Well as the title says, the problem with Linux imo is half the community are pushing for it to replace Windows. Linux is a good alternative to Windows, but there is plenty of space for both to exist in unison.
It's the same with programs, a lot of linux users you see or talk to are not happy with thing's being done in Wine and will only use the "native" projects as it's seen to help the "cause". What gets to me is the "cause" they are pushing is also Linuxs biggest drawback. Wine isn't the best, it would be better to be native, but until companys see that it's an alternative they wont even make one. In some cases Wine helps by making the transission to Linux less of a problem, Other times it can be seen as holding it back.
Being able to see past the whole "cause" thing is a better place to be than stuck fighting for the next 20 years for a change that aslong as the "cause" exists will never come about. I'll agree the business practices shown and the way things are "locked" in isn't good. But sometimes to beat a problem you have to first accept the neutral position and allow the project/product to do the talking.
Linux is a damn strong OS and has a lot of things going for it, in a lot of markets, but it will never be a desktop replacement for Windows aslong as people have the mindset they do now. You will not erradicate Windows, you wont replace Windows, but should we really want to?. The problem as I see it is Linux has been making the same mistakes for years, they are trying to get rid of Windows.
While I personally don't like MS that much, I do see they have a place actually a big place. They have driven the the PC into the homes of millions with the advertising and marketing. The same in a sense with Apple. As for the developers and the marketing for programs, well Linux needs to prove itself as a viable market for the products. Even if Linux only has a 1% market share on desktops we have to prove that the 1% is a lucritive choose, that as users we understand that products don't always come for free. I think the whole issue is partly stemmed from what Linux is seen as "A free operating system" the problem is the take on the "free" part, some like myself take it in the right way, Linux is free as in "Freedom" to choose, modify, distribute. It is not free as in a product being free, it can be charged for, Redhat and Novell have proven for years that it can be a big hit aswell. Linux just needs the marketing to back it up. As far as the desktop goes, Ubuntu has done a lot to drive it to manufacturers, but others need to back them up for Linux to have a massive effect. The reason I say Ubuntu is because they have the backing of Canonical and are probably at the moment the most known Linux distrobution on the Desktop.
Linux has already shown how powerful it can be, It is the base for the strongest mobile phone platform around at the present. Linux as a desktop though has a long way to come and a huge mindset in a large portion of the community to change before it sees "Casual Home Users" seeing it as a alternative to Windows. Stop pushing linux as a replacement (there is way to many Distros to choose from for it to ever be a replacement) and accept it as an alternative to Windows. Ubuntu is the biggest linux distro even though it hasn't been around as long as some of them, the reason for this in my eyes is Ubuntu unlike the others doesn't try to replace Windows, but rather co-exist with it in the environment. It shows itself as an "alternative" and not a "replacement".
People are still to stuck in the "You get what you pay for" mode. That's where Linux has to change the outlook and the community with it's constant infighting and "We must replace Windows!" outlook isn't doing anything to help Linux as a whole.
Just to add to this.. I use Linux daily, I don't have a Windows install at all for anything and try to get most things to work in Linux, I'm not always successful, but I normally post on the forums for things I enjoy using and push for Linux support (especially if they already do a Mac edition).
It's the same with programs, a lot of linux users you see or talk to are not happy with thing's being done in Wine and will only use the "native" projects as it's seen to help the "cause". What gets to me is the "cause" they are pushing is also Linuxs biggest drawback. Wine isn't the best, it would be better to be native, but until companys see that it's an alternative they wont even make one. In some cases Wine helps by making the transission to Linux less of a problem, Other times it can be seen as holding it back.
Being able to see past the whole "cause" thing is a better place to be than stuck fighting for the next 20 years for a change that aslong as the "cause" exists will never come about. I'll agree the business practices shown and the way things are "locked" in isn't good. But sometimes to beat a problem you have to first accept the neutral position and allow the project/product to do the talking.
Linux is a damn strong OS and has a lot of things going for it, in a lot of markets, but it will never be a desktop replacement for Windows aslong as people have the mindset they do now. You will not erradicate Windows, you wont replace Windows, but should we really want to?. The problem as I see it is Linux has been making the same mistakes for years, they are trying to get rid of Windows.
While I personally don't like MS that much, I do see they have a place actually a big place. They have driven the the PC into the homes of millions with the advertising and marketing. The same in a sense with Apple. As for the developers and the marketing for programs, well Linux needs to prove itself as a viable market for the products. Even if Linux only has a 1% market share on desktops we have to prove that the 1% is a lucritive choose, that as users we understand that products don't always come for free. I think the whole issue is partly stemmed from what Linux is seen as "A free operating system" the problem is the take on the "free" part, some like myself take it in the right way, Linux is free as in "Freedom" to choose, modify, distribute. It is not free as in a product being free, it can be charged for, Redhat and Novell have proven for years that it can be a big hit aswell. Linux just needs the marketing to back it up. As far as the desktop goes, Ubuntu has done a lot to drive it to manufacturers, but others need to back them up for Linux to have a massive effect. The reason I say Ubuntu is because they have the backing of Canonical and are probably at the moment the most known Linux distrobution on the Desktop.
Linux has already shown how powerful it can be, It is the base for the strongest mobile phone platform around at the present. Linux as a desktop though has a long way to come and a huge mindset in a large portion of the community to change before it sees "Casual Home Users" seeing it as a alternative to Windows. Stop pushing linux as a replacement (there is way to many Distros to choose from for it to ever be a replacement) and accept it as an alternative to Windows. Ubuntu is the biggest linux distro even though it hasn't been around as long as some of them, the reason for this in my eyes is Ubuntu unlike the others doesn't try to replace Windows, but rather co-exist with it in the environment. It shows itself as an "alternative" and not a "replacement".
People are still to stuck in the "You get what you pay for" mode. That's where Linux has to change the outlook and the community with it's constant infighting and "We must replace Windows!" outlook isn't doing anything to help Linux as a whole.
Just to add to this.. I use Linux daily, I don't have a Windows install at all for anything and try to get most things to work in Linux, I'm not always successful, but I normally post on the forums for things I enjoy using and push for Linux support (especially if they already do a Mac edition).
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