Just now, I installed the new Ubuntu 7.04 on my laptop, and I was not very impressed. I had the same problem as back when it was version 6.06. It didn’t detect my LCD’s native resolution which is 1400×1050. For an operating system that claims to “Just Work” it still has a long way to go in terms of hardware support. I remember last time I tried to fix this, it involved major amounts of Google trawling, and by the end of it I’d wasted several hours beating the OS into submission with command line apps, editing config files, and completely breaking X several times. No thanks.
If anyone out there is wondering why Windows is still the most popular desktop OS, it’s really not hard to see why. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ubuntu as a server OS. But a desktop OS needs to work out of the box. When you install Windows it does a pretty good job of hardware detection, and for any missing drivers, it’s not too much to expect the average non-tech user to shove in a couple of driver disks and click Next Next Next… Or even download the drivers. That’s not too hard. You now have a working computer.
But with Ubuntu what the hell do I do when I can’t select the proper monitor resolution? I can’t exactly insert the driver disk or download some Linux drivers. Can we really expect the average user to fuck around in the command line for hours to get it to work? I don’t think so.
Most people honestly don’t give a shit about what OS their computer runs, as long as they can use it. I see this a lot in my job, and I totally sympathise with non-tech users. Computers are just tools that have become a necessity for modern life. When our tools don’t work, we can’t do our job.
For now at least, the Windows vs. Ubuntu argument simply comes down to market share. Windows is used in most workplaces and homes, therefore most people are comfortable using Windows; and the cycle of dominance continues. The average user doesn’t have a spare few hours to get to know a new OS. Desktop Ubuntu does have many benefits going for it, such as low cost, and decreased vulnerability to virus and spyware attacks (apparently). I can’t really think of any other benefits that would concern the average user.
