Linux on the desktop?

[Warren Togami]

IMHO, Linux is not yet ready for mainstream desktop use.  Recent advances
with GNOME, KDE and Linux office suites have made great strides toward this
goal, but Linux still has too many software installation and configuration
issues that are simply NOT intuitive enough for the average desktop user.
The average desktop user doesn't want to do ANYTHING with a command line
interface.  While "power users" love the myriad of options available in
Linux, this confuses normal users.

I recently showed GNOME and KDE to a Mac power user.  She was not the
average luser needing a good beating with a cluestick.  She understood it,
but she saw no reason to use it because she already has MacOS and all the
software she needs.  This is the same reason why the average Windows user
will not be swayed.  They already paid for Windows and Office (or they can
get it for "free"...).  You have to step back and think, aside from the
curiosity of power users, how do you convince these peoples of the virtues
of "Free Software" when they already have software that reasonably does the
job (albeit problems that they accept as normal)?

Even with powerful tools like Red Carpet and APT, Linux does not have a
unified uninstall system like "Add/Remove Programs".  Yeah, it sucks, but it
works.  Linux also needs something like Microsoft's Management Console: an
abstracted, template based GUI system for administration of arbitrary
programs locally or over a network.  There are several attempts at this in
Linuxconf, Webmin, and K and GNOME conf, each has their differing
capabilities, with no compatibility between each other.  Linuxconf has
abstracted modules with a reasonable amount of flexibility, but the
interface sucks.  Webmin has similar capabilities, but web only, though with
a slightly better interface.  K and G conf have much better interfaces, but
they lack an easy abstracted module type of thing present in MMC, Linuxconf
or Webmin, and they have no remote capability beyond X.

About Linux software - I don't need to explain this so much.  There is
plenty... but not enough, especially for specialized business needs like
groupware or financials.  This problem is steadily resolving, with more and
more companies making software for Linux.  I am not concerned about current
and future availability.  I am concerned that too much Linux software
requires CLI knowledge, and is not as simple as Point-and-Click.  Until all
software installation works like this, Linux is not ready for the average
user.

HOWEVER, WE CAN MAKE IT READY
It will be a few years before unification of standards in these areas will
make Linux friendly and useful enough for the average user.  In the mean
time, we as the more technical savvy users can configure Linux deskstops,
workstations and thin clients for others.  If we go through the installation
and configuration steps for them, the software itself is powerful and easy
enough for them to figure it its use quickly.  Unfortunately, this takes a
lot of work, so this really is only viable in two situations.
1) Pre-loaded on computers.
2) Businesses and schools.

(I don't include helping a friend configure Linux on their home computer,
because the only people who would want this are power users themselves.)

Ok.... this rant is getting too long.  I'll cut it off here.  Not like
anybody actually reads these things.
I think I wrote the same thing a few months ago in that "Unnecessary Windoze
usage" thread...