Linux Stalls on the Desktop, and It's Not Linux's Fault
With no manufacturer drivers and pre-installed Windows, Linux struggles on the desktop. SteamOS's push doesn't change the equation.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Linux Stalls on the Desktop, and It's Not Linux's Fault
The diagnosis has been the same for nearly three years: Linux works, but it doesn't work for you. Not because of a system flaw, but because the manufacturer of your graphics card, printer, or laptop has never lifted a finger to make it work on Linux. That's where it all begins.
An operating system isn't judged by its kernel, but by what you can do with it without a struggle. And in that arena, Linux carries a burden that reappears with every attempt: non-existent drivers, intimidating partitions, and menus where installed applications don't show up.
Manufacturer Support Decides the Battle
Anyone blaming Linux for a game not launching is looking in the wrong place. The executable is compiled for Windows or Linux, and the vendor only invests in the version that yields market share. Linux supports OpenGL just like Windows, but a call to generic_file_aio_read isn't the same as a CreateFile, even if both achieve the same result.
Some summarize it bluntly: if you buy incompatible hardware, don't complain about the system; complain about the manufacturer who doesn't release the driver. The nuance is significant. No free operating system can force a company to write code for it. But the user paying for the laptop shouldn't have to foot that bill either.
Windows Isn't the Pristine Alternative Either
The narrative that everything works on Windows falls apart at the first hurdle. One forum user recounted that a new laptop, with Windows 10 pre-installed, took longer to auto-install than an Ubuntu installation from scratch on an older, slower machine. And of the trinc hours, a good portion was spent disabling software nobody had asked for.
The other side of the coin is security. According to a forum user's account, a nine-year-old child filled a newly purchased Windows PC with bicho and Trojans in a single week, downloading the usual stuff. The alternative isn't an bicho: it's a model where all software comes signed from repositories, and nobody downloads executables from random sites.
The Hell of Distributions: sudo, su, and Empty Menus
Linux isn't one operating system; it's a kernel to which everyone has attached their own pieces. The result is dozens of distributions incompatible with each other, each with its quirks. A Debian installation might arrive without sudo configured, and in GNOME, newly installed applications don't always appear in the menu. On a Mint system, the terminal showed 195 un-updated packages.
The technical debate over whether sudo or su is better sparks textbook fights. What it reveals, beyond the technical detail, is that the home user ends up acting as a system administrator without having asked for it.
SteamOS and the Promise of Gaming on Linux
The advent of SteamOS, with Valve betting on Linux and cross-platform games, changed the tone. According to one participant, Wine was already running the famous Crysis, Warcraft III, and a good portion of the Steam catalog, with irregular but playable results. And those who claim games will stop working on Windows are exaggerating: OpenGL runs on any platform.
The final irony comes from someone who started by denigrating the system and ended up installing it: what annoyed them most about Linux turned out to be what hooked them the most. The chaos, the bugs, and the uncertainty of each update act as an adrenaline rush that Windows, too predictable, doesn't offer.
With manufacturers still on the sidelines and Android—Linux kernel—ruling the pocket without anyone calling it that, the desktop will remain the lost battlefield. No one bets that Linux will conquer it this year. Nor that it will disappear from the attempt.
The diagnosis has been the same for nearly three years: Linux works, but it doesn't work for you. Not because of a system flaw, but because the manufacturer of your graphics card, printer, or laptop has never lifted a finger to make it work on Linux. That's where it all begins.
An operating system isn't judged by its kernel, but by what you can do with it without a struggle. And in that arena, Linux carries a burden that reappears with every attempt: non-existent drivers, intimidating partitions, and menus where installed applications don't show up.
Manufacturer Support Decides the Battle
Anyone blaming Linux for a game not launching is looking in the wrong place. The executable is compiled for Windows or Linux, and the vendor only invests in the version that yields market share. Linux supports OpenGL just like Windows, but a call to generic_file_aio_read isn't the same as a CreateFile, even if both achieve the same result.
Some summarize it bluntly: if you buy incompatible hardware, don't complain about the system; complain about the manufacturer who doesn't release the driver. The nuance is significant. No free operating system can force a company to write code for it. But the user paying for the laptop shouldn't have to foot that bill either.
Windows Isn't the Pristine Alternative Either
The narrative that everything works on Windows falls apart at the first hurdle. One forum user recounted that a new laptop, with Windows 10 pre-installed, took longer to auto-install than an Ubuntu installation from scratch on an older, slower machine. And of the trinc hours, a good portion was spent disabling software nobody had asked for.
The other side of the coin is security. According to a forum user's account, a nine-year-old child filled a newly purchased Windows PC with bicho and Trojans in a single week, downloading the usual stuff. The alternative isn't an bicho: it's a model where all software comes signed from repositories, and nobody downloads executables from random sites.
The Hell of Distributions: sudo, su, and Empty Menus
Linux isn't one operating system; it's a kernel to which everyone has attached their own pieces. The result is dozens of distributions incompatible with each other, each with its quirks. A Debian installation might arrive without sudo configured, and in GNOME, newly installed applications don't always appear in the menu. On a Mint system, the terminal showed 195 un-updated packages.
The technical debate over whether sudo or su is better sparks textbook fights. What it reveals, beyond the technical detail, is that the home user ends up acting as a system administrator without having asked for it.
SteamOS and the Promise of Gaming on Linux
The advent of SteamOS, with Valve betting on Linux and cross-platform games, changed the tone. According to one participant, Wine was already running the famous Crysis, Warcraft III, and a good portion of the Steam catalog, with irregular but playable results. And those who claim games will stop working on Windows are exaggerating: OpenGL runs on any platform.
The final irony comes from someone who started by denigrating the system and ended up installing it: what annoyed them most about Linux turned out to be what hooked them the most. The chaos, the bugs, and the uncertainty of each update act as an adrenaline rush that Windows, too predictable, doesn't offer.
With manufacturers still on the sidelines and Android—Linux kernel—ruling the pocket without anyone calling it that, the desktop will remain the lost battlefield. No one bets that Linux will conquer it this year. Nor that it will disappear from the attempt.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (376 replies).
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