8 ways every Linux distro could make things a lot easier for newbies

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

For the past 2 decades, I've been beating the Linux drum arsenic loudly arsenic I can. There person been moments erstwhile it seemed to person worked, and moments erstwhile I felt similar I was the lone 1 dancing to the beat.

Over time, I've drawn much conclusions than I attraction to admit, but immoderate of those conclusions person held accelerated and beardown since I began this journey: conclusions that I judge could assistance marque it easier for the masses to adopt Linux arsenic its default OS.

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I know, I cognize ... it sounds similar a connection delivered by a being from outer abstraction bearing a emblem that says, 'Kaboom!' With that said, wherefore don't I stock with you the ideas I've harbored implicit these past years that could springiness the open-source OS a boost?

1. Add a Welcome app

Some distributions bash this; immoderate bash it well; immoderate not truthful well. Those who bash it good supply an invaluable work to caller users. These Welcome apps assistance present users to what Linux (and their chosen organisation is), springiness speedy links to important features (such arsenic an app store, settings, etc.), connection tips connected however to usage Linux, assistance users marque definite decisions (such arsenic theme, default browser, etc.), and springiness users choices connected different bundle to install. 

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I judge this benignant of diagnostic would beryllium a precise invited summation to immoderate distribution, particularly those geared toward caller users. In fact, I would spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental this should beryllium considered a must. And if distributions that don't person a Welcome app are present considering one, instrumentality it earnestly and enactment a bully woody of thought and effort into designing and gathering this feature.

2. Bake Snap oregon Flatpak enactment into its GUI app store

I cognize determination are immoderate who hatred these cosmopolitan bundle managers. The information is, however, they some marque it imaginable for users to instal much-needed (and, yes, proprietary) software. For a caller idiosyncratic to person to spell done the process of installing either Snap oregon Flatpak and past adding enactment for either into their default app store is simply a span excessively far. For example, a precise ample fig of radical beryllium connected Slack for connection and collaboration. 

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If a organisation has Flatpak oregon Snap rolled successful by default, users could unfastened their chosen app store, hunt for Slack, and instal it with a azygous click. They don't attraction astir each the infighting that's gone connected astir however Canonical has forced Snap onto users; they lone attraction that they person speedy and casual entree to installing the bundle they need.

3. Include drivers for some NVIDIA and AMD GPUs

There's 1 organisation I tin deliberation of that does this close -- System76's Pop!_OS. With that distribution, you tin take to download an ISO that includes drivers for either NVIDIA oregon AMD GPUs. Every organisation should bash thing similar this.

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Or amended yet, marque it specified that the installation detects the installed GPU, downloads the champion driver, and installs it automatically. Don't marque the idiosyncratic bash this due to the fact that it tin go a analyzable messiness for those who aren't well-versed successful Linux. You privation those users to bask the champion acquisition astatine archetypal login, not regard upon a poorly configured show and past person to instrumentality the clip to probe and lick the problem.

4. Create a one-click installation process

I deliberation this would beryllium a large installation option. Picture this: New users footwear up an ISO and are fixed 2 choices: Easy Installation oregon Standard Installation. The Easy Installation would auto-detect the champion options for the hardware it's being installed on, and each the idiosyncratic would person to bash is click Install. After the installation is complete, the idiosyncratic reboots and is past prompted to make a caller user.

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Once the idiosyncratic is created, they log successful and they're acceptable to usage Linux. Imagine however good that would spell implicit with caller users. "Oh, Linux tin beryllium installed with a azygous click." That would beryllium a boon.

5. Stop defaulting to acheronian themes

No different operating strategy connected the satellite defaults to acheronian themes, and the bulk of users don't privation a acheronian theme. Why, then, bash truthful galore Linux distributions default to acheronian themes? My conjecture is that a batch of organisation designers hide that not each Linux idiosyncratic is simply a developer. Start reasoning astir what the masses privation and not what developers prefer! 

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This mightiness not look important, but it is. Dark themes aren't needfully the champion enactment for those who thin to enactment during the time and similar to person a show that looks bully and bright. Please, marque this change.

6. Simplify the operator installation process

Similar to the GPU operator issue, it's clip for Linux to simplify the operator installation process. Printers, scanners, audio devices ... everything. Linux could easy beryllium a plug-and-play affair, and successful immoderate cases, it is. I person an aged Brother laser printer that is ever auto-detected. Why can't that beryllium the lawsuit for webcams and different items? I cognize it's each astir the availability of operator source, but galore of these devices tin enactment with generic drivers, truthful wherefore complicate the process? 

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Create an app (similar to the System76 firmware app) that tin service arsenic an installation wizard for peripherals and different connected devices. When the idiosyncratic plugs thing in, the wizard detects the caller addition, opens, and walks the idiosyncratic done the installation of the indispensable software.

7. Add Samba enactment by default (and cook it into the record manager)

Samba is an important diagnostic for anyone who needs to stock folders implicit a network. Some distributions see Samba, but don't cook it into the record manager. Some don't see immoderate of the pieces indispensable for web record sharing. 

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And conscionable arsenic important is this: if you see Samba, don't marque users unfastened the terminal model to make a Samba password and past alteration the idiosyncratic for the service. Make this automatic, truthful users lone request to right-click a folder they privation to stock and click Share. This would unfastened a user-friendly wizard wherever the idiosyncratic could bespeak the permissions they privation to springiness users for the shared folder. Make Samba simple.

8. Include a GUI for unreality services

Windows has OneDrive, and macOS has iCloud. What does Linux have? Not much. Sure, immoderate distributions let users to adhd a unreality relationship from wrong Settings, but each that does is equine the unreality relationship to a folder, which doesn't ever enactment for syncing, and connected apical of that it's precise slow. 

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Linux distributions could onslaught a woody with the likes of InSync, truthful connecting to, say, Google Drive is simply a no-brainer. This should beryllium a apical precedence due to the fact that users person grown to beryllium connected unreality accounts, and having this built into the OS would spell a agelong mode to making beingness easier for galore people.

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