KDE has spoiled me. I installed a Gnome distribution a short while back, but used it for a couple of hours and missed KDE so much that I wiped the hard drive and went back to Manjaro and KDE.
I think this is the reason Linux hasn't penetrated the desktop more than it has. “Just reinstall” is too often the solution to issues.
Starting over will often throw away hours of someone’s time. This can be catastrophic for a non-technical user.
I wish the Linux desktop was implemented more like a user extension on top of a rock solid base server layer (eg hypervisor). Maybe such a setup exists, but I’m unaware of it.
Switching desktop environments on Linux is absolutely trivial and doesn't require a reinstall though (at least in my experience of switching from GNOME to KDE on Ubuntu, which took a couple of minutes to pull down the KDE packages and then logging out and picking Plasma from a dropdown in the login screen - and if I feel like it I can switch back to GNOME anytime).
That's just not true at all. The reason Linux hasn't penetrated the desktop is because it's not installed by default. Even if that isn't the reason, the GPs preference for reinstalling is certainly not. Switching DEs doesn't require reinstalling the OS, it requires searching your distros app store for KDE, and then logging out and selecting "KDE" when you log in again.
You could even switch between them each time you log in, depending on your mood that day.
It's funny that you say that, since that was the solution to Windows issues for... decades? Not sure if that's still the case, as I haven't touched it in forever.
Regardless, not sure where you've gotten that impression of Linux. The only times I've reinstalled is when I've gotten a new laptop, and in those cases I just copy my home directory over to the new laptop and everything just works.
The GP's example of needing to reinstall because they wanted to change desktop environments is nonsensical; I don't think anyone even remotely knowledgeable would recommend a reinstall in that case. Just a trip to the package manager app and a restart.
I think there are quite a few reasons why the Linux desktop isn't more common, but "need to reinstall to fix issues" certainly isn't one of them.
why wipe out the hard drive, tho? You can usually just switch DEs just fine, this isn't windows :) long gone are the days where we would have 10 different DEs/WMs installed
Will package managers remove all traces of the old DE? Back in the day, `apt remove kde-desktop` would not reliably reverse the effects of `apt install kde-desktop`.
I borked an installation because it had two desktop environments, and even when it works there always seem to be more odd issues than with a clean install.
If you have the time to debug these and straighten them out, it's fine, but given how simple a clean install is these days that's often the easier path.
tcbawo|2 years ago
I think this is the reason Linux hasn't penetrated the desktop more than it has. “Just reinstall” is too often the solution to issues. Starting over will often throw away hours of someone’s time. This can be catastrophic for a non-technical user. I wish the Linux desktop was implemented more like a user extension on top of a rock solid base server layer (eg hypervisor). Maybe such a setup exists, but I’m unaware of it.
georgyo|2 years ago
It is the easiest solution, requires no research or technical ability, and will not have any left over cruft from the hours of customizing.
The same goes for windows, I know people who reinstall every 6 months just to keep their system clean and working optimally.
> I wish the Linux desktop was implemented more like a user extension on top of a rock solid base server layer.
I would argue that the Linux kernel is that server layer, but let's not open that can of worms.
Maybe Fedora Silverblue is up your ally. All the apps, including the desktop environment are containers.
Or if you really want an actual hypervisor you could try Qubes, but that is not for the faint of heart.
flohofwoe|2 years ago
thesuitonym|2 years ago
You could even switch between them each time you log in, depending on your mood that day.
betaby|2 years ago
CoolCold|2 years ago
While its a joke, every joke contains some portion of a joke.
kelnos|2 years ago
Regardless, not sure where you've gotten that impression of Linux. The only times I've reinstalled is when I've gotten a new laptop, and in those cases I just copy my home directory over to the new laptop and everything just works.
The GP's example of needing to reinstall because they wanted to change desktop environments is nonsensical; I don't think anyone even remotely knowledgeable would recommend a reinstall in that case. Just a trip to the package manager app and a restart.
I think there are quite a few reasons why the Linux desktop isn't more common, but "need to reinstall to fix issues" certainly isn't one of them.
xetplan|2 years ago
I am forced to save things instead of all the times in the past that I have lost important data.
If my system blows up right now, I will be wiped clean with a fresh install in less than 15 minutes.
I don't really care what other people do with their computers. If someone doesn't want to use Plasma, they are the ones missing out.
stonogo|2 years ago
nunodonato|2 years ago
curt15|2 years ago
doubled112|2 years ago
asoneth|2 years ago
If you have the time to debug these and straighten them out, it's fine, but given how simple a clean install is these days that's often the easier path.