Is the Linux Desktop actually growing?

ZDNet ^ | 18 January 2012 | Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

[ShadowAce]

[wastedyears]

From what my friend, a networking major has told me, I would probably need a long list of text commands if I ever wanted to use Linux. Computers are not something I know well.

[ShadowAce]

Quite a few people use it without ever using the command line.

The rest of my family does it all the time--I'm the only one to use the command line, but they all use Linux.

[sayuncledave]

wastedyears, check out pinguy os.

http://pinguyos.com/

“Pinguy OS an out-of-the-box working operating system for everyone, not just geeks
This OS is for people that have never used Linux before or for people that just want an out-of-the-box working OS without doing all the tweaks and enhancements that everyone seems to do when installing a fresh copy of Ubuntu or other Linux based Distro’s.”

I use that on a laptop and Linux Mint on a dell, in addition to my macs. Pinguy has all the usual suspects covered nicely, and works well, out of the box.

[ThunderSleeps]

...and many people hate the new Unity desktop.

Count me among them. Slow and buggy. I finally gave up on it and switched my main Ubuntu desktop back to a Gnome "classic" shell/gui.

Still considering jumping entirely to Mepis with a KDE 4.x shell/gui...

[MrEdd]

A fair chunk of casual browsing is moving to tablets running ios or android, and android is really a flavor wrapper on top of linux.

[ShadowAce]

I totally understand.

I use XFCE myself.

[ShadowAce]

True, but as the article mentions:
It’s not like these are Android or Google ChromeOS users. Those are both counted separately.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Quite enjoying Gnome 3.2. There are two issues with it.

- It’s a new paradigm and change is always hard.
- The tools haven’t quite caught up to where they need to be so tweaking it to get the behavior you want is not as easy as it will be as it subsequently matures.

[ShadowAce]

I have no doubt it will mature into a usable interface. However, after using it several times (my kids’ computer uses it), I want to pull my hair out every time I use it.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

This whole Unity/Gnome 3 debacle is ridiculous. I can’t stand either of them. I’m holding steady with Mint 9 until Cinnamon is released. I tried KDE, but it’s just too bloated and slow. I tried Xfce, but it is too minimalist for my taste. My desktop isn’t ever going to be a tablet and vice versa.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

I like the old paradigm. Kudos to Clem at Linux Mint for doing what users actually want.

[ShadowAce]

I have no problem with releasing new paradigms. That is how we will advance the desktop experience. Perhaps Unity is a failure--perhaps not. It *is* one more choice in the Linux world though, and choice is always good.

One day, a new way of desktop interaction will be introduced that will be a major innovation. It won't happen on Windows, though.

[Poser]

Ubuntu is now ready for prime time. The only reasons I have ever used the command line is to network a printer and manually change the mahjongg score history.

If you have a home network with shared printers, Linux can make you a little crazy, but as a stand alone machine, it is now very good, and free!

[Johnny B.]

From what my friend, a networking major has told me, I would probably need a long list of text commands

That hasn't been true for a decade or more.

If you want to check for yourself, note that most modern Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, etc.) have what's called a "Live CD" version, that runs directly from the CD, without touching your hard drive at all.

You can either download an image and burn it to a CD (assuming you have Windows-based software that will let you burn an "ISO" image to a CD-R, or go to the nearest decent bookstore and find a "Learn about Linux" magazines with an included DVD.

Then, put the disc into your computer, restart, and give it a try. You might like it.

[Cacique]

L8r

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I was speaking about it to a friend yesterday. Maybe this analogy is a stretch but it’s a bit “modal” like vi. If you’re in “work mode” your windows are all that you see. If you switch to “activities” mode you can browse your open windows, your available apps, your workspaces etc. etc.

So like vi, you have to be conscious of which mode you are in and be ready to switch back and forth as the need arises. The benefit, seems to be reduced clutter. When you’re in work mode you don’t have to look past lots of icons, menus, panels and the like.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

I have no problem with it either, as long as it is a choice and not forced. What they’ve done here is remove the current choice (Gnome 2) and forceus to choose between two radically different new paradigms.