Why Linux Isn’t Mainstream: Marketing

Marketing of any Linux distribution is often sub-optimal if it is to gain share in the desktop market for the simple reason that it is geared towards either gaining distro converts (people already familiar with Linux) or developers interested in the development of something new. It is also aimed at companies who want an OS for their servers and whatnot however that is beyond the scope of this blog series.

For example, Ubuntu is a Linux distribution which is renowned for its usability however its marketing is clearly targetting other Linux users (because the website was down at the time of this post, the link will take you to the Google cache of the page). This is disappointing as it clearly has the potential for widespread use on the desktop.

The marketing of a Linux distribution is often hindered by the fact that it is a Linux distribution and is stated as such. There are so many distributions of Linux it is often very confusing for Linux newcomers especially since they do not understand the concept of open source. A Linux distribution, as mentioned in the above post, should not be stated as a Linux distribution at the beginning as it creates confusion and confusion hinders acceptance of software.

The Linux Myths. There are many, ranging from “Linux can’t open multimedia files” to “You have to be a system administrator to run Linux properly”. I completely disagree with these statements for many reasons. For example, in Linux the need to defragment is virtually non-existant. The need for anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewalls and similar security software is next to zero, in fact almost useless to the average user (with the possible exception of using WINE). The need for disk cleanup is greatly reduced, though admittedly not obsolete for some uses. The GUIs of today’s Linux are exceptionally mature and with the upcoming KDE 4.1, soon to be superior to commercial competitors in my opinion. Installing software using the current Linux system of using repositories, while not ideal, is far easier than installing software on Windows.