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Comment by morshu9001

1 day ago

First and biggest challenge is that there's no single default desktop Linux, and even one distro could have different DEs, window servers, etc.

Imagine asking for tech support as a newbie, and giving your laptop model and OS and version is still not enough info.

It's completely unavoidable with open source software, we just have to adapt around it.

  • We do have one main Linux kernel (while other open source like BSD is far less popular on PCs) and a bunch of tools like bash and git that are de facto default. Seems like Linux community actively avoids converging on a default DE though.

    • We have many, many Linux kernels. Many distros compile their own kernels. You aren't using "the" Linux kernel most likely, you're using your distros Linux kernel. It's just that nobody notices because the kernel has stable interfaces.

      Thats also why you can run kernel 6.5 on a version of RHEL from 15 years ago.

      By its nature as a community, the Linux community will never converge on a default DE.

      The only reason Windows pulls it off is because it's not a community. It's a dictatorship and you're a serf. You use what Microsoft tells you to use.

      But, even then, there is divergence. No doubt you've heard of people sticking to 10 even though Microsoft is abandoning it. Some people still use 7, or even XP.