Bonum Certa Men Certa

How to Advocate for GNU/Linux to Become Dominant Platform (Across Different Levels of Scale But Especially Desktops)

Preaching



Summary: Personal opinion on what needs to be done in order to make GNU/Linux ever more ubiquitous

Long before writing in this Web site I was a GNU/Linux user and also an advocate whose approach was to make people familiar with practical benefits of the platform. People tend to stick with what they know, so unless there is an idealogical or emotional reason for a change, people tend to repel and reject even friendly advice. Resistance to change is somewhat of a defence mechanism and some companies learned how to exploit this. Let us identify ways in which a massive move to GNU/Linux (especially on the desktop) will become possible.



Put an end to software patents. On at least one occasion in recent years Red Hat planned a move into the desktop market, but multimedia codecs with patents on them stood in Red Hat's way, according to reports. Apple and Microsoft have been using MPEG-LA as a barrier to entry -- a menacing barrier facing low-cost competition. Without software patents, this barrier will be gone. Right now, especially with Android, we see a lot more of these familiar strategies. Software patents are inherently conflicting with GNU/Linux as a free platform one can distribute.

"Software patents are inherently conflicting with GNU/Linux as a free platform one can distribute."Highlight ethical factors. Telling people only about pragmatic benefits of GNU/Linux -- while they do truly exist -- may fall on deaf ears. it would take a leap in terms of benefits and marketing for a lot of people to appreciate and embark on a long migration path. To a large degree and to grossly generalise, Apple tries to sell people a dream (status, quality, etc.), Microsoft advocates being uniform and docile by just accepting what OEMs preinstall (Microsoft spins lack of choice as a case of customers choosing Windows), whereas GNU/Linux and BSD are all about control (versatility, access to code, many choices, and so on). Those last bits concentrate mostly on technical benefits and unless one views it as the "GNU system", freedom is rarely mentioned; in fact, cost is more likely to come up as a selling point. Fortunately in a way, now that kill switches, DRM and other limitations become commonplace, it becomes easier to take a complaint and then explain computer freedom to people, using real-world examples that affect everyone. To tell people that they would be in control of their data, devices, and computer can persuade some people to at least give GNU/Linux a chance.

Security. GNU/Linux is inherently more secure because it uses the well-researched and mature UNIX model and it typically embraces repositories to limit access to untrusted software. While security is probably not the main factor when choosing an operating system, the trick seems to come most handy when someone's Windows computer gets walware and does something really nasty like data loss, considerable slowdown, and/or bank account breach. There is a window of opportunity opening when one suffers the consequences of these ordeals and promises himself or herself that a move away from the failed software is now justified.

"GNU/Linux is inherently more secure because it uses the well-researched and mature UNIX model and it typically embraces repositories to limit access to untrusted software."Uniqueness.. To be unique is sometimes to be silly, but often it is to overcome marketing and delusion. People wish to be unique for all sorts of reasons, including specialties that help employment, merits of individuality that increase self esteem, and generally a sense of identity. As GNU/Linux has so much preinstalled software that varies across desktop environments and distributions, almost every user of GNU/Linux finds some way to customise things on a platform of choice to the point where the desktop can almost uniquely identity the person (or group of persons). This is a good thing. Taking this perspective further, GNU/Linux treats people like people, whereas Mac OS X and Windows treat people like Soviet Russia did. Being treated like a mere number discourages and demoralises. Finding one's community and identity in a group of GNU/Linux users (there are many such groups with overlap and also distinctive features) can open a whole new door to a social world. A lot of people are in it for the sense of belonging, and there is nothing wrong with that. At the lower level there is a good deal of POSIX, so operation of key components across platforms is not a real peril. GNU/Linux is very standards-adherent because it had to be so. Lock-in is rarely a commercial consideration.

Growth. People like to be early adopters of what they know is going to become the "next best thing". By joining early they can improve their relevance in what would become a dominant hub (e.g. social networks, political party), so to point out to people that GNU/Linux is already conquering nearly 100% of the world's top computers and has grown to the point of dominance in phones can help persuade them that "Linux" is indeed the future, i.e. learning how to cope with it is inevitable. A lot of companies these days also recruit based on UNIX/Linux skills; that too can show people that by being early adopters they improve their prospects of wealth.

