Ubuntu and the 'Average User'
For years, free-software advocates have asserted that Linux is ready for the mainstream desktop. Critics have responded that, sure, Linux has come a long way since 1991, but it’s still not for ‘average users’. Until grandmothers can get an Ubuntu system up and running without having to hack a wireless driver or an xorg.conf file, we’re told, the Linux user base will remain limited.
Admittedly, I’m a bit of an Ubuntu ‘fanboy’, so I can’t pretend that I don’t have an agenda. Even so, I think that a logical analysis of the anti-Linux arguments above exposes crucial flaws.
Most of the thoughts below are not very original—they’ve been made by plenty of people before—but I think they’re worth repeating as Windows apologists assault Ubuntu’s usability with renewed vigor in the wake of the Linux netbook surge (see comment #17 here for an example of these attacks).
Who’s Normal?
First, when Ubuntu’s detractors speak of the ‘average user’, what they really mean is the ‘average Windows user’—that is, a user who’s spent the last fifteen years being taught to use computers in a certain way. If Ubuntu fails to behave like Windows, they count that as a strike against mainstream users.
Strangely, Apple doesn’t receive such criticism, even though its operating system, like Ubuntu, deviates in many ways from Windows. Indeed, having never owned a Mac, I feel very uncomfortable using one—the absence of a two-button mouse still bothers me, and I’ve yet to figure out how the OS X window manager really works. But this doesn’t mean—and no one suggests—that OS X is not for the average home user.
If Macs are perfectly acceptable even for people who have never used anything besides Microsoft platforms, then the argument that Ubuntu is not suitable for non-geeky users is flawed and hypocritical.
Defining ‘Out-of-the-Box’
My other major objection to the assertion that Windows ‘just works’ whereas Linux still requires substantial hacking is that, in short, it’s completely untrue. Sure, the laptop that you bought with Vista pre-installed came with everything working ‘out-of-the-box’. But try installing a generic copy of Windows onto the same machine, and you’re lucky if even simple things like ethernet and USB work without your having to hunt down drivers for them.
And OS X only ‘just works’ because of Apple’s rigid monopoly over hardware and software. Installing OS X on non-Apple hardware (à la hackint0sh) is hardly for non-geeks; it’s also probably illegal, depending on whom you ask. Ubuntu would probably work pretty amazingly if all of the hardware it ran on were manufactured by Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company.
If proprietary platforms ‘just work’, it’s only because hardware vendors configure them before they reach consumers. In other words, someone else does the hacking so grandma won’t have to.
Unfortunately, Ubuntu currently enjoys only minimal support among OEMs, although the situation has improved substantially over the last year, as many major hardware vendors have begun selling Ubuntu pre-installed, especially on netbooks.
Ubuntu’s far from perfect. But charges that it’s still beyond the reach of ‘average’ users are unfair and ignorant. As the unprecedented struggle between Linux and Windows in the netbook market continues to pan out, such unwarranted criticisms will hopefully be exposed for what they are.
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I think you’re misreading the argument. The major problem with Ubuntu — as with all Linux distros — is that it often requires a user who is more attentive to nitty-gritty details. For example, if you want to play MP3s, they’re often told to get codecs. Most users don’t even know what “codec” stands for. If you want support, users are told to look to wikis and forums which, unfortunately, are often out of date and terribly disorganized. Using Ubuntu is sort of like setting oneself apart from the crowd: no one but the nameless faceless masses on the Internet can help and they’re usually too busy blogging about how easy it is to use Linux.
Even average Jane moms can use Ubuntu thanks to Mombuntu. Here is how you can setup Ubuntu to be used by your mom:
http://helpforlinux.blogspot.com/2008/09/mombuntu-ubuntu-for-your-mom.html
I agree with Josh.
The complaint isn’t that things don’t work ‘like’ windows (I was a windows user for 10 years before I switch exclusively to Ubuntu). The complaint is that things do not work as well as they do on windows. The reason OS X doesn’t receive the same criticism is exactly that… most basic tasks work well on OS X. I hate to recall the hassles I had trying to get dual monitors to work with my laptop when I upgraded to 8.10, it almost made me switch back to Windows, but I didn’t. I struggled on and eventually got it to work. The average user wont.
I only run Ubuntu on my personal machines, and have no instance of windows on any of them, but I am a “hobbyist” and being a technical person makes me capable of handling most of the problems Ubuntu throws at me (or capable of finding help on IRC/wiki/forums).
Ubuntu is great, I love it. But without a tech person to install and setup everything they need, The average user will struggle. It’s irrelevant that Apple has a monopoly on their hardware or that windows comes pre-installed from most manufacturers – it’s unfair… but irrelevant.
