Ubuntu claims another victim

[NJ5]

Soleron said:

NJ5 said:

Now if only Linux was as easy and fast to configure as Windows to do these (and other) things...

I'm computer savvy and even I rarely bother with using linux. Only for programming some stuff. I like cygwin, and I have a virtualpc instance of Ubuntu, but other than that it's a waste of my time. There was a time when I bothered with kernel recompilations, configuring modules and the like, but that time is past.

 

Surely for the average user, Ubuntu provides a web browser and office package out of the box, as well as having all drivers installed already? In that respect, it requires less setup than Windows. When would someone only using a computer for office or internet (the vast majority of users) have to do anything like kernel recompilations on Ubuntu today?

 

When they install that snazzy scanner which doesn't have Linux drivers except for some hacked up mess that someone made, and which requires adding C files to the kernel and potentially some small changes in existing files.

Sure, if they only need Firefox and OpenOffice and are never ever going to upgrade their computer, Linux is fine and I'm not denying that. My point is that it's nowhere near Windows in terms of ease of use and trouble-free PC usage (even with all of Windows's problems).

I realize that the fault is largely of the computer industry in not supporting Linux with decent drivers and the such, but that doesn't change the facts of the situation.