However, are those good features enough to persuade home users over to Linux despite the fabulous Marketing that promotes Windows?...

Home users run Android or iOS, they don't run doze because they don't have desktops or laptops, they have phones and watches.

Business users have desktops and laptops and run Doze because the software they need runs on Doze.

Rather than continue with your obsessive hatred of all things MS, shouldn't you be in regular contact with the Linux developers & doing your best to transform Linux into a viable alternative to MS instead of the "lowly" 1% of the market?

For the world's top 500 supercomputers, how does 100% Linux fit for you?

See: TOP500.org

Operating system Family   Count   System Share (%)   Rmax (GFlops)   Rpeak (GFlops)   Cores
Linux                       500            100       1,414,955,582    2,213,309,357   59,086,318

A full 100% for the world's fastest computers enough for you?

And you can run exactly the same system on your humble PC or laptop.

IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

But is it a viable alternative for my late 30's autistic son, assessed as being a 11-13 year old, who can use windows. And where are the Linux versions of the games he plays on-line.

The actual question which your post failed to answer: Is Linux a viable alternative to Windows?
A straight forward Yes or No will suffice.
The top 500 supercomputers are not relevant to the question.

But is it a viable alternative for my late 30's autistic son, assessed as being a 11-13 year old, who can use windows. And where are the Linux versions of the games he plays on-line.

Could well be...

Playing games online via a web browser should be no different... You're using a web browser after all...


For an interesting option, take a look at a Raspberry Pi? A big thing with that is that there is a fabulous active community all around for everything and anything Raspberry Pi. Also see for games projects on the Raspberry Pi...


For games, see also such as:

GamingOnLinux

18 Best Linux Games Of 2019 | Premium and Open Source

Top 31 Best Linux Games You Can Play for FREE


And there's lots more, spanning all the way back to the classic Adventure style of games...

And then there is everything Minecraft!

Enjoy!


IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

The actual question which your post failed to answer: Is Linux a viable alternative to Windows?
A straight forward Yes or No will suffice.

Yes. Already is.

However, that is a "no" if you have the requirement that 'whatever' must be "Microsoft"...

Note that Microsoft has now realized reality and now support their main cash-cow software running natively on Linux...

I work at all levels of IT and if you are not hobbled by proprietary restrictions, then Linux works extremely well.


IT is what we make it...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

The actual question which your post failed to answer: Is Linux a viable alternative to Windows?
A straight forward Yes or No will suffice.

Yes. Already is.

Really? So please explain why it does not hold the lions share of the market & running in most homes & businesses.

Really? So please explain why it does not hold the lions share of the market & running in most homes & businesses.

I can think of a few reasons off the top of my head:

1) Apps. Windows had a long head start on Linux so there's a larger base of applications for it, some of which are unique and never ported elsewhere, such as custom business apps. which are business-essential. And of course there are plenty of Windows-only games.

2) Mind-share. To most non-IT people, PCs run Windows and that's it. Other operating systems just aren't on the radar. A great example of this are the phony "Microsoft tech support" scammers (and yes, they are most definitely not IT people.) I will occasionally get calls from them and prank them by putting on an old man voice and accurately following their directions on my Linux desktop. They don't even register there is such a thing so are lost why they aren't able to seize control of my computer. :^)

3) Bundling. New desktops, laptops, netbooks and tablets are sold with Windows pre-installed. Most people don't know that this is optional with the price of a Windows license built into the price of the computer... one will need to jump through a few hoops but it is refundable (by law in most places.) For most people, it just works so they don't worry about what's on it.

---

1) Apps. Windows had a long head start on Linux

Actually 7 years - Windows 1985 Linux 1991

2) Mind-share. To most non-IT people, PCs run Windows and that's it. Other operating systems just aren't on the radar.

Agreed. Doesn't say much for Linux in its 28.5 year history, now does it?
Funny thing, you never mention this in any of your Linux v Windows posts:

Despite being freely available, companies profit from Linux. These companies, many of which are also members of the Linux Foundation, invest substantial resources into the advancement and development of Linux, in order to make it suited for various application areas

Oh dear with such investment, Linux is hardly impacting the home or business markets.

BTW, I've stated this many times in the past but it is worth bringing it up again. I use iOS, Linux & Windows.

Really? So please explain why it does not hold the lions share of the market & running in most homes & businesses.

I can think of a few reasons off the top of my head:

1) Apps. Windows had a long head start on Linux so there's a larger base of applications for it, some of which are unique and never ported elsewhere, such as custom business apps. which are business-essential.

Many mission critical and not all are custom either.

The huge issue with Linux is there isn't one Linux, there are hundreds. If you build mission critical business applications that data entry clerks use, ones you put your company's bank account behind by saying they will work, you can't have hundreds of different versions of your application and expect to support them or promise that they will work on any flavor of Linux with any hardware combination. With Windows you automatically cut down how many variants you have to put in your code to a manageable number.

