engines are for?

Most people don't like computers all that much (& that may be putting it mildly).

^ This.

[Eadwine Rose]

Linux needs more people like that, who personally help newbies with installation, initial hardware issues if there are any, learning their way around the distro, how to do updates and backups, and how to install and use Linux alternatives to Windows apps.

Isn't that what search engines are for?

Next time I will tell my best friend who is scared of the innards of the thing to google how to replace the battery


I learned from my late best friend, and now I am in his shoes and I can help others.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Next time I will tell my best friend who is scared of the innards of the thing to google how to replace the battery

I replace parts in my laptop by asking startpage.com for the official hardware maintenance manual, the pictures & photographs are very useful

I learned from my late best friend, and now I am in his shoes and I can help others.

You are a very nice person, I wish there were more like you.

[Eadwine Rose]

I replace parts in my laptop by asking startpage.com for the official hardware maintenance manual, the pictures & photographs are very useful

Well done, most aren't as daring :-)

And thank you.

[JayM]

Next time I will tell my best friend who is scared of the innards of the thing to google how to replace the battery

I replace parts in my laptop by asking startpage.com for the official hardware maintenance manual, the pictures & photographs are very useful

That's difficult to do if the laptop is your only computer and has broken down. This is why having a friend and mentor would be good. No amount of web searching can take the place of someone sitting next to you, showing you and answering your questions, particularly for those with little to no computer knowledge or skills.

But I agree that stores selling and supporting computers with Linux preinstalled in the same price range as those with Windows 10 would be the way to go, especially if the Linux machines were even cheaper than their Windows counterparts. If they cost the same I think most people would opt for Windows as that's what they're already used to, but more would select Linux instead if doing so would save them some money.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

But I agree that stores selling and supporting computers with Linux preinstalled in the same price range as those with Windows 10 would be the way to go, especially if the Linux machines were even cheaper than their Windows counterparts.

I can recommend pcspecialist.co.uk — they sell computers without Windows for a saving of ~£80