Will Linux ever become the norm for everyday use?

The terms of your question aren’t very solid. One could say that “the norm” is subjective, and that some people already use it every day (I do, for example, as do many others). It’s already “a norm”, and I’m not sure how much more meaningfully that can be answered.

(Semi-relevantly, MacOS X’s core is developed from Unix and NeXTSTEP, so it shares some similarities but isn’t Linux.)

No.

Not because it might or might not deserve it, because it can be a good OS.

But Microsoft won this war 20 years ago, when they talked the PC manufacturers to optimizing hardware and software for Windows, and provided all sorts of support and tools for corporate customers, and built things like Office and made it essential.

Sure, there’s an argument that can be made that Linux had Libre Office and various other Windows emulating sorts of software. But it’s still not the service perception – the expectation – that people have. And people are generally rather stupid and don’t want to learn new things. Once a person learns to use Windows, moving to Linux (or OSX) is difficult.

And even the best distros of Linux are still sort or ersatz and difficult to use.

About a month ago I download Mint and put it on an older Windows laptop, just to see how it would work. I’m not a systems engineer, not a programmer, just a reasonably savvy person around computers.

I installed it, got it to boot, started working on things. But anything I wanted to was a chore. It came with Firefox by default; I like Chrome. So I had to add Chrome, but to do that, it had to download several libraries, load a bunch of other stuff, and then load Chrome. On Windows laptop, it would be one click to download, one click to install, and you’re done.

Then, the permissions hassles were legion. My Windows machine runs as Administrator and I can install / deinstall anything I want without hassle. Linux as asking me for superuser permissions every time I wanted to do anything. What an annoyance.

Finally, when I opened a document in Libre Office, nothing was where I expected it to be. Yes, it’s functionally similar to Office, but it’s different enough to be really annoying.

Don’t get me wrong – conceptually I like Linux and I think it has kept Microsoft honest. But I’m not a technician and have no interest in being one. I want things to just work and at this point, the burden to use a Linux machine is not worth the trouble.

If Linux is ever going to be the norm, it has to be the OS that a kid uses from the first time that kid touches a mouse or a touchpad. Otherwise the kid is windows-ified.

@elbanditoroso even the best distros of Linux are still sort or ersatz and difficult to use.

Yep. I’ve used Linux casually for fifteen years, and it’s still a pain in the ass to me.

However, Linux is the dominant OS on phones, as Android. Very few people interact with the OS on their phones. Google takes care of that for you.

Linux works in that locked-down environment, where people use the apps and have little interest in or awareness of the OS.

I use it daily, it’s my OS of choice. Anything but a pain in the ass but I’m at home with a terminal. Only thing that is lacking for me is gaming but I have a console for that.

I’m at home with a terminal

So you’re in a locked-down environment where you don’t administrate the OS?

You have full access so I’m not sure what you are saying. Got forbid you have to sudo or su root

I’m asking if you have to administrate the machine.

“Terminal” suggests hardware, system software, updates, upgrades, etc. are centrally managed. Users don’t have to deal with that. And that’s the setup where I see Linux working in widespread everyday use.

But managing one desktop on Linux is a pain in the ass. For example I have never successfully version upgraded SUSE or Ubuntu (the only distros I’ve used for any length of time). The result is always crippled. So I wipe the drive and clean install.

In comparison, I have a laptop that was upgraded from Windows XP to 7 to 8.1 to 10 without re-installing programs.

I’m a big fan of clean installs, but on that one machine I took the “clueless consumer” route out of curiosity and it worked fine.

That laptop you have upgraded multiple times is a very, very rare thing. I don’t care to wipe the system and start fresh periodically.

It is rare for me. Only the one machine. It was a test. But Microsoft passed the test with flying colors.

I assume you meant you DO wipe and start fresh periodically.

That’s my normal practice. My C: drive is OS and programs. All my personal files are on a separate E: drive.

So it’s easy to blast the C: and reinstall Windows and programs without losing any work.

Yes, that is pretty much the protocol

Nope because the world runs on micro crap.
I prefer Linux or mac or micro crap but that is just me .

Sorry or = to.

Doubtful. The bottom line is that most users are lazy. What else would explain the proliferation of Apple products?

@Call_Me_Jay Huh? I’ve been using Ubuntu on several computers for about 7 years and have not had any such problem with upgrades.