Monday, December 18, 2006
Are Linux Distros That Look Like Windows A Good Idea?
It's not new. There have been some Linux distros, Desktop Environments and Windows Managers trying to look like windows for a while. Linux XP, Look XP (LXP), XPde and fvwm95 come to my mind. After reading this post I made a short list of pros and cons for those distros. I tried to be as objective as I could and this is not an exhaustive work.
I think that major Desktop Environments (Gnome, KDE and Xfce) are windows-like enough with the default theme found in most distros. All of them have a desktop and a form of task bar. All of them have User Interfaces based on windows with a title bar, menu bar, tool bars, etc. All of them receive user input mainly from mouse and keyboard.
Most popular Linux distributions are comparable to windows in terms of usability (at least to me), despite some programs and utilities may be better. We only need to say everybody that Linux is not hard to use any more. It's true that you can use it typing commands in a shell, but it is optional, not necessary... unless you have a piece of hardware not working out of the box, which is very likely.
So, Linux is not hard to use any more, but it can be hard to configure for the average user. That's the work to do and would be easier if major hardware vendors help, but I'll leave it for another post.
Do you like Linux looking like windows?
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Pros
- Brings a familiar look and feel to users migrating from windows. It should be easier for most people to continue doing things like they used to.
- It shows the flexibility of Desktop Environments running on Linux. It's pretty obvious that you can configure your desktop to look like you want, even to have a different OS looking.
- Many people like the windows XP look. Such a distro brings the opportunity to migrate without loosing the look they want.
- It shows that Linux is not as hard to use as some says. It is supposed that windows is easy to use and if a Linux distro can be like windows...
Cons
- People may not take it seriously. It may look like an imitation, no matter the quality of the project.
- It may help to promote windows instead of Linux. This is a consequence of the previous point. Some newcomers may not have clear the difference between the Linux kernel and distribution based on it. They even may not understand that there are lots of different distros and all of them are Linux based. That people may think that Linux (not a particular distro) is just an imitation of windows.
- Many users may prefer to find a different look. I think that's the reason why different versions of windows look different each other.
- Some people may think that is a fully compatible environment. "If it looks like windows why not run my programs and games?" It sounds like a stupid question but I'd no surprised if it's already posted in a forum out there.
My 2 Cents
I think that major Desktop Environments (Gnome, KDE and Xfce) are windows-like enough with the default theme found in most distros. All of them have a desktop and a form of task bar. All of them have User Interfaces based on windows with a title bar, menu bar, tool bars, etc. All of them receive user input mainly from mouse and keyboard.
Most popular Linux distributions are comparable to windows in terms of usability (at least to me), despite some programs and utilities may be better. We only need to say everybody that Linux is not hard to use any more. It's true that you can use it typing commands in a shell, but it is optional, not necessary... unless you have a piece of hardware not working out of the box, which is very likely.
So, Linux is not hard to use any more, but it can be hard to configure for the average user. That's the work to do and would be easier if major hardware vendors help, but I'll leave it for another post.
Do you like Linux looking like windows?
Add to: del.cio.us | digg | blinklist | netvouz | Other
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All my windows environments (Office and Home) use Windows XP with the Best Performance settings turned on so it looks completely Windows2000 style.
Also, I dont like how BIG icons and very colored desktop looks like.
Said that I would say I like Linux to look like Windows, but specifically Windows 2000.
To get people to switch to Linux, there are two things needed:
1. A painless transition path (which, believe it or not, a "Windows Compatible" interface goes a long way to accomplish, which contradicts my humorous remark above).
2. A fearless transition path. Microsoft is extremely proficcient at spreading FUD about the "Authenticity" of Windows and puts seeds of doubt into people's minds that certain programs won't run (or that their Linux equivalents are incompatible and/or unsupported). This is the real reason why people don't switch. And besides, you get Windows for "free" with your new Dell, why would I bother reinstalling something else?
The only people that have gotten it right (please spare me the flames) are Apple because they bit the bullet and got Microsoft Office to work on OS X. If Linux could get a Microsoft condoned version of Office running on Linux, then you would see some migration. Until then, the average user just doesn't want to mess with the possibility that something might be even a slight pain in the ass under Linux.
IMHO, Linux would do well to start promoting itself in the educational/academic space (university CS labs, etc), an area where it would be welcomed and put on a pedestal. These are the future programmers of the world, and if you get enough of them forming early opinions about how to do development (MS technologies vs. Unix-ish and open source technologies) then you will have planted the seed for more apps on *nix. More apps = more users = switchers.
I know a lot of CS students which already use Linux as an inexpensive platform for programming, and end up using it for desktop as well.
I'm a new linux and i think perhaps the thing that distances most users is the ability to make things work right out of the box without configurations atleast not any complex configuation.
Thats just my opinion.
I'm glad there's still an option to switch to something LESS windowsy though. I'm of the oppinion that the windows interface is one of the worst and most unproductive environments I've ever had to use.
Just my 2pence though... ;)