Linux Usability... Err Linux what?

boris - Aug. 5, 2006

You r absolutely on target with ur comments

Huygens - Nov. 20, 2006

Even though I'm using Windows at work, I have Linux at home for my desktop. Why?

Because I find it easier! How come? I chose a distribution, meaning it is not only an Operating System like Windows XP is, but it is the integration of an Operating System + an Office Suite + Graphical Tools + etc.

I like the integration, if a distribution does it right (and I admit that few are doing it, and you *loose* lots of time finding the right ones) going from one application to the other is a breeze.

Apple, with its bundle software, is also providing more a distribution than just an Operating System. I like the way it is integrated.

I know Microsoft isn't to blame here, but PC manufacturers are. They tend to offer a "wallet" of software installed on a computer. But they do not feel together...

OK, your post dates from more than 2 years ago and Linux distributions made great improvements since. So it is perhaps not nice from me to comment now ;-) sorry for the post...

I want to add one last thing, there are on-going projects to make interactions between applications tighter on the Linux desktop, I'm sure this will affect usability. As to guess in which way (for the better or for the worth) I cannot say. One of this project for example is telepathy, it might create the best ever framework to spam you, but I hope it will make the best framework to have a collaboration experience, one that we cannot even dream of now. :-)

Huygens

PS: for a nice Desktop, try Ubuntu Linux. It is simple yet efficient. When I mean simple, I installed both Windows XP and Ubuntu, and the second gave me less trouble than the first to install. The cool thing is after installation I was done on Ubuntu, whereas on Windows, I had a whole bunch of applications and drivers to install, meaning countless reboot :-(

MikeY - Feb. 13, 2007

I completely agree. What really annoys me is that, even though linux has been around for so long, it still hasn't been as "easy to use" as windows etc...

I'd happily switch to a linux distro immediately when there is one that can play all the video and audio formats i want, and let me install programs to do things i want without ever having to compile it first. I'm not unable to do these things by command line, and really, i'm quite comfortable with the command line. But, clicking on a file to install something *is* a lot easier than clicking on another icon to open a terminal, and then typing one or more commands to install it.

Another thing that bugs me is how you technically could install stuff without needing the command terminal by using the distro's software repository and update thing. I mean that's ok if it's a one off thing, but i have about 4 computers at home, I don't want to download a large program each time i want to install it on a computer. I want one package file i can install from.

I still have yet to find a distro that will let me connect to a wireless connection without having to type a password everytime i logon. Also, i haven't found one that allows me to type asian characters out of the box with little configuration. And then what also bugs me is how when i try to open a media file on a samba share i have to download it first!

I know that these things are starting to appear, and I can't wait! I can't wait until someone comes up with a (finally) usable distro that I can share with the rest of my family who are not so technically minded.

These are my woes, but despite these i still use linux from time to time. but only time to time. I want to be able to shift over completely.

I've tried a few distros and my faves are SuSE and Kubuntu. I've tried Freespire but in its attempt to simplify everything i found the installation process too inflexible for me. I'm currently downloading PCLinuxOS, fingers crossed I hope i find what i want. Though i'm not betting on it!

Karl - May. 30, 2007

I think it's a bit off nowadays.

First off, installing a program in firefox can be just as simple, or a bit simpler than in windows under certain circumstances.

I.e. in windows, one must go to the firefox webpage, download firefox, wait for it to finish, then open the file in order to install it.

In (K)Ubuntu, I just need to either type sudo apt-get install firefox via the terminal, or I can use synaptic or another package manager in order to get it.

Installing a bunch of applications is easier via a package manager than going around to every single freaking web-page and downloading each program individually.

Secondly, from personal experience, windows (XP at least) requires more drivers to be manually installed than linux.

While I only had to manually install my video card drivers in ubuntu, I had to install my motherboard, sound card, video card, mouse, and joystick drivers. In addition, my dvd burner works without a hitch under kubuntu, which comes with all of the necessary burning tools, which I would have to either buy or install from disks under windows.

Thirdly, killing buggy programs under windows is far more cumbersome. Even today I regularly have programs that can crash causing the computer to move to a crawl, so much so that even ctrl-alt-delete becomes difficult/time-consuming to be used. Under linux, I can merely press ctrl-alt-esc which turns my cursor into skull-and-bones and lets me kill a program just by clicking on it. (Note I said Kill, not terminate; this specifically means that I want to kill programs that don't want to close very easily.)

Fourthly, this is related to the second point, but is just slightly different. Windows by default comes with less software, and this requires me to go and install it myself (i.e. office software, programs to open archives, etc).

Fifthly, Windows XP installation-wise is not any easier than that of the ubuntu versions of linux. It often takes longer, and while it is installing, one is unable to do anything with the computer; while under ubuntu/kubuntu one can go surf the internet or something.