I've asked before for a very standard nearly every business needs it application in Linux. No one has been able to point me to anything that is anywhere near able to do it. That being payroll and all the related tasks. I'm beginning to hear some noise about some cloud based solutions, but that isn't a application for a Linux box vs/ a Windows box, that is using a web browser to access another computer as a remote terminal. Not really different than a fax to ADP or another payroll company.

A decent payroll package would need to access biometric time clocks to get hours records, handle all the myriad tax forms from the various local, state and federal tax agencies with either electronic or paper filing requirements, interface with banks to handle tax deposits and direct deposit of payroll checks, generate reports and pay unemployment insurance, handle reports and payments for pension plans, and so forth. No Linux software comes close. Until it does Linux is seen as a non-starter in the business world.

Isn't Linux a development of Unix?

And from my son, "SAP HANA, at least at this point, only runs on SuSe Linux on servers that use the E7 variant of the Xeon processor."

And yet, just about all mission-critical business apps. do run on Linux on the web, and servers, just not on the end-user desktops. Even Microsoft Azure runs on Linux and its most popular virtual machines are Linux-based.

Linux may be fragmented, but gradually certain distros may come to dominate, probably Ubuntu (edit: and its derivatives) for desktops and Red Hat for servers. By the way, Canonical's fastest-growing market right now is for desktop business Ubuntu for AI development.

---

I'm not so sure about Ubuntu becoming that popular myself as I've found that Mint is more preferred by those here to use with its more Windows like layout.

Over the last few years I've let people play with my 2 Linux laptops (1 Mint the other Ubuntu) and it has been Mint that everyone has chosen so far and that has kept me busy converting old Windows Vista/8/8.1 and even the latest Windows 10 machines to (though I have yet to do that with any Win7 machines, but I guess that next year that will start happening).

Most of these people are in the >50yr old bracket with 2 being well into their 80's, but there are some younger 1's also, so that must mean something.

Cheers.

Mint can be considered a variant of Ubuntu... it's based off of it with some popular apps. baked in and a (IMHO) much better desktop. I always recommend it for people making the switch from Windows.

---

Some of you likely love CCleaner. Perhaps not anymore.
https://www.wired.com/story/barium-supply-chain-hackers/

In at least two cases—one in which it hijacked software updates from computer maker Asus and another in which it tainted a version of the PC cleanup tool CCleaner—software corrupted by the group has ended up on hundreds of thousands of unwitting users' computers.

A software supply chain attack represents one of the most insidious forms of hacking. By breaking into a developer's network and hiding malicious code within apps and software updates that users trust, supply chain hijackers can smuggle their malware onto hundreds of thousands—or millions—of computers in a single operation, without the slightest sign of foul play. Now, what appears to be a single group of hackers has managed that trick repeatedly, going on a devastating supply chain hacking spree—and becoming more advanced and stealthy as they go.

The actual question which your post failed to answer: Is Linux a viable alternative to Windows?
A straight forward Yes or No will suffice.

Yes. Already is.

Really? So please explain why it does not hold the lions share of the market & running in most homes & businesses.

Perhaps it should?

See:

Chris Titus Tech: 7 Reasons Why Linux is Better Than Windows


More of a question is why not already?

The clue might be in:

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

To my mind, there really needs to be more enforcement against no-morals uncaring fat-cat fat bosses such as this:


France Telecom suicides: Former bosses go on trial

... Thirty-five staff took their lives between 2008 and 2009.

Some of them left messages blaming France Telecom and its managers.

At the time, the newly privatised company was in the throes of a major reorganisation. Mr Lombard was trying to cut 22,000 jobs and retrain at least 10,000 workers.

Some employees were transferred away from their families or left behind when offices were moved, or assigned demeaning jobs...



Unfortunately, we still have a form of coercive slavery in our modern day world...

Should there be a mandatory test to filter out sociopaths and psychopaths from all management positions?...


All in our only one world,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/05/whatsapp-vulnerability-exploited-to-infect-phones-with-israeli-spyware/

Attackers have been exploiting a vulnerability in WhatsApp that allowed them to infect phones with advanced spyware made by Israeli developer NSO Group, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing the company and a spyware technology dealer.

A representative of WhatsApp, which is used by 1.5 billion people, told Ars that company researchers discovered the vulnerability earlier this month while they were making security improvements. CVE-2019-3568, as the vulnerability has been indexed, is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the WhatsApp VOIP stack that allows remote code execution when specially crafted series of SRTCP packets are sent to a target phone number,

When you can target the specific person you want to infect, that is bad. And where is the sandbox so this doesn't get lose in the O/S?

millions, er billions of eyeballs

Here we go again:
Patches for XP, 7 ...
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/05/microsoft-warns-wormable-windows-bug-could-lead-to-another-wannacry/

Every Intel chip 2011 or later on every O/S.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/14/zombieload-flaw-intel-processors/