@Josh: What’s the fuss about codecs? If codecs are so hard to install in Ubuntu (try to play an mp3 file – get a suggestion to install them, click “Ok”) then take Linux Mint, which contains them out of the box.
If we compare Ubuntu with Windows, many of my video files do not play on Windows “out of the box”, so I have to know about “K-Lite codec pack”, know how to find it, download and install it. Which is way too geeky for your mom, comparing to clicking “Ok” when trying to play such a file in Ubuntu.
I fear all of these arguments are apples to oranges type of arguments. The big difference is that windows comes on people’s hardware and Ubuntu doesn’t. Mr. Tozzi is exactly right when talking about installing a generic copy of windows vs. Ubuntu. Ubuntu is by far the quickest most complete install, but thats where the trouble comes in how many people actually install their own OS? Very few. I am hoping Ubuntu on netbooks is going to help change this, just hope it doesn’t get labeled the OS for light hardware because it works even more wonderfully with butt loads of ram and multi core processors.
Windows does have problems codecs. I have sent files to people and they cannot open it, and don’t even bother to find out how. There are other problems that people have with Windows, but they find someone else around them that they can ask. With linux there’s probably no one, but that is changing, slowly.
Windows works well when you buy your computer from a store because OEM and other hardware/software makers have spent time making it work. If they put the same effort with Linux, you’ll have the same experience.
Most average computers users know how to do x,y,z because they have done x,y,z a hundred times before, they don’t have the curiosity or the ability to find a solution to a problem or even to learn and try something new.
I have had problem with Windows and with Ubuntu. The problems with Ubuntu has been easier to fix. Linux has a great future, it needs to be available in stores so people can see them, and don’t make it look like a kiddies toy. And maybe over a period of time those average computer users will start with Linux and learn to do x,y,z, on linux a hundred times. 🙂
One more thing, I wish Dell will sell the Ubuntu netbooks, or any Ubuntu computer for that matter in Australia.
I read an article on Lifehacker the other day about a few command line tweaks for Ubuntu to get it working faster, and someone said the usual “This is why Linux still isn’t ready for Grandma’s desktop”, or words to that effect. But the fact is, this kind of tweak was roughly equivalent to editing the registry in Windows, and Grandma generally doesn’t do that either, but she still uses Windows. People really do have the silliest ideas about how to compare the two.
The fact is most people who use Linux are technical enough users that they are willing to delve into it to that extent, but Ubuntu “just works” well enough for people who don’t want to do that as well.
Whose normal? Well if normal is Pa Frickert using Linux then Ubuntu is mainstream. My dad got tired of the windows AV cycle and about once a year having to take his machine to the shop to get fixed. (he’s not technical) So the last trip down there I loaded Kubuntu 7.04 on his machine. Put replacement programs on the box and showed him how to use them. I also set up a backup icon, so that he can backup his home folder on my server.
That was 2 years ago. He has not had a single problem. If there is a program he wants he emails, I remote to the machine and do the install. He figures out how to use it. I do the version updates behind the scenes and have never had a problem.
Easy? He has not seen the Geek Squad dude since then. Only time he shows up is to buy more DVD’s. Happy as a clam.
Ubuntu is ready for the average “grandma” user. The only fair test is for the average novice user to purchase a pc with
ubuntu pre-installed with all hardware pre-configured from the vendor just like Windows machines are. My folks (both are average novice users, have just had their 65th birthdays, and have used Windows 98 mostly and a little XP.) In May of this year, they purchase a new pc from a pre-installed Ubuntu vendor (eightvirtues) and have used Ubuntu 8.04 nearly exclusively since then. I converted my household to Ubuntu, too, so I could
serve as their help desk. Have they had problems and needed help? Yes, but they also had problems and needed help with Windows (and Ubuntu did not require any more assistance than did Windows.) Clearly, there was an is a learning curve, but there would also have been a similar learning curve had they purchased a PC with Windows Vista and/or XP pre-installed.
Further, to me, support with Ubuntu and gnu/linux in general is no different than Windows. In the past, when I had a problem with Windows, I would find the solution with the assistance of google and various forums — and sometimes perhaps from the MS website. So, I never buy the support arguments at all.
There are other distros besides Ubuntu. Someone mentioned Linux Mint, and there’s Mepis, Mandriva, OpenSuse, and PCLinuxOS, just to name a few. Those distros are even easier to use than Ubuntu, for various reasons, and some of them have multimedia out of the box or simple fixes for them. I understand what your point is, but I agree with what was said earlier that Windows doesn’t play hardly any multimedia formats right out of the box. They have to be added. You have to keep in mind that comparing a self imposed Linux installation can never be compared to a pre-installed OS like Windows or OS X.
