By skyforbes I have been using Linux since 1993. It is great. Really great. However, the last two years haven't been that good. I haven't used Windows for about 30 years, except in very exceptional cases. For real popularization, some things need to improve. We are talking about adoption by common users, who shouldn't have to configure anything to start working.
1. The Basics Must Work (Hardware and Power)
To be viable on the desktop, we need to eliminate old traumas that drive users away immediately.
We need to resolve the Nvidia issue or inform people right at the installation not to buy Nvidia cards. It is a constant headache. It has never worked well. If developers don't have the courage to face Nvidia, Linux will never be big; it will remain the "ugly duckling" of the desktop, left aside.
Furthermore, we need to solve the problem where the system goes inactive and doesn't come back. This is an ancient and persistent trauma. I suggest a "Back in 10 minutes" button, which keeps the system running and only locks/requests the password. A simple button for those who don't want to configure deep sleep/hibernation states that often fail.
2. Regressions in Usability (The "Copy and Paste" Crisis)
We cannot accept that "modern" systems break essential tools.
We need to fix copy and paste, specifically the middle-mouse button. This is an absolutely essential tool for anyone using the terminal, and it simply doesn't work anymore in dozens of applications. It is an unbelievable regression.
Can someone explain how they can't solve something so basic? Who came up with a new system that lacks compatibility with one of the essences of Linux? Or forget Wayland… because it is buggy. If middle-click paste doesn't work, I won't use it. Have mercy! Preserve productivity.
3. Smart Standardization: The JSON Proposal
Windows' success came from visual consistency. In Linux, we can have this ease while keeping our text-based essence.
The success of Windows came from the unification of shortcut keys and window/dialog functionalities. Regardless of the application, the usage is the same. This makes it easy to open software you've never used and make it work because everything is standardized.
In Linux, a key standard has always been maintaining ASCII/text files for configuration. This allows a user to quickly tweak usability without complex registries. Note that Windows is simple for the layman, but if you want to improve something, you have to be a nerd (or call your nephew); there is no middle ground.
For new users who are not nerds but are evolving into a "middle ground," I suggest adopting unique standards for configuration files. The suggestion is to adopt something like JSON. Users would learn the basics of JSON and set their configurations in text. Note that back in the DOS/Windows beginning, it was like this (.ini files); they can do it, just standardize it. Without a standard, people give up.
4. Desktop Sovereignty and Universal Access (Against the Cloud)
The Cloud and Subscriptions destroy the democratization of education brought by the PC.
For God's sake, stop linking everything to the cloud, return to the desktop. The greatest revolution in computing occurred when we moved from a universe centralized in mainframes to PCs.
This allowed universities all over the world, including those in the third world, to open computing and engineering courses using desktop software. The poor student from the outskirts, without the internet, could—with a computer and a book in hand—learn to program at home. The poor can learn computing.
People had ownership and dominion over their hardware and software. Now, they decided to go back to mainframes and centralize everything in the cloud. A monumental error. With monthly subscriptions, we eliminate this access; we lose the essence of free and universal software. That student's occasional connection via cell phone has bandwidth limits; they cannot depend on the internet all the time.
Moreover, they created the "subscription trap": you used to buy the CD, now you pay monthly to use various software (or listen to the same music in lower quality), and the monthly fee is expensive.
5. Excessive Layers and Rescuing Engineering
We have millions of engineers, teachers, mathematicians, and physicists who have always developed local solutions. They cannot be thrown away.
In the past, an engineer learned C/C++ and built software from end to end. Today, computer science has adopted a system with excessive layers, where no one has real control anymore. It has become too confusing, too complex, and with too many security issues.
We need to distinguish usage:
* What I use once a year (like filing taxes): This can stay 100% online/mainframe. I won't configure this.
* What I use daily/weekly (my work tools): Must be local, must be mine. The engineer must work with desktop software, maintaining control over what they produce.
Conclusion: Keep the Essence
Computer science has turned into an expensive and complicated monster, and Linux has let itself be carried away by this path.
- Don't make the Mac mistake (rich users, unconfigurable black boxes).
- Don't make the Windows mistake (users who are 100% dependent on support).
The essence of Linux has always been the average-to-nerd user. Keep this essence. Do you want to attract lay users? Standardize installations and configurations (the universal JSON). But above all, reduce dependence on the Internet. Productive work must be offline and sovereign. What I use frequently, I will dive deep into; make that path easier.
We must maintain the essence of free software: the opportunity for a young person from the outskirts with an old computer and a book on C/C++/Fortran to develop themselves without having to pay monthly fees.
Summary of Key Points
- Honest Hardware: Fix Nvidia support or warn users during installation that it won't work well.
- Productivity: Simple "Back in 10 minutes" button and the return of copy/paste (middle click).
- Standardization via Text (JSON): Allow easy configuration without learning 50 different formats.
- Social Inclusion: Cloud and Subscriptions exclude those with limited internet and money. The local PC democratizes education.
- Real Engineering: Fewer layers, less reliance on the cloud. Local control over daily tools.
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