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Query: I'm seeing more and more "I'm trying #linux" videos out there and most of them have people installing applications via the command line & I'm curious: does anyone have any theories about why this is? I know there are some contributors on here (thank you) and I'm really curious.
Is it a discoverability issue or are people just getting intrigued by forum posts with cli commands before installing? The stores on #gnome and #kde are so good at this point that I rarely don't use them.
@K_REY_C Interesting! I have not seen these videos, but I would hazard a guess that it's the discoverability thing.
New people coming to Linux does not know about the "app store" app, and for some reason people prefer to search online over just looking a bit closer on their screens. So instead of finding the store, they might search "how to install X on Linux", and guess what? All the results just tell them to use the cli! Because using the store don't need a guide, I guess?
@K_REY_C there are so, so many posts telling people to use the terminal for Linux. People think they are being helpful, but too often just reinforce this idea that using Linux *requires* you to use a terminal. You can just pop open your app store and install basically whatever you want these days thanks to Flatpak (and Snap on Ubuntu), but if the first time you Google how to do something on Linux you come across ten posts telling you to open a terminal, you're gonna do that.
@cassidy @K_REY_C I feel like it would be very interesting if several Linux stakeholders would have the resources to combine forces to make a website with the simplest, correct answers to several questions new Linux users might have, and to SEO this site up high in search results. Including "how to install X on linux" and the answer is always just "open the app center (it might be called this or this or this), search and install". Not gonna happen, but would be interesting. :)
@cassidy
Aside from the issues with the packs...
One of the reasons I like more people on Linux is a matter of computer literacy. And this involves awareness of the terminal.
Because without the literacy, why would it matter that people use Linux? (aside from reducing the stranglehold of monopolists, which is worthy)
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