A pre installed linux installation can easily be compared to a pre installed windows or osx installation.
This argument is some of the reason I started Buntfu.com (a community based PC vendor). Its is true that most people don’t install their own OS. Its also true that most people don’t like to read or track down the solution to a problem they might be having using Ubuntu. But for those of us who can setup a linux box and like doing so have a place to sell their computers. And the average Joe looking to buy a computer and wants to try linux but doesn’t want to do it themselves has a place to buy one from people like us. Don’t look at people laziness to learn something new as a thorn in Ubuntu’s side. Its just an opportunity for true computer users to help them get a computer with Ubuntu/Linux already installed and break away from the proprietary strangle hold.
Even if Linux were easier to use than Windows, what compelling reason do regular users have to switch? The vast majority of users don’t care about open source software, and the price tag is not a compelling reason considering that Western culture teaches us that anything free is also low quality.
Being ready for the “average user” is great, but this is not a “build it and they will come” type of technology. Linux (and Ubuntu) must provide compelling reasons for users to change their workflow, to learn new technology, and become comfortable with a different computing paradigm. Old habits are hard to break unless there’s a REALLY good reason for doing so.
@ Josh: Absolute total nonsense. If you buy Linux pre-installed as part of the package then your distributor (assuming it’s not Joe’s corner PC shop) will be able to provide OS support.
In the case of Ubuntu Canonical offers optional “paid for” support. If you were to buy a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista support is inclusive in the price tag.
The fact of the matter is, ALL COMMERCIAL LINUX DISTRIBUTORS MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING SUPPORT SERVICES. Red Hat does it, Canonical does it, Novell does it, Xandros does it and Gentoo does it. There are also other lesser know distributors like Linpus. Acer uses their distro on the their netbooks. And I have to say it’s not bad.
A full copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (download version) from the Microsoft Store currently costs £229.99. A copy of Ubuntu will cost me NOTHING. Even if I order a disc from Canonical. Just and extra £90 gets me professional support.
Now as for forums and Wikis being bad organised? I guess they might be if you’re looking at something built by an enthusiast. But not the official forums run by the commercial backers.
The Ubuntu forum is very well organised and is actually very busy. Lots of questions get answered and lots of problems get solved. There’s even a special area for Dell PC owners.
Sorry but your vision of the Linux world is so hopelessly outdated you really need to take a refresher course. Linux hasn’t just come a long way since 1991. It’s a totally different beast.
With Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex), even things like 3g internet access work “out of the box” on pre-installed systems. HDMI ports on laptops also work perfectly. With my Dell M1330n I can have “twin view”, “two separate desktops” or I can disable one or the other display all from just pressing the Fn+CRT/LCD (Fn+F8) key combination.
Other things that seem to wind people up like media buttons all work as you might expect them to. And as for navigation? Where are all you applications? They might just be in the “Applications” menu. How do you install an application? Two basic methods. Either run an installer as you would in Windows or go to “Add/Remove” at the bottom of the Applications menu. Unlike in Windows “Add/Remove” does actually “ADD” and “REMOVE” applications.
Now someone said something about codecs? Windows doesn’t come complete with all the codecs people need these days “out of the box”. Install a boxed version of Windows and you will be spending many download sessions grabbing all the codecs you need.
For Ubuntu users life is a bit simpler. Where there are no legal restrictions Ubuntu will simply offer to download the codec for you, explaining that component is needed to play the media file. Where legalities may hold things up a bit there are commercial options like Fluendo or PowerDVD. Or you can add the Medibuntu repo to your sources list and download from there. The Ubuntu forum has a handy up-to-date comprehensive easy to follow guide on how to do that. They even give you the commands you need.
And one last point. Linux pre-installed on a Dell comes with everything you need. My XPS M1330n even came complete with LinDVD.
But back to the article. I agree the criticisms leveled against Ubuntu are totally unfounded. Especially since it seems Windows Vistas compatibility issues won’t all be solved before it’s re-branded version, Windows 7 is released. And Windows 7 supposedly introduces new compatibility nightmares for software vendors. Randall C. Kennedy from InforWorld reported it broke compatibility with some of his software. And he’s apparently a huge Microsoftie!
With every new release, Ubuntu gets better. Compatibility with popular hardware gets better and over all the whole OS gets more and more polished. Windows it seems is in terminal decline and Microsoft can’t afford to throw more than a little spit it’s way to save it.
http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisedesktop/archives/2008/10/windows_7_the_d.html?source=rss
if ubuntu (or any gun/linux distro for that matter) isn’t ready for the grandma, then what would u call windows? It isn’t ready to users who have used for so many years
Indeed. The infamous BSOD comes to mind. What would grandma do if she got one of those nasties? Call the extortionate tech support line? Take the PC to a shop that’ll charge £50 just to look at it and go “hmmmmm”?
