To attract individual users, linux requires not only special effects

Article title: attract individual users. linux requires more than special effects. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

Ubuntu 10.04 brings us a brand new interface. The Black theme looks really cooler than the original one. During the installation and use process, I have hardly encountered any driver or setup difficulties. this is indeed a satisfactory release.

Ubuntu, as a hair style version that focuses on the individual user market, has devoted more energy to improving user experience than other Linux releases. We can see that for beginners, Ubuntu is indeed a good choice for getting started. both installation and configuration are quite simple and clear. This greatly improved the user's impression on the Linux "exclusive geek toys.

In addition, the existence of special effect modules such as compiz has made Linux the operating system that currently supports the most results. it can only be seen from the extensive options on the compiz settings panel, its support for desktop effects is unparalleled in both richness and freedom. As a matter of fact, we can find a large number of video shows on various major video websites. the gorgeous desktop effects have become a major attraction for Linux to attract individual users.

However, in my opinion, this trend continues and cannot bring real development to Linux.

　　Why not all special effects?

　　First

Take my side as an example. In our university, the open-source community or some open-source organizations have also conducted some Linux demonstration activities. in addition to introducing some basic knowledge, the most important thing is to show the unparalleled desktop effects of Linux. Some people are enthusiastic and eager to rush back to the bedroom and try it after seeing these gorgeous experiences that are hard to get from other systems. However, in general, 80% of people forget this thing after dinner. The people who really try it are just to show off to their roommates, and then they will be shelved.

　　Second

Although all icons in Ubuntu 10.04 are pretty and a simple style is changed, not all GNOME environments use this set of icons by default. In addition, GNOME buttons and other controls are not flattering. This makes Linux face the beauty of special effects, which is incomparable to the simplicity of the interface. Of course, in the KDE desktop environment, Linux is still satisfactory in both aspects. I do not deny that after careful instruction, the Linux system can be comparable to others on the interface. After all, its degree of freedom is far greater than that of other operating systems, but not everyone has the patience and interest to set it.

The key to the problem is: attracting users to the Linux platform is one thing, and leaving users on the Linux platform is another thing.

　　How does one retain users in Linux?

So how does Linux retain users? In addition to continuing to reduce the gap between your weaknesses and Windows and Mac OS, I think there are two more aspects:

　　First

The special effect is just a vase to some extent.

Because, in comparison, people tend to experience Mac OS. In fact, the Mac OS interface is rich in details, and the overall style is well grasped.

By comparing Ubuntu 10.04 and placing the close button on the left side, Mac OS is superior. although it has its own advantages in appearance, however, Mac OS has a very interesting detail on the close button. for example, when you open the text editor and edit the content, the close button will automatically change from a cross to a dot, this means that when you click it, the dialog box indicating whether to save and modify the file is displayed.

In addition, the exquisite but limited number of desktop effects not only reflect the difference with Windows, but also do not seem too frivolous. In fact, this style of design has a great deal of user stickiness.

Most of the software running on Mac OS inherits the Aqua format, which makes the overall operating system style uniform. In fact, Windows and Linux are not doing well at this point. please refer to the comparison of Firefox in different operating systems:

We can see that although Ubuntu 10.04 uses a dark topic, the Firefox toolbar is still light gray. In fact, the biggest drawback of this topic is that the style is not uniform. In other words, the "black" is not thorough and incomplete.

Compared with Linux, GNOME and KDE lack such a moderate idea and rich details. In fact, only a small amount of beautiful results can make the system stand out. too many options will make the system give people a frivolous, unsolemn feeling, and thus become a toy to show off.

　　Second

Compared with the previous one, the more important aspect is the comprehensiveness and simplicity of setup. since it is intended for individual users, especially ordinary users without professional knowledge, it cannot force people to accept command lines. In this regard, Windows is undoubtedly the best, and the various settings are extremely comprehensive, providing a large number of wizard-based settings, detailed instructions, making the command line almost a decoration.

In fact, although Mac OS is already doing well, it cannot be compared with Windows in this regard. For example, common settings such as displaying hidden files still need to be completed on the terminal. It can be said that there are almost no settings in Windows that need to be performed or modified in the command line. Most of them can be done in the graphic interface. although some professional settings need to be visualized, this idea is indeed convenient for users.

Linux is relatively poor in this regard.

For example, using Linux for Wireless dial-up Internet access is a small demand, but some telecom users do have this demand.

There is no problem with the configuration in Windows and Mac OS, because the PPPOE dialing of the two systems can be performed on any internet port (including the Ethernet port eth0 and wireless Wifi port wlan0.

However, for a long time, there has been no DSL dial-up option beyond Ethernet in the Network Manager of Ubuntu 10.04 graphical Network Manager. In this way, you must use the command line for wireless dialing. However, using the rp-pppoe dialing in the command line will result in incompatibility with the Network Manager. as a result, the Network Manager cannot host wireless devices, that is, it is impossible to select a wireless access point for graphical connection, unless you modify the configuration file.

I have to admit that Linux has paid more and more attention to the needs of individual users in recent years and has provided many optimizations in terms of user experience. Ubuntu 10.04 is one of the best. But I'm afraid it's still a long way to go.

　　Summary

This article focuses on how to retain users in Linux. Although Linux is weak in this field, developers should not ignore or discard this market. From a certain point of view, the lack of software, especially some large-scale commercial software, as the industry's substantive standards, is currently the biggest problem for Linux. But this is not discussed in this article because the lack of Linux systems and its developers cannot be completely blamed, and Linux itself is basically difficult to control or change this reality.

In this case, Linux should start from the controllable aspects, such as the two aspects proposed in this article. On this basis, the commercial software company needs to pay attention to this platform by attracting and cultivating a considerable user base, right?