As an open source enthusiast, ever since I got involved with open source, I have wished that all the software I use would be open source. And when it comes to operating systems, it's no exception. Currently, the most popular open source system is probably Linux (although this statement may not be accurate, because Linux actually refers to the Linux kernel, and more accurately should be called Linux distribution, but for convenience, let's just call it Linux system). So, as a newbie who has tinkered with Linux to some extent, I want to talk about whether Linux could be the future of personal desktop operating systems. PS. This article is very subjective and written from a newbie's perspective. If it doesn't align with your opinions, feel free to have a friendly discussion in the comments.
Linux Distributions#
When it comes to the number of Linux distributions, it's like counting the stars in the sky, countless. But even though there are many distributions, there are only a few mainstream factions: Red Hat, SUSE, Debian, and Arch. Among them, the most popular factions are Debian and Arch. The two most famous systems from these factions are probably Ubuntu and Manjaro. Most other distributions are just a change of desktop environment, theme, or some minor features. From this, you can see that although Linux seems to offer many choices, there aren't actually many options for personal desktop operating systems. Moreover, the update speed and kernel versions vary among different factions. For example, Arch has a fast update speed and pursues the latest software, while Debian focuses on stability and may have extremely outdated software packages. This also makes it difficult to build native software for Linux, as compatibility becomes a major issue.
Linux Display Protocols#
This is perhaps the biggest challenge in the Linux ecosystem. The new display protocol, Wayland, is not compatible with the old X11 protocol. Although there is XWayland for compatibility, it still has many problems. Many Linux software applications have not yet migrated to Wayland, especially Chinese software, which often encounters bugs under Wayland (such as the inability to input Chinese characters). Therefore, I believe that the Linux display protocol is the biggest pitfall.
Linux Desktop Environments#
Currently, Linux desktop environments can be mainly divided into two major factions: the GTK faction led by GNOME, and the Qt faction led by KDE. However, both factions have their own problems. The historical feud between them has also caused many legacy issues (if you're interested, you can Google it). Of course, there are also some geeks' favorites, such as window managers like dwm and i3wm.
Linux Software Distribution Models#
The mainstream software distribution models in Linux are mainly divided into two types: package manager installation, such as apt and pacman, and installation using packages like deb and Flatpak.
Is Linux the Future?#
After all the rambling, I want to answer the question from the perspective of an ordinary Windows user. Will Linux be the future of personal desktop operating systems? I believe that at least in the next three years, it won't be. The reasons are simple. First, the wide range of choices among Linux distributions is already a daunting first step for Windows users. There are countless opinions online, some saying Arch is good while Ubuntu is rubbish, and others saying Ubuntu is rubbish while Debian is good. It's just a mess, and it's not easy to find one that meets your needs. Secondly, there is the issue of the Linux display protocol, which makes stable use in a Chinese environment quite difficult. Then there is the choice of desktop environments. Although GNOME is mainstream, it is too minimalist and has removed a lot of things (even more than Windows' chopping block). On the other hand, KDE has many small bugs (such as WiFi randomly disconnecting and reconnecting). Finally, there is the software ecosystem, which is currently the biggest obstacle for Linux to become a mainstream desktop operating system and the biggest moat for Windows. Although Linux has software packages like Flatpak that are designed to be compatible with different Linux distributions, they cannot be compatible with all distributions. Moreover, Ubuntu, for the sake of promoting its own Snap, does not include Flatpak by default. Of course, you can uninstall Snap and then install Flatpak packages, but that adds to the time cost of switching, and the number of software available in Flatpak is not large. So if you encounter something that Flatpak doesn't have, you have to reluctantly consider the dependency hell.
Conclusion#
Although I am an open source advocate and I really hope that Linux can surpass Windows, the current issues with Linux are too significant. It may not have been designed specifically for desktop operating systems. In fact, as an operating system, it doesn't need too many customizability options. Stability, a comfortable user experience, and a favorable environment for developers to create native software are what I believe to be the most important. If a system's native software development environment is not comfortable, and different systems are not compatible, even if I can develop native software for it, I probably won't. Additionally, there is a hierarchy among Linux users (for example, Arch users look down on Manjaro users, Manjaro users look down on Ubuntu users, Ubuntu users look down on Deepin users), which I think is unnecessary. The most important thing for a system is to be convenient. After all, it is just a tool for our entertainment and work. It just needs to be useful. But for the majority of Windows users, Linux still has a long way to go to be considered useful. Of course, I also hope that Linux in the future will prove me wrong and successfully replace Windows. 😁 (As long as it doesn't become a dragon after slaying the dragon)