Will Linux Ever Be Mainstream?
My guess is no. I really want to like Linux, and use it all the time. It appeals to the computer geek in me. Unfortunately, I’ve also found that I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with Linux, especially when it takes hours or days just to get my wireless network connection up and running (and let’s face it, a computer isn’t very useful nowadays if you don’t have an internet connection).
This is why Linux in it’s current form will never be a mainstream operating system, no matter how many computer makers pre-install it on their machines. Despite whatever perceived flaws Windows has (including Vista), for the vast majority of machines you can just install it and go, and all your hardware will work out of the box. Apple makes it even easier on you, because they only have a limited amount of hardware that their operating system has to run.
The moral of the story is that until you can install Linux on anything and just have it work, it won’t be a mainstream OS. People don’t want to spend days on a forum and running obscure terminal commands to get their computer working.
