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+++ title = "The Lack of the Walled Garden" date = "2023-12-17T10:39:51+01:00" author = "" authorTwitter = "" #do not include @ cover = "" tags = ["linux", "tech"] keywords = ["", ""] description = "" showFullContent = false readingTime = false hideComments = false color = "" #color from the theme settings draft = true +++
The Linux desktop today, regardless of the distro, is not safe (in the minds of regular computer users) in the same way that Windows and Mac are safe. It is scary and weird. Even vanilla Ubuntu LTS, which doesn't change a great deal between versions, is still far too wild for most users because it is too different from what they are used to.
The year of the Linux desktop was 2011. That was the year that Google introduced the Chromebook. You might not think of the Chromebook as being a suitable Linux desktop, and it is indeed very locked down, especially in those early years. However, what average computer users want is a stable interface that doesn't change. They want a walled garden that is easy to use and safe. Chromebooks and Android represent the walled garden better than any other Linux system.
We can also agree that the lack of proprietary software is an issue but before they will be willing to spend money on Linux, there needs to be users there to spend money on. That's why Adobe has official Android apps but not apps on the regular Linux desktop. They spend money on where the users are.
The good news is that this is not a bad thing! We here are professionals and enthusiasts. Many of us are here because we want more choices. Many of us care about software freedom and open source. Don't be upset that we will never see the year of the Linux desktop as we would like to see it, but happy that we have options and are not tied down to only using something that someone else requires of us.
One last thing, support the distro of your choice! We only have choices because we decide that we want them. I don't care which distro you prefer, get involved with them, become a member, donate your time and/or money to make them better, and encourage and help other users regardless of who they are or what their background is.