not sure this describes the situation...MS is defeating Linux constantly, it's not even a goal, it's a natural fact. Does 95% vs 1% answer any doubt you may have ?
Hi all...
I'm convinced Linux and the Linux community would fare a better chance of increasing their "desktop" usage (end users like you and I) and becoming more competitive with Microsoft if some changes were made in how they construct the OS and how it it is supported. I used Ubuntu 5.10 for 5 months between October, 2006 and March, 2007 as my primary OS and was able to form some opinions...
1. Increase the functionality and ease of use to where even beginning users can navigate and work with the OS and software with ease. With Windows, it's really a matter of "point, click, install, it works!" most of the time. Only technical work requires the command line. With Linux, knowledge of command line language and code is required. Installing software and drivers can be a
real headache and no one who is an average user is going to know or even want to know how to compile or "make" the individual software packages, particularly those in tar.gz format. Ubuntu's "synaptic package manager" is a good start but not close enough to how easy it is in Windows. Drivers often require messing with the X11 file or some other configuration file which for a beginning or average user, is going to be prohibitive. Some folks can learn, others will have absolutely no idea.
2. Driver quality and source has to be improved. Because many companies refuse to release the source code or contribute drivers of their own to the Linux community, the community is forced to write their own drivers, sometimes (or often) by reverse engineering, which often fail to take full advantage of the abilities of the given device. Some devices, like wireless networking chipsets and software modems, are still are not fully supported in Linux. The writers of Linux are going to have to somehow persuade a great many of these companies to write decent drivers for Linux that are comparable to their Windows counterparts. It's possible that this will require a "royalty" system of some kind, where the various organizations who make Linux, like Red Hat and Canonical contribute funds to pay these companies to write these drivers.
3. There needs to be a change of attitude with respect to support. Granted, some Linux distributions, like Red hat, have established means of professional support (at a cost but no different in most cases with Microsoft,) where a person can receive help from a real person by calling the company's technical support line. However, in a lot of cases, if not most, getting help with a technical issue in Linux means researching the issue on the internet and/or seeking assistance and the distribution's help forum where someone is bound to receive something like "go read the *blank* man page! (or documentation of some kind)" or "Google is your friend, look it up." If they do get help, it most likely involves a highly convoluted process that
might help in solving the problem. A lot of these forums use the help of other distribution users, not technicians. Ubuntu's forum is, I think, friendlier than some, but I've seen my share of "attitudes" there as well and it has to stop. Calling people "noobs" and displaying a arrogant, superior attitude towards people who don't much about computers, let alone a complicated operating system that doesn't work like Windows, isn't going to cut it. Linux needs to develop more traditional paid support options that includes being able to speak to a live technician who is required to display a degree of professionalism. Forums should no longer be the primary means of support.
These are some of my conclusions after an interesting 5 months of dealing with this OS. Although I have to say, I learned quite a bit about Linux in those months.
May God bless you