!["how come we never win?" [498x680 - 312KB]](https://pic8.co/sh/FekbuV.png){kind=link}
Linux is actually extremely successful.
Not on home computers it isn't. Because people want things to "just work" more than they want it to have good principles. Even "easy" distros like Ubuntu or Mint are chock full of hardware incompatibilities, random system freezes, etc. You can throw just about any jumble of hardware made in the last 10 years together and throw Windows 10 on it and it will go. You can plug almost any USB device made in the last decade into that Windows machine and it will work. Linux is the other way around. If you want a smooth system you have to research every single piece of hardware to make sure there are drivers available for it and search the bug trackers to make sure that there are no known bugs/issues with those drivers. Good luck. Every kernel update potentially hoses your system, and often does.
Of the 5 systems I've built over the last 3 years, every single on of them had enough issues with Ubuntu/Kubuntu, Mint, or Debian that they were unusable for every day work. Some have issues with the Nouveau Nvidia driver freezing the system, and Nvidia drivers give only a black screen. Others have issues with WiFi passwords not storing even though Gnome password vault thing is installed (I'm looking at you Kubuntu). Others can't resume from sleep with the Nouveau driver installed (Debian xfce). Maybe you could fix them after spending hours tracking down the problem, but it was easier to solve those problems spending 20 minutes throwing Windows 10 on them.
The reverse is the case for me.
I have experienced computers not supporting older versions of windows like win 7 and now it sounds like windows 11 may require a newer computer. I dunno, don't care.
I have almost never had issues with Linux Mint and certainly fewer issues than with windows. Mint also runs fast on any machine whereas windows can be slow.
You must have been unlucky.
Not on home computers it isn't.
- Tablets, SteamOS and Chrome books are beginning to happen, I wouldn't count it out.
- Normies will use what the computer comes with. If store computers came with Linux Mint 99% of people wouldn't notice or care. They might just think it was windows 11.
It doesn't come with Mint because it's a pain in the ass unless you hit the hardware lottery. My buddy's PC, which I also built, for some inexplicable reason runs Mint without any issues. Older hardware? Forget it. Although the issues seem to be X server, which may or may not be related to Mint itself.
You'll have a hard time convincing me that OEMs want to pay the Windows tax and don't want to pre-install an OS that costs them nothing unless they have a legitimate concern about compatibility/support.
(post is archived)