There is a lot of bantering going on, from smaller blogs on up to the biggies, about how Ubuntu is the becoming generic name for Linux in much the same way all facial tissues are Kleenix, and all those peel and stick bandages are a Band-Aid.
One blog, recently opened up with the following…
Linux is small enough. Let’s face it, most computer users don’t even know about Linux, let alone know what Ubuntu is. However, among new Linux users, Ubuntu is quickly becoming synonymous with Linux. And that is a shame.
I would disagree with that statement, and the author was even nice enough to give me a reason why in his next statement.
Linux has a breadth and depth to it that is hard to fathom for new users.
Computer users that did not start out on the Commodore 64 or Apple IIe, or even early DOS based PCs, and that’s most computer users out there, don’t really care about the operating system. They care about the interface, they care about doing what they want to do.
They don’t care about all the different distros of Linux and how there is one out there that will be ‘perfect’ for their needs. In fact, all those different distros are only serving to muddy the water and make it more difficult for them to figure out what is going on and actually deter them from taking the plunge in to trying Linux of any sort.
The average user does not have the want, need, or desire to spend time checking out different distros. They really don’t care. They want to check email, play media, browse the web and maybe type a few letters or get some work done in a spreadsheet. Oh, and play some solitaire or suduko. I’m a geek and I don’t have the time to check out a bunch of distros… I have better things to do. (like surf the web and write blog entries like this)
So if Ubuntu is becoming to Linux what the iPod is to mp3 players, I say let them. Having this ‘generic’ option isn’t hurting, and I think in the long run it will only help.
The bottom line is, when someone sneezes, they don’t care if it’s Kleenix or Scott or Northern… they just want a tissue so they can blow their nose.
Why I Ubuntu [Linux Canuk's Weblog]
5 comments ↓
I’m actually really brand-particular when I sneeze, but that analogy doesn’t hold true for operating systems with me. I’ll use whatever’s there, as long as it mostly works.
Honestly, I’m brand-particular in what I buy for my home - Kleenix all the way. But if I’m somewhere else and someone offers me a Puffs, I won’t turn my nose up at it. (couldn’t resist the pun)
Touche! Nice response.
Some people want a generic product and the marketplace will decide in the end and I am okay with that. There will always be a place for geeks on the periphery.
I am an Ubuntu user and commend Canonical for their success unlike some in the Linux community.
Some are jealous while others just fear Linux becoming mediocre. I think that they underestimate Linux users and Linux’s resilience.
Cheers from Canada, eh!
Yea.. Canonical is definitely to be commended. I had been looking at Linux off and on for a few years, debating on ‘taking the plunge’, and it was Ubuntu that drew me over the edge.
Would Ubuntu have had the same success five years ago going head to head with WinXP? It’s hard to say. It could be just that proverbial alignment of the stars that brought everything together that has allowed Ubuntu (and Linux in general) to make the progress it has in the last year or so.
And howdy neighbor… being in MN, many think I am already in Canada myself.
quote: “Having this ‘generic’ option isn’t hurting, and I think in the long run it will only help.”
In the same way that computers are almost always associated with windows… If they can’t be bothered to give a fsck about their OS they’re not going to switch to Linux no matter how ugly, useless and expensive Windows becomes. That’s the curse of apathy and ignorance, you don’t care and don’t know any better.
Leave a Comment