Sixthly, windows requires a lot of updates if you are using an old disk of say XP. While many linux distributions let you download a new version every six months with all of the basic packages already updated, generally I find myself downloading all of the windows updates I am missing right after installation; until they are installed, my computer is completely vulnerable to all of the bugs that they fixed.

Seventhly, linux users do not need to worry about getting a firewall or anti-virus program in the same way as windows. Generally, to install both of these, you need some kind of key/actual program. This is another program that has to be installed and is essential to the operating system. Of course, the main reason why I am mentioning this again, is not because they need to be installed seperately, but many times one has to get some kind of key and renew it every year or so. Oh yes, and malware isn't a problem really.

Finally, updating programs is usually easier.

While each of my old drivers and programs had to be manually updated by myself under windows (I also had to look up the websites to look for patches), the adept package manager under kubuntu basically checks for me for all of my programs (that I installed via the package manager).

Now of course, I'm not advocating that linux be used by everyone, but if you say it's way behind MS, I will have to disagree.

There are really two reasons, in my opinion, why people think linux is very hard to use.

1. It was very technical in the past.

2. It is different from windows and mac OS.

The second is what one needs to take into consideration today, as most people are used to windows. Of course, there are linux distributions that try to look like windows and function in somewhat ways. Of course, the more used and/or experienced one is with windows, the more difficult it is to migrate to linux.

Now to be fair, I'll at least give my concessions as to what IS more difficult in linux.

1. Games

You might laugh that this is the biggest problem IMO, but if you think about how this is the thing most people spend lots of money on computers for, it is pretty significant. Not that games for linux are harder to get to work or something, it's just that most of them are windows only. If you think exclusively in a corporate setting, this is significant because gamers could very well be the best people working for you when it comes to computer knowledge.

2. Running Windows programs is very very sketchy.

WINE is nice, but it's technical and doesn't work without a hitch. Program support is also very hit-or-miss. I shouldn't need to say this, but even if a program works under wine, it can be pretty hard to install or get to work.

3. Installing programs that aren't in the package manager can be hard.

Now this is the big one, as in windows you need to click on the installer and run through the installation and that's it. Under linux, especially compiling source code can be very hard. It is even possible that the user would have to enter the terminal just to run the installation program even when it's designed for linux. If a package exists, one has to right-click and tell it to install.

4. Running programs at startup and other customizing options can be more complicated/difficult.

Should be self-explanatory.

5. Installing the graphics drivers and setting that up can be difficult.

Although things like automatix exist and it seems to be getting better, installing video card drivers (proprietary ones specifically) can be hard and cause problems. Although, if you think about it, there are alot of things that don't require this, since the basic linux video drivers are usually good enough for most computer things that aren't high-quality video or 3d gaming.

6. One has to use the password ALOT more than in windows and it is something vital not to be forgotten.

Well this one is obviously a trade-off, as it improves security if you use it, but can be very annoying for some users. However, if you think about it, it is alot harder for someone to steal trade secrets if good security policies are in place. Of course, windows users will be using their passwords about as often if this is the case; it's just that linux forces you to have a password that is used for important functions, logging off and unlocking the screen, etc.

Hmm...overall, you might get the impression that I'm a linux junkie who's obsessed with it, but that's not necessarily true.

In terms of overall usability, linux is in some ways easier to use than windows, and in some ways more difficult. The biggest problem for converting to linux will be in the immediate short-term, where training/setup costs will be significant, but no licenses would need to be renewed and no software would have to be bought.

Using linux is really just something that should be done if it fulfills the user's needs without causing more trouble than that person desires. If you are looking at a computer that just needs to browse the internet, send email, use an office suite, do calculations, and other similar tasks (i.e. have a foreign language dictionary) linux is, in my opinion, easier to use and set up than windows, just get the right distribution (i.e. ubuntu or kubuntu, or even [my second choice] opensuse 10.2).

If you use opensuse, you also have the option of having an encrypted partition for user files which is not something one can normally do in XP.

And one last thing I wanted to say, if you even bring up VISTA at this point, I'm just going to laugh at you. From what I have heard, vista is an awful and very user-unfriendly operating system that keeps on asking questions in obnoxious ways, and has all kinds of bugs. Perhaps in a year or two vista may be good for an average user, but for now, I strongly suggest that no one buy it at this time. Of course, I am against it, and do not plan to ever buy it partly because of its DRM management and high price. However, usability-wise there is not even a point to compare vista to something like kubuntu which is far superior in many regards.

Wow that was a long comment.

Mark Mathson - Jul. 24, 2007

Thomas-

I would recommend to you to take a look and try Ubuntu. The latest version, 7.04, is user friendly. You can even try it using the LiveCD before installing.

Mark Mathson - Oct. 17, 2008

Thomas,

Ubuntu 8.10 which comes out in 13 days increases usability in Linux quite a bit. Worth a look!