Observations:
- Time of Expectation
- The period in which a Linux user believes a few simple additions are all that are needed for Linux on the mainstream desktop. “When we get better wireless support, then we’ll be ready for the desktop”.
- Time of Denial
- The period in which a Linux user evangelises to non-technical family and friends about Linux. “You can play all your games now, so there’s no reason to keep paying Microsoft”. This is sometimes known as the Time of Delusion, as they become deluded that anyone in the mainstream cares.
- Time of Realisation
- The period in which a Linux user realises that Linux isn’t ready for the mainstream after all. Usually after an incident caused by the Time of Denial: “I guess piping command line arguments out of files and into other processes is a little obscure, Grandma.”
If you think the problem is technical, you’re almost certainly wrong. We can fix all the holes we see in Linux support, that’s really the easy part. What we’ll never end up with is something that normal users will see as normal. We’ll never create what they’re used to, because we’re not trying to create that; we want something better.
No, the problem is social. People need to be educated about what makes a good system, about all the options available, about secure practices, about strengths and weaknesses. That’s a hard problem, and it’s one that your compiler can do very little to help you with.