Linux – you either love it or hate it. I’d love to love it, but my affairs with Linux always end up in an uncomfortable position. Windows is simply more practical than Linux for a home user – don’t agree? You’re probably not the typical home user.
To be fair, if all the user is doing is browsing the internet, Linux will probably be sufficient. However, the typical home user has a hard time installing an application – and installing applications in Windows is terribly simple when compared to Linux.
- Very little is intuitive. Windows has a Start button – an obvious starting point for anyone that uses a computer. Linux isn’t as intuitive.
- Familiarity – people are so familiar with Windows that they’ve even removed the word ‘Start’ from the Start button. There are so many different versions of Linux, it’s hard to get used to.
- Restoring lost files in Windows is much easier than Linux because of file system differences
Linux doesn’t store file names in its directory entries, Windows does. When the file tree is damaged, good luck naming the thousands of files that are restored without names. - Windows is a widely used operating system in homes and is easy to find support for online. Virtually every computer shop supports Windows, so finding a technician to work on your machine is a breeze. Many technicians don’t like dealing with Linux.
- Any hardware you buy will come with Windows software that is easy to install. In Linux, either the device is automatically supported or it’ll be a pain finding a driver that’ll work with it. For the average home user, fiddling with the computer’s internal workings is a scary proposition.
Let’s face it – Linux is fighting a battle that is incredibly difficult to beat. Until a version of Linux appears that is truly user friendly, how likely is it that it’ll be mainstream in homes?
I can’t help but wonder if Google Chrome OS might change the scene.
