Re: Year of Linux?
@LDS Did you miss the joke icon on this post?
It has exactly the same smell of old issues and current FUD as the post that did (which was long winded for a joke - I'd have left it after the first paragraph).
I've met Ubuntu Linux users who were unaware of basic terminal skills or even terminology (i.e. 'apt') so clearly never used the terminal, never tempted to use it and got along fine.
I used Ubuntu for a week once without going near the terminal (although I was itching to run apt-get update almost the entire time like a smoker trying to quit itches for a cigarette - I'm probably a 'terminal' terminal addict).
I have mixed feelings about making Linux easier to use, going by OS-X and ChromeOS, this generally also includes making the moderate tasks harder by the lock down. It'd be nice if there were one distro that nailed it as regards the casual users needs, but for the free distros there is not a lot of return on that and not as much central drive to do it that the likes of Microsoft and apple can exert over their developers/designers. Much of the market this would be aimed at use what's put in front of them so unless you can deliver hardware with your software already on it to them it's wasted effort.
Android is pretty popular as a non-windows, non-apple OS, Google declare they have no desktop pretensions for it, but others do (remixOS, Android x86), others. ChromeOS is pretty capable for what it does. I don't consider them truly Linux (as in Gnu/Linux) but they are both capable for the casual users needs. Most linux distros focus on the server/desktop or other ethos or target
Canonical are about the only Linux distro trying to get it's OS direct with hardware currently with a BQ tablet launching sometime April and several developer preview phones out last year, but even they are aiming for niche and not really setting mass market as a goal.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
