Popular proprietary software is usually user-friendlier, than Free Software. That is often the case. However, there are many examples of proprietary software that are not user-friendly, not even user-friendlier than open source counterparts. For example, look at what Atlassian builds. Most people I know, including myself, simply cannot get along with how the UI works and itās just a pain. Even after them overhauling the UI, it still is not very user-friendly. Itās still a chore.
As for operating systems, macOS and Windows are tons more user-friendly. That is a simple fact.
Howeverā¦
Especially, the popular proprietary operating systems are like a pact with the devil. You are almost literally selling your soul.
You are giving up your entire digital life to that software. Think I am exaggerating?
Then answer the following questions for yourself.
- Where do all your passwords go through?
- What software is always running when you turn on the computer?
- Where do you user other software, like an internet browser, to search something on DuckDuckGo?
- Where do you create new files, like for example, text files, to write down private notes or reminders?
- Where do you spent your digital life?
- Where does the browser run you use to access social media, where you have private stuff on?
- Where does the E-Mail client run, where you have private e-mails?
- Where are all the passwords saved, for example for the e-mail client, you are using?
- Where do you unlock your encrypted hard drive?
- Where do you take backups of your private family photos, videos and other media?
- Where did you write your post and open this thread?
There is a single answer to all these questions. The operating system, you are currently using. I.e. seems like itās Windows.
So, no, Windows is not for everyone. Itās for people who are willing to sell their digital soul for the sake of convenienve or willful ignorance towards the fact of what they are doing. By now, everyone who uses a computer should at least have an idea of how much data is sapped from users of software of any kind. Everyone complains about Google and Google Services, etc. Which is correct. But the true devil is residing on all the Windows, macOS, Android, iOS running devicesā¦
Therefore, a free operating system like GNU/Linux has its place and it wonāt vanish anytime soon. Itās by the way also the by far most popular server operating system in the entire world, but thatās another story and is not related to user-friendliness.
Such an operating system is built up by a community of volunteers, who either contribute developing or voluntarily pay developers to contribute.
With Windows for example, you donāt get that. You only get a middle finger each major Windows upgrade. Do you even know how many features were stripped from the operating system between Windows 7 and Windows 10? You donāt even know, I bet.
They were stripped, because they were unpopular.
The same reason why the operating systems are so user-friendly and popular is also the same reason why it gets worse and is dumbed down, every couple of years through a major release.
With Linux you get a chainsaw with a twisted handle, but at least you get a chainsaw, that does not alert the manufacturer when you try to replace the battery yourself, instead of paying $350 for the replacement, even though it should only cost $25.
It also does not listen to how you defecate in your bathroom, leading to loud thuds, whenever an excrement hits the wall of water inside the defecation waste disposal device. It also does not report any of that to the NSA.
It neither has accepted/approved/intended backdoors for the NSA built in.
