I recently came across an article on ZDNet.co.uk entitled Debunking Some Linux Myths. It was an article highlighting some "myths" of the Linux operating system and concluding that all were false. I agreed with most of the points outlined. For example, the first point about compiling programs is completely true; there is no need to compile program for your system as long as you have a popular distribution, like Ubuntu—and even when you do need to compile, there is a maximum of 3 commands needed for most zipped source codes.

However, Linux can be difficult and confusing to use. For instance, on almost every Ubuntu install in the past 3 years, I've run into some hardware incompatibilities. It took me quite a while to figure out that in order to get my wifi card working properly, I had to install an additional package that supported the particular card my laptop had. I had to hunt for this solution through forum post after forum post.

Don't get me wrong, I love using Linux. The way I have my Ubuntu distribution set up is perfect now, but it did take a significant amount of time to get it that way. For that reason, I am quite sure Linux is not for everyone. Linux is for people who love to make their desktop experience their own, the ones who spend time looking for ways to tweak their taskbar just so (anyone remember StyleXP?). I think most distributions of Linux have matured enough that little to no knowledge of "terminal commands"* need to be known to unlock their full potential.


*Although, they do make life easier