"GNU/Linux is very standards-adherent because it had to be so. Lock-in is rarely a commercial consideration."Pace of expansion. As Linux does not really have much/any marketing, few people can appreciate the amount of innovation coming from "Linux" (and GNU). Moreover, unlike Microsoft and Apple which merely copied the work of others, the Free software movement was typically a trailblazer because technical excellence and leadership -- not number of sales based on superficial jingles/jargon -- were typically a priority. In less than 20 years Linux turned from a dormitory project into the best kernel out there, bar none (it is arguably, but with heaps of drivers and excellent filesystem features, counter arguments would be uncompelling and weak). In less than 10 years a crude desktop environments turned into what we now know as KDE4, which by my own judgment is the best environment one can get on any platform (not just GNU/Linux and BSD). You can usually spot a winner when you see who is growing the fastest and enjoys steady expansion/inertia. Linux is the very fast stallion in a race of old horses and little by little it overtakes the older generation (going back to the 1970s). The Linux Foundation has so many corporate backers now. People wish to embrace something which keeps being developed and actively maintained. By showing people that Linux is growing faster than its competition (compare KDE2 to Windows XP or Linux 1.x to Windows 95/98) people will accept the fact that GNU/Linux not only caught up with the competition a while ago but is also increasing the gap over it. This fact would be reassuring to many, including of course businesses (volatility matters to them).

"The Linux Foundation has so many corporate backers now."Support. When something goes wrong in proprietary operating systems people often resort to asking a friend, a member of the family or a neighbour for help. By contrast, for many years GNU/Linux thrived in LUGs and in online communities which are eager to help other users of the same operating system. Since many of them did not have to pay for it and are not merely volunteers helping some billionaire/s, they feel almost obliged to give something back. Increasing userbase like theirs is not just a way of making one's own choice safer and more resistant to collapse; it is also a way of justifying one's own preference. This is generally fine because we speak about technology and not ancient scripture. This dedication to GNU/Linux worldwide helps ensure support will be there for a long, long time to come.

The list could go further, but to name some strategies that prove to be less effective at evangelising, telling people about the criminal nature of companies like Microsoft is not always productive; the education system teaches people to shy away from talking about crime as though it is somewhat of a taboo and even poor ethics are seen as commendable sometimes (some PR techniques for example); talking about Apple over-hyping its products is fine, but saying that Apple products hurt the user is sometimes an insult to their users (who paid for these products), so in both cases the communication suffers and the two sides drift apart.Techrights does cover those issues for reasons other than advocacy. The target audience is different, too. On the whole, telling people they can choose one of 10 browsers would not work because other platforms have that too and they also boast many more games (including free ones). Telling people about filesystem snapshots functionality would work only with a tech-savvy audience. Something different is needed. It is generally good to show people 3-D effects because this can be done quickly and it is memorable; it is also somewhat of a vanity/rave feature. It does, however, entice people to at least explore what's underneath the skin. When demonstrating a desktop, provided someone is willing to give it a glance, it is good to show virtual workspaces along with some powerful applications and nice themes. To many people, a powerful package which is not neatly packaged will be seen as inherently inferior, especially if it is free of charge.

"Android has great brand recognition -- probably better than Red Hat's and Ubuntu's by now."Lastly, in some cases it may help to demonstrate the promise of GNU/Linux merely by association or comparison. For instance, saying that the Web mostly runs Free software like Apache and that Google is predominantly based on GNU/Linux (even is the crown jewels are Google's proprietary software) lends enormous credibility to the platform. It goes without saying that reminding people that Android is Linux at the core can work magic. Android has great brand recognition -- probably better than Red Hat's and Ubuntu's by now.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

They Don't Tell Us that 'Digitalisation' (Now Sold as "Hey Hi") Just Means Customers Become Unpaid Staff and Are Made Accountable
People are being conditioned to associate technology with something undesirable, at times even unbearable
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Has Layoffs and Microsoft Gaming/Entertainment Division Has an Uncertain Future
it's good to see all those horrible things crashing and burning
 
