Linux often feels frustrating for me.
Linux often feels frustrating for me.
Come on, I'm talking about software that isn't in repositories from the beginning. I though it was obvious that I'm not talking about installing programs from software center. If I say about Windows and installers that every program have - I'm not talking about Microsof Store, where installing programs is as easy as in software center in some Linux distributions. So I compare standard Windows installers vs standard Linux installers. Sure - some programs may have them, I can believe that. Here we have standard question on Ubuntu "Questions" section of website: https://askubuntu.com/questions/307280/h...-in-ubuntu Is this really looks for you like terminal-free methods? Is this someone like my father or some old people can understand easily and call it "user friendly"? I mentioned Realtek, because this was described here, on forum, as a problem. I'm using Linux from time to time and my experience is like that - if I want to use programs I choose, I mostly end with some terminal magic spells. If I want to avoid that - I am limited to programs available in software center. Every complex configuration in Linux is text-based (at least that was from my point of view when I was trying to use Linux). Of course - in Windows complex configuration sometimes requires even registry edit, but hey - it's at least database and you can find many tools to edit registry. In Linux I can find just better text editor to edit various configuration files. Most times when I wanted to do something more complicated, I followed forums advices and can figure out how to do that. But in Windows at least I understand how it works - registry have some logic, it's not that "every entry has different structure". When I want to change boot menu in Windows, I don't need to edit text file! When I want to add some non-standard resolutions, I don't need to edit config files. Come on - how many more years Linux need to be user friendly? I may not know how everything works and I may not have experience with Linux, but good system should be like Windows - every user can browse lot of options in control panel, everything is described and even if you need to edit some registry files for some complex settings - you can find programs that do it for you. There is no tutorials on internet like "if you want to disable Windows Defender, you must open cmd and type sudo reg-insert HKLM/xxxx/yyyy dword ZZZZ value 1, then sudo reg-update restart" etc. You can find simply reg file that update registry for you and that's all.
Your words still lack substance since most people rely on installers for the small software. Would you imagine someone reacting differently if they switched instantly from Android to Windows without any guidance? I’m not sure about your father, but I’d feel hurt if my child thought I couldn’t grasp even basic English. That’s essentially what most users need. It’s not that running commands like “sudo apt install whatever” is hard—most people don’t have to think deeply about them. And altering registry settings? That’s a whole other level of complexity. Not many feel comfortable changing those values.
Plus, you’re not sure why text matters so much. I think it’s because of bad experiences with the Windows terminal or confusing movies that make it look tougher than it is. On Linux, there are GUI tools for everything—none exist for this on Windows. I don’t see how anyone would want to learn something they weren’t forced into early in life.
Your complaints have been addressed for years, yet people keep asking why Linux isn’t more user-friendly. They ignore the long history of usability issues in Windows and the fact that most popular distros share similar problems. You also mention the confusing registry—someone might need to search the web just to find a correct path, copying and pasting commands without certainty.
Changing settings shouldn’t feel like a challenge requiring downloads or internet searches. It’s not a feature that should demand such effort.
Some individuals appreciate Linux and find joy in exploring and improving it. Others may not be interested. When someone expresses frustration about Linux, it's usually best to avoid debate. Let them openly acknowledge their misunderstanding without engaging. Debating only benefits little and pushes less relevant discussions down.
It seems like someone had a poor experience with a particular distribution and didn’t explore other options. The choice of distribution or setup usually shapes your experience. There are distributions that cover most needs, so finding the right one is just a matter of discovery. If you prefer not to search, sticking with Windows might be the simplest path.