To capture more of the desktop market, Linux needs to target average user

[crosscourt]

At some point Ill post back with some additional statistics but this trend is already happening and certain distros appear to be having a strong affect on the market, though it be a slow one.

Look here, www.lxer.com/module/newswire/ext_link.php?rid=252670

[crosscourt]

Ive gotten a lot of flak from people on other sites when i bring up the more GUI in Linux topic. Ive been around Linux for a long time, long enough to know that many prefer the value of CLI and its there and isnt going away. What needs to happen is. to pull more users from the Windows pool using GUI to simplify many tasks in Linux, continued work with drivers, continued work with apps to provide alternatives to Windows apps and marketing to show that a mainstream user can get a great experience with Linux.

Experienced users must see that the approach taken on many sites will not attract more users to Linux as tyhos newbies are immediately lost once helpers start talking CLI and doing things that the newbie cannot associate with at all. Over time they will become more familiar but they shouldnt have to do that to be able to enjoy using Linux. There will always be a learning curve, as Windows has that as well but we can at least minimize that curve initially and make people see Linux in a different light.

[tlmiller]

In some ways, I feel like these types of articles are saying "in order to breathe, mammals need oxygen". DUH.

That said, yes, I agree with you as far as that a lot of things need to change. But it's not like there aren't distro's TRYING to change that. Mint, Ubuntu, Mageia, all focus quite heavily on trying to be able to do everything from the gui, or at least almost everything. And their developments to assist in making things easier DO trickle down to the distro's that are very technical, IF the users want (for instance, I can set up an Arch install that has all the user convenience of Mint being able to do everything gui).

[crosscourt]

MX Linux and Mint for me are the closest to that GUI ideal but a lot more could be done. The new methods of installing apps like Snap are part of those changes and if they want to charge for a distro that has better hardware and software support included that might work as well.