It's not that I don't want to. I read many tech articles via RSS feeds, and there are articles by users, developers, journalists, etc. that try to convince me that this is the year of the Linux desktop (Vista will tank, and they think people will go from XP to Linux), or a major PC manufacturer will jump on the bandwagon providing a Linux pre-install, or I'll be able to convince my mother to switch.
Also, I am truly intrigued by the idea of using Linux at home. The idea of being part of a community, rather than just a customer, is attractive, and I'd like to join - and possibly contribute.
However, before any of that happens, Linux has to be easier to configure, and it must support any hardware, software, or plug-in thrown at it.
I've tried using a Linux desktop on three different occasions - twice in a dual-boot situation, and once as my only OS for several months. Many things worked well, but a few important things didn't. This is my list:
- Audio - This is my biggest complaint, and I've already voiced these problems in this forum, but I'll recap. Windows does audio really well. Any application can find the audio devices and use them, the applications can co-exist and share the audio device, and most any audio device on the market is supported. With Linux, I never could get two applications to operate with sound at the same time. The second one in couldn't get to the device without first closing both apps and then restarting just one. Let's say I'm listening to music with a player, and I want to view a quick YouTube movie. What I would do in XP is pause the player, watch (and listen to) the movie, and then restart the player. Not in Linux. I have to close the player (and hopefully remember where I left off). After bookmarking the movie link, I have to close the browser as well. Then, I reopen the browser, find the bookmark, and finally watch the video. Next, I close the browser again (to let go of the audio), reopen the music player, find my place from before, reopen the browser, and continue browsing. Let's hope another movie link doesn't come up in the feed too soon.
- Audio and Video Codecs - When operating legally, I can't listen to or watch most of the media I have, since the codecs required are not publicly available (via GPL). Sure, I can find the off-shore site that offers all I want and more (and I've used them), but there are a couple of reasons why that is bad. Like most people, I don't want to either be convicted and jailed or be sued with a judgment just because I want to watch season 2 of West Wing on my desktop. Also, what would stop the operators of a site with questionable legal views to also include undesirable software along with the codecs? (I'm not saying they are all black-hats, but there is a higher risk.) It seems to me that it would be easy for the major Linux vendors to either include some of these capabilities, or to offer a separate, possibly not-free package that would install them. I know that there are those who think that everything that is installed should be open source, but most desktop users don't care. We just want things to work. And, I know, DRM is bad, and I should have the right of fair use. But I think that breaking a DRM scheme will not lead to the elimination of DRM; it only leads to more complicated schemes. The way to stop DRM is to not buy anything that uses it. Unfortuately, consumers have a different idea. Sales of (mostly DRM free) audio CDs are down, while downloads of locked-down iTunes files are up. Apple and the others are winning! The DRM battle will not be won on less than 1% of US desktops.
- Hardware and Drivers - I bought a USB headset last year, and I'm looking at a scanner this year. In both cases there is no way that there will be any Linux drivers provided by the manufacturer, and finding an alternative that works without much tweaking will be next to impossible. With XP, I plug in the new toy, maybe insert a CD the first time, and it works. End of story! Desktop Linux needs support from hardware companies, and that won't happen soon.
- Web Plug-Ins - It should be easy, but it isn't. Configuring a java environment, installing Flash or Shockwave, or setting up an embedded audio or video player in a browser on Linux is difficult. I know because I've tried it a number of times. What about WMV files? Quicktime? Actually, I usually just go to the next site if one uses formats I can't read. If they want me to view something, they should make it possible without limiting me to one OS and browser choice. ActiveX? I don't think so!
- Specialized Software - I also bought a camera last year, and it came bundled with all kinds of software. Several of these packages were specific to the camera - including a program to move files to and from the camera, and one to process the special formats the camera can create. There are no 3rd party utilities for this, other than treating the camera as a USB drive. Until I can utilize all of the features of the camera, program my universal remote, or perform any other kind of specialized function, I'm going to have to keep XP around. (And if it is a dual-boot situation, I'll eventually just keep it on Windows. Dual boot is a pain!) Also, vertical market apps tend to only exist for Windows. This is where the open source community fails. Unless there is a person that has a specialized need AND is an open source advocate, these programs won't get written. When resources are limited, and the developer is likely working gratis, it makes more sense to write for the dominant platform. (As I write this, I'm thinking that these developers should write for the browser instead of any platform. That won't steer people over to Linux, but it won't drive them away either.) Don't even get me started on video cards, NICs, and other internal hardware.
- General Softare - This is one category that Linux is winning. I can find Linux versions or substitutes (usually open source) of any XP program, and I actually use the Windows versions of these programs instead of the MS provided ones. My most used programs are: Firefox, Thunderbird, Google's Picassa, Audacity, Juice, and Open Office. I use Photoshop Elements right now for video editing, but I could easily switch to The Gimp. All I can say here is keep up the good work!
Linux still has a way to go, and I know that I'll likely try again when the next version of Ubuntu comes out. I'm such the optimist.
(Please keep the comments civil and constructive. No vendor or user bashing here.)
You know, the plea above demonstrates another problem with Linux. There are too many zealots and militant anti-Microsoft types that drown out the good message with misplaced anger, superiority, and leet speak. It may be a small percentage of the community, but a vocal one. These guys are killing any momentum for Linux beyond the hobbyist crowd.
