This blog post is in response to a thread on the new Sounder list. Sounder used to be an official list hosted by the Ubuntu Community site, but was shut down for political reasons. Many of the members of the group moved to Google Groups in exile. This is the specific thread in Sounder I'm referring to.
That is the vast diversity of Linux distros.
If normal, average users are dumbfounded when trying to choose which Windows 7 version is best for them, then they have no clue when it comes to Linux distros. Many will have likely heard of Ubuntu, if they even know about Linux at all. For the average user Windows is the PC, and to them then likely Linux is Ubuntu, same mindset. They don't understand that Ubuntu is just one out of thousands of distros, and when presented with this VAST diversity they're going to get lost very quickly.
Just choosing a distro is one thing, now they have to decide on which desktop. There are dozens of desktops for Linux, some I've probably never used before or heard of. Its too much for them to sort through. I'm close to that side of things in the IT world, so I understand what Linux faces when trying to attract the attention of the average computer user.
Just choosing a distro is one thing, now they have to decide on which desktop. There are dozens of desktops for Linux, some I've probably never used before or heard of. Its too much for them to sort through. I'm close to that side of things in the IT world, so I understand what Linux faces when trying to attract the attention of the average computer user.
The Linux world has to contend with the fact that 99% of the average users out there are Computer Ignorant.
That's not a typo, Computer Illiteracy isn't an issue, most have to use a computer at work so they know how to use a PC running, most likely, Windows XP. Its when you put them in front of a machine running Windows 7 or Linux that they turn into idiots who act like they have a learning disorder. Suddenly, they're all frustrated, can't find things in the places they know to find them in XP, and you have to repeat over and over again how to do something that a five year old can learn just by being told how to do it once. No, I'm not kidding, tell a five year old how to do something on a computer once and suddenly they're an expert at it. The one thing you have to understand is that these people aren't doing this deliberately. Its a part of human nature to be afraid of change. Education is one way to ease that problem, so its no wonder education funding is being gutted from schools here in the US left and right, but that's a rant for another time.
Moving on, when I say the average computer user is Computer Ignorant, its not because they can't learn something new. No, its because they don't WANT to learn anything new. As I said, not on a conscious deliberate level, but subconsciously. They want familiarity, they want things the way they have always been and change scares them. This is the reality starring Linux in the face. There are times where having vast diversity is beneficial, as in culture, but in some cases vast diversity can also be a liability. Android, despite being a Linux distro technically, has seen major success in the mobile market. Mostly because its UI has generally remained consistent throughout most of its existence. That market is also very different from the PC market, so vast changes in UIs are often expected by the consumers and the Computer Ignorance Factor (TM) doesn't apply. Cellular users are accustomed to having vastly different UIs from phone to phone. The cellular market has taught this from the very start, thus this is the education part I was talking about. You following me so far?
Computers are a different species altogether. The average user expects things to be one way, and if they aren't that way then they get confused. Why do you think the For Dummies books are such huge sellers?
Anyway, I'm getting to the part that's related to a thread on the new Sounder list. The fact that most distros are moving towards using one specific DE or Windows Manager instead of offering a variety of choices. Before I elaborate more let me say that this is also a reality that the Linux Community needs to learn, remember change scares people, so the fact that the Average User is becoming a part of the community scares the traditionally Linux Elite. The reason for the Linux elite wanting only pure FOSS (Free Open Source Software) Linux distros without any proprietary anything is because of fear. Fear that their favorite distro will appeal to the average computer user, and that the people behind that distro will want to expand and grow their business much the way Canonical is doing right now and the way Red Hat has also done in the past. Patent threats from Microsoft have never gone anywhere and will never go anywhere. They've made those threats so many times before and have never brought those patents forward, not once. Why do you think Microsoft fought a proxy war against Linux using SCO? They wanted to spread Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt because that was the only weapon they had. SCO was pretty much destroyed in that war, but Microsoft was able to stand silently on the sidelines safe and sound.
