[center][size=160]2025.[/size][/center]
We have self driving cars.
Private companies are flying to space.
I can run AI models that were science fiction ten years ago, on a device that fits in my pocket.
[size=120]And there isn’t a single good desktop operating system in existence.[/size]
Seriously?
There's macOs.
Not sure why I even mentioned it.
It isn’t really relevant, as its only available to those who buy overpriced hardware, so that they can then get locked in to only using more overpriced hardware with it.
We also have Windows.
An antique, legacy, operating system, which would be completely obsolete by now if its manufacturer hadn’t managed to get a monopoly over the desktop os market.
They recently stuck a nice skin on top of it, for the first time in almost 10 years, but don’t let yourself be fooled by its aesthetics.
Take a peek under the hood, and the disorganization, inefficiency, bloat, redundancy, and overall chaos, would have you thinking that you’re looking at a government instead of a piece of software.
(As if to prove my point, as I’m typing this up, I get this.)
- And then there’s Linux.
An engineering feat.
Clean.
Stable.
Organized.
Efficient.
Modular.
It’s everything you’d want a desktop OS to be.
Except for one fatal flaw:
Its software ecosystem.
Or more accurately, its lack of it.
Sorry, FOSS cheerleaders, but Gimp (- which I believe is short for Gimpel -) just can’t compare to Photoshop.
Haven’t yet found a Protools or Fl Studio alternative for Linux.
Antivirus?
Unless you’re looking to pay a subscription rate meant for businesses, you can forget about it.
[size=120]Why is there no software for Linux?[/size]
Well, while the tech world depends on Linux, and the only Big Tech company whose servers aren’t running Linux is… Microsoft, - SURPRISE! - the percentage of the world at large using Linux is very low.
So it just doesn’t make $en$e for companies to develop software for Linux.
And yes, it takes money to develop good software.
[size=120]Why isn’t anyone using Linux?[/size]
Well some might say, because there’s no software, creating a catch-22.
But ChromeOS proves that you don’t need a good software ecosystem for an OS to become popular.
The real reason is accessibility.
The average Joe is not installing an OS onto his laptop.
He’s using whatever it comes with.
In order for Linux to be more widely used, it needs to be that he can go into Walmart or Best Buy, and find Linux devices from established brands like Dell, HP, and Lenovo, as much of an option as Chromebooks, MacBooks, and PCs.
Until that happens, Linux will be relegated to servers and geeks.
That’s the main point.
Other things that get in the way of widespread Linux adoption is that user-friendly distros like Ubuntu are 95% of the way there - but we need to finish off that last 5%, polishing it off with features that consumers expect like speech-to-text, AI assistants, and facial recognition sign-in.
There also needs to be a better app store.
If I’m new to Linux and I’m looking for a video editor, when I open the Ubuntu store I shouldn’t be directed to Shotcut and Openshot, just because Davinci Resolve is closed source.
And if I’m looking for an audio editor, I don’t want to hear anything about Audacity.
We need a well-designed app store where a user who’s unfamiliar with the options should be able to easily find the best software out there, whether it’s open or closed source.
The installation should go 1-2-3, no failures because of unresolved dependencies or package conflicts.
It should just. work.
Which brings us to…
[size=155]Make Linux Mainstream.[/size]
A community project to, well, *make Linux mainstream, and to give the world a good desktop OS, by addressing these points.