Links 22/07/2025: "Blog Restart" and Microsoft Clobbered by “ToolShell"
Links for the day
Global Warming and Global GAFAM Energy-Wasting
Burn more money (borrowed, loans), then hope the waste will somehow translate into profit?
No Compliance With the European Patent Convention (EPC) at the European Patent Office (EPO)
It's about preventing competition against this autocracy
Blue-Collar Trolls vs White-Collar Trolls
Examples of white-collar trolls
Apple Vision Pro Failed So Badly That Its Sales Are About 2,000 Times Smaller Than iPhone Sales
What's left for Apple to offer other than hype?
To Millions of People "Year of the Linux Desktop" Was Some Time in the 1990s (Bootable GNU/Linux as a Complete Operating System is Over 33 in Age)
In some sense, "year of the Linux desktop" was 33 years ago
Make No Assumptions (or Demands) About the Screen Resolution Used by Other People
There are usability aspects, aside from accessibility aspects
Why Wayland (and XWayland) Won't Solve the Key Problem It Proclaims to be Tackling (the Same Is True for Rust)
The problem isn't Wayland per se but the false promises and efforts to force everybody to move to it whilst insulting or demonising everyone who won't play along
Diplomatic Immunity Should Not Exist for Anybody
The EPO in its current form gradually 'normalises' the end of European democracy
Brett Wilson LLP Stopped Sending Me Papers When I Showed It had Sent Me Over 5 Kilograms of Legal Papers
A week ago we lodged our third lawsuit
Microsoft Mass Layoffs and Shutdowns Became the New Normal at Microsoft
Microsoft mass layoffs became a topic of everyday media coverage since May
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 21, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, July 21, 2025
FSF "Raised Almost $139,000 During This Summer Campaign"
"Thank you for making a stand against dystopia!"
Gemini Links 22/07/2025: VPS Exploited and Fear of View
Links for the day
LLM Bots vs Techrights
Slows things down a bit
New Publication Sheds Lights on Abuse of Workers at the European Patent Office (EPO)
Put in simple terms, they're killing the Office, harming remaining staff, try to hire rubber-stampers
Links 21/07/2025: Hardware, Health, and Imperialism
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/07/2025: "When Buying Isn't Owning" and "CMS Special Edition"
Links for the day
Links 21/07/2025: Indie Web and Toxic Politics
Links for the day
[Meme] Microsoft Lawyers Throwing Stones in Glass Houses
threatened me with bankruptcy
Google "AI Overview" is Not AI and Not Overview
do not be misled; what Google does isn't smart, it's just ripping off the sites it already crawled for as long as 27 years
Making the Case to Dump Microsoft and GAFAM for National and Digital Sovereignty
"Sovereignty is difficult"
The Tactics of the Opposition (Microsoft Lunduke): Associate With K00ks, Throw in Vaccines to Muddy the Water
Who stands to gain from this?
Europe's Second-Largest Institution (EPO) and Largest Patent Monopoly Office Needs More Transparency, Not Less Transparency
In the EPO, what good are elections when one candidate literally bribes all the voters?
How Not to Report News About Microsoft
This pattern of misreporting is so widespread that it's hard to believe it's not intentional
Computer Science is Under Attack, They Want Everyone to be a Consumer
If people can no longer acquire Computer Science education and real Computer Science experience, they will not know how to control their own digital destiny or emancipate the very same universities that now control the syllabus and instead of teaching Computer Science encourage the outsourcing of systems
The Best Tools Are the Simplest Tools
There's a hidden message here about the merits of sticking with X
Ofcom Online Safety Group Speaks of Protecting Women Online, Will Brett Wilson LLP Ever Listen?
They've essentially became like the Taliban's "burka police"
Social Control Media Relies on Advertisers, So It'll Always Be Hostile Towards Free Software
Sales, sales, sales
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 20, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 20, 2025
Fragmentation of Data
Life is too short to "hoard" data
In Defence of "Spinning Rust"
Just because something is "old" (or older) doesn't mean it ought to become extinct
Using Free Software to Prepare Legal Documents
LibreOffice is openly complaining about OOXML as an obstacle
Tech and Technology Are Not the Same Anymore
"Are you into tech, Sir?"
Our Articles About SLAPPs Receive Recognition and Interest
This week we shall continue writing about the 3 lawsuits we filed
Are You Served?
For many people, advocacy of Free software and GPL enforcement are assumed to be happening
Conspiracy or grooming? Alex Jurado, Voice of Reason compared to Outreachy
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 20/07/2025: Security Breaches and Former 'Open' 'AI' Engineer on Hype and Culture Issues
Links for the day
Links 20/07/2025: Fending Off BRICS and US Government Attacks Its Own Media (Like China and Russia)
Links for the day
Framed by social control media: Alex Belfield, Voice of Reason
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 20/07/2025: Summertime and OCC25 Wrap-up
Links for the day
Jamie Zawinski Complained About Wayland, Then Decided to Give It a Go, Now Complains Again About Wayland
Ask IBM (Red Hat) why it's worth throwing so much away just for Wayland fanaticism
Slopwatch: Planet Ubuntu, LinuxSecurity, and More
former "Linux" blogs which basically became slopfarms
Russia Set to Ban Facebook?
If WhatsApp is made to "leave", that means Facebook or "Meta".
Links 20/07/2025: More GAFAM Lawsuits, Layoffs, and SLAPPs
Links for the day
Taking Stock of a Good and Productive Week
We shall now be taking a break, unpacking the new hard drive (8 TB), and making backups of everything
Nice Recovery (From Actual Fire) by PCLinuxOS, New Version of PCLinuxOS Released, Now Top of DistoWatch
PCLinuxOS is a community-driven distro
More Microsoft Shutdowns That Mostly Slipped Under the Radar
Remember what happened to books 'sold' by Microsoft?
Microsoft Lunduke Still Fighting Cancel Culture With... Cancel Culture
There will be no "winners" in such 'debates'
The History of Daily Links and Politics
"I support Wayland, but I also support abortion..."
Ageism in Tech
Your protocol is "old"...
Microsoft is at 0% "Market Share" in Most Areas
Depending on the taxonomy chosen, there may be dozens of categories other than desktops and laptops
"The moment MSFT stock fails to start tumbling, that’s the beginning of another corporate giant going under."
There are far more layoffs at Microsoft than at Intel, but you would not get this impression based on Wall Street media
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 19, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 19, 2025