> I'm always amazed by the misconceptions out there about the Linux desktop, Maybe the last time you used it was like 3 years ago ?
I'm using it right now (and have been for years), rather I was going to ask you the same thing..
> SANE for printers and scanners support hundreds of peripherals out of the box. No specific driver installation required. Most USB devices are recognized and supported in the kernel.
Really, what front-end are you using? 50% of the time or more I've had to wiki [0] / run terminal commands to get a printer to work and if that floats your boat that's fine. As for Android it's a complete crap-shot e.g. the Archlinux wiki lists as many as 5 different MTP packages[1] one of which will hopefully work?
> That I can agree with you, but it's not related to the "desktop" per se, it's for a tiny amount of people who have this kind of configuration that it's an issue. There are workarounds like Bumblebee, and with Wayland the situation is supposed to improve.
It's not a tiny-amount of people -- it's anyone that wants to play games on a laptop.. Have you tried Bumblebee? I only got very marginal ~10 FPS improvement running a game with Bumblebee (Nvidia+Intel) vs. only dedicated Intel (after hours of configuration) -- basically useless: don't play modern games on Linux.
> Intel is releasing patches all the time. That's not the Linux's project fault if Intel is not working at the same pace on all platforms.
I don't see how it matters whose fault it is - it doesn't change the fact that if you buy a new laptop/desktop with a CPU less than one year old -- you are going to be in for a world of hurt if you chose Linux.
> The situation has vastly improved with GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon and KDE for HDPI support. The issue remaining are mostly applications that have not been rewritten to take advantage of modern GUI frameworks yet. Note that on Windows the situation is far from perfect either.
I've tried HiDPI with GNOME Shell -- maybe it works for all the built-ins but breaks lots of other programs you might install, again I'm not saying you can't fix it, I'm saying that passing command-line arguments to grub or editing XML files isn't something most users are into.
> When you are not in a situation where the choice is left to the user, OF COURSE you will get this kind of share.
This kind of delusional thinking amazes me. You want users to spend hours monkeying around on command-line/googling getting their system to work -- and than you still think the reason it doesn't have market-share is because users don't have a choice? Don't believe me? I encourage you to give a Linux laptop to some non-programmer friends and ask them about it.
> You want users to spend hours monkeying around on command-line/googling getting their system to work
Funny, you seem to live in a world where Windows users never have technical issues. Look at support forums for Windows, you are in for a good time.
Oh, and for reference, I have installed Linux distros for several of my family members who are non-programmers and complete noobs with computers, and they never complain and actually tell me it runs much better than before (ie. with Windows). You have to wonder which opinion if the most reliable.
You paid for your printer with money, so contact your vendor and solve your driver problem with them. When you will finish, compare their support with community support, provided by community for free.
I'm using it right now (and have been for years), rather I was going to ask you the same thing..
> SANE for printers and scanners support hundreds of peripherals out of the box. No specific driver installation required. Most USB devices are recognized and supported in the kernel.
Really, what front-end are you using? 50% of the time or more I've had to wiki [0] / run terminal commands to get a printer to work and if that floats your boat that's fine. As for Android it's a complete crap-shot e.g. the Archlinux wiki lists as many as 5 different MTP packages[1] one of which will hopefully work?
> That I can agree with you, but it's not related to the "desktop" per se, it's for a tiny amount of people who have this kind of configuration that it's an issue. There are workarounds like Bumblebee, and with Wayland the situation is supposed to improve.
It's not a tiny-amount of people -- it's anyone that wants to play games on a laptop.. Have you tried Bumblebee? I only got very marginal ~10 FPS improvement running a game with Bumblebee (Nvidia+Intel) vs. only dedicated Intel (after hours of configuration) -- basically useless: don't play modern games on Linux.
> Intel is releasing patches all the time. That's not the Linux's project fault if Intel is not working at the same pace on all platforms.
I don't see how it matters whose fault it is - it doesn't change the fact that if you buy a new laptop/desktop with a CPU less than one year old -- you are going to be in for a world of hurt if you chose Linux.
> The situation has vastly improved with GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon and KDE for HDPI support. The issue remaining are mostly applications that have not been rewritten to take advantage of modern GUI frameworks yet. Note that on Windows the situation is far from perfect either.
I've tried HiDPI with GNOME Shell -- maybe it works for all the built-ins but breaks lots of other programs you might install, again I'm not saying you can't fix it, I'm saying that passing command-line arguments to grub or editing XML files isn't something most users are into.
> When you are not in a situation where the choice is left to the user, OF COURSE you will get this kind of share.
This kind of delusional thinking amazes me. You want users to spend hours monkeying around on command-line/googling getting their system to work -- and than you still think the reason it doesn't have market-share is because users don't have a choice? Don't believe me? I encourage you to give a Linux laptop to some non-programmer friends and ask them about it.
[0] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/CUPS
[1] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MTP#Functionality