Getting to the topic, the move to using one specific UI in Linux is because getting the attention of the average user is also where the money is. This is why Windows has become such a success, and why Apple has grown to be such a powerful company. The buying power of the average user is tremendously powerful. Mark Shuttleworth, head of Canonical, probably understands this too. Not to say that the Linux elite are poor or cheapskates, but lets face it most are of the mindset that anything Linux or open source should always be free, as in beer. Thus the small trend towards FOSS only distros. But, along side those are a much larger, and rapidly growing number of distros which are more and more seeking to appeal to the average user. To reduce the Computer Ignorance Factor many are choosing one specific UI, in this case Gnome. Ubuntu has been trouncing the other distros for a while now in the popularity game, and so many average users who have some familiarity with Linux also know Gnome. This is why the Gnome 3 change is so controversial, again change scares people. On the other hand, the average users are being educated in a way by the mobile side of things. Gnome 3 and Unity have "some" similarities to the UI in Android and iOS. Note, I said SOME. These UIs feel familiar and safe to the average user, so emulating them to some degree will reduce the Computer Ignorance Factor on the PC side. Now do you get it?
This is why Canonical seems to be growing more and more corporate, and more and more distros are seeking to be user friendly and are shifting more towards one UI. There will always be those distros that appeal only to the elite Linux user, but distros like Ubuntu which are becoming more and more appealing to the average user are going to be become more abundant.
The world of Linux is changing, and the elites are panicking. Welcome to reality, have a nice stay.
Moving on, when I say the average computer user is Computer Ignorant, its not because they can't learn something new. No, its because they don't WANT to learn anything new. As I said, not on a conscious deliberate level, but subconsciously. They want familiarity, they want things the way they have always been and change scares them. This is the reality starring Linux in the face. There are times where having vast diversity is beneficial, as in culture, but in some cases vast diversity can also be a liability. Android, despite being a Linux distro technically, has seen major success in the mobile market. Mostly because its UI has generally remained consistent throughout most of its existence. That market is also very different from the PC market, so vast changes in UIs are often expected by the consumers and the Computer Ignorance Factor (TM) doesn't apply. Cellular users are accustomed to having vastly different UIs from phone to phone. The cellular market has taught this from the very start, thus this is the education part I was talking about. You following me so far?
Computers are a different species altogether. The average user expects things to be one way, and if they aren't that way then they get confused. Why do you think the For Dummies books are such huge sellers?
Anyway, I'm getting to the part that's related to a thread on the new Sounder list. The fact that most distros are moving towards using one specific DE or Windows Manager instead of offering a variety of choices. Before I elaborate more let me say that this is also a reality that the Linux Community needs to learn, remember change scares people, so the fact that the Average User is becoming a part of the community scares the traditionally Linux Elite. The reason for the Linux elite wanting only pure FOSS (Free Open Source Software) Linux distros without any proprietary anything is because of fear. Fear that their favorite distro will appeal to the average computer user, and that the people behind that distro will want to expand and grow their business much the way Canonical is doing right now and the way Red Hat has also done in the past. Patent threats from Microsoft have never gone anywhere and will never go anywhere. They've made those threats so many times before and have never brought those patents forward, not once. Why do you think Microsoft fought a proxy war against Linux using SCO? They wanted to spread Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt because that was the only weapon they had. SCO was pretty much destroyed in that war, but Microsoft was able to stand silently on the sidelines safe and sound.
Getting to the topic, the move to using one specific UI in Linux is because getting the attention of the average user is also where the money is. This is why Windows has become such a success, and why Apple has grown to be such a powerful company. The buying power of the average user is tremendously powerful. Mark Shuttleworth, head of Canonical, probably understands this too. Not to say that the Linux elite are poor or cheapskates, but lets face it most are of the mindset that anything Linux or open source should always be free, as in beer. Thus the small trend towards FOSS only distros. But, along side those are a much larger, and rapidly growing number of distros which are more and more seeking to appeal to the average user. To reduce the Computer Ignorance Factor many are choosing one specific UI, in this case Gnome. Ubuntu has been trouncing the other distros for a while now in the popularity game, and so many average users who have some familiarity with Linux also know Gnome. This is why the Gnome 3 change is so controversial, again change scares people. On the other hand, the average users are being educated in a way by the mobile side of things. Gnome 3 and Unity have "some" similarities to the UI in Android and iOS. Note, I said SOME. These UIs feel familiar and safe to the average user, so emulating them to some degree will reduce the Computer Ignorance Factor on the PC side. Now do you get it?
This is why Canonical seems to be growing more and more corporate, and more and more distros are seeking to be user friendly and are shifting more towards one UI. There will always be those distros that appeal only to the elite Linux user, but distros like Ubuntu which are becoming more and more appealing to the average user are going to be become more abundant.
The world of Linux is changing, and the elites are panicking. Welcome to reality, have a nice stay.