Steve Ballmer called Windows Vista a “work in progress” as though it was a new experience to experience problems with Windows. It isn’t. Hence the entire symbiotic support industry aimed squarely at the consumer surrounding Windows.
And how much would grandma understand about anti-virus software, firewalls and registry cleaners?
I generally agree with a writer. Many Windows users come to Ubuntu and other distros with the idea that Linux is inferior because it is not like Windows. I have read articles and blogs in recent weeks that echo this sentiment, that we need one distro, that we need one spokeperson, that we need one desktop, and that we need one mascot. In other words, Linux lacks the character and identity that Windows and Mac OS/X have. I, of course, disagree. Not only do they want Linux to be a replacement for Windows, but they also want it to duplicate it.
I also agree with some of the comments. Linux is not quite there yet, for many reasons. The chief one is that it does not have a Linux compatible hardware sticker or come pre-installed. Ubuntu is showing leadership in this and is working toward a programme where OEMs designate equipment as bing Linux compatible. They are also working with OEMs to get Linux pre-installed on desktops and netbooks.
I would like to add my own thoughts on Linux help forums. I frequent many of these. I find many Linux mentors are not as helpful as they could be. They start where they are and not where the user is. They will tell a complete newbie to use terminal commands when in fact a GUI can do the same thing in most cases. I have seen users asking for help, only to be told that they should not be using that distro, but to use another one or that it is their fault for using a development distro such as Sidux.
We have to remember that we are not talking to children, but adults. They are in a situation and are asking people for help to resolve the problem. They are not seeking your advice which distro to use or to affix blame. If you can’t advise them properly then just don’t respond. Also give them advice that they can actually use. If it is something that can be more easily solved with a GUI, then go that route because that is where they are at. You may feel perfectly capable with the commandline, but most newbies aren’t. At the very least, you should offer both solutions.
I have seen lots of harm done on Linux forums. There is also much good going on, but we need to remember that we are the only PR that Linux has. If you can’t be positive, then be quiet.
People with no computer experience installing should probably not install Ubuntu. Newbies can use Ubuntu just fine- same as Windows. Ubuntu is simple- just click click click these days. The problems come from Windows power users who are addicted to their Windows environment. I actually thrive using Ubuntu because I can finally have easy access to all types software.
Well written and logical article and you’ve articulated an argument that’s not frequently made. Why does Ubuntu Linux have to approximate a Windows “look and feel?” For what it’s worth my 82 year old mother uses Ubuntu 8.10 on her desktop and prefers it to Windows for a number of reason not least of which that it is easier for her to navigate. Single clicks to open applications for a woman plagued by arthritic hands makes Ubuntu Linux much easier for her to use than Windows.
I had a school principal come to me (a friend) and ask me to speed up his laptop – it was Vista. The laptop came with Vista Home Premium and a ‘Vista Capable’ sticker on it. It was as slow as a wet week. It was shocking. You really couldn’t use it!
Needless to say, I spent 20 minutes installing Ubuntu 8.10 (along with common apps like Skype and codecs). He was blown away. He’s never used Linux before. To this day, he hasn’t had a problem. And it is QUICK – thats what got him the most. He was shocked at the performance of his laptop.
There is another HUGE point that I don’t ever see covered in these forums and flame wars and that is that Linux is truly one OS to rule them all. YOu can install, literally, the same OS on every machine in your enterprise from laptops and simple data entry (OOo) boxes to engineering, accounting, and the servers. One disc, literally, one flavor, is all you need. As opposed to Windows or Mac OSX. Vista has four (4) desktop editions and there is a whole family of server editions. Mac OSX has 2 with the desktop and server editions. Frankly, so does Ubuntu for reasons that elude me. But with tru GNU Linux, like Debian (the basis of Ubuntu) there is one version for all needs. Thre is no differentiation between a desktop, laptop and a server OS other than the software installed.
Homogeny, continuity, and consistency. That is true low cost ease of use for an enterprise or the home.
I recently had a hard drive failure which required me to restore Windows Vista Home Basic on a Dell 630s. After restoring Vista from the provided DVD I was asked to insert the “Drivers and Utilities” disk. I had to choose from a list the correct driver for my sound card, network interface, video chipset etc. It was a struggle. Contrast this with installing Ubuntu 8.10 on the same machine and I’ll take the Ubuntu install anyday! Everything worked without problems. I was prompted for media codecs and the nvidia video driver and all worked perfectly. Adding software applications was as easy easy a menu choice. If a 50 yr old novice like me can do it, anybody can. I’m not going back!