User perceptions are important

A screenshot taken on one of my online buddies’ Plurk timeline. (Image from Clair Ching, 2008)

It’s not everyday when I see other online buddies talk about Linux. Especially because these days I mainly interact with online buddies who have different hobbies and interests. This is actually the first time I read a Plurk buddy who I happen to have met because of toy photography.

A plurk message like that could send good vibes to those who don’t have a clue about Linux. It could lessen the intimidation and make others even more interested. To me it’s like a word of encouragement. He wasn’t talking about Linux on his own machine. It was someone else’s machine that he used.

I like reading things like this. A lot of people might say that Linux is not ready for the masses, that Linux sucks, etc. But you see, it’s a matter of perception. These days, I’ve been reading about advanced users complain about how Linux sucks in so many ways but I also read and hear about newbies who don’t feel that way.

Maybe Linux isn’t as ’serious’ as it seemed to be because the kinds of users are more diverse now compared to how many years ago. These days, we’ve got non-geeks using Linux. It can’t be avoided, I think, as there are manufacturers who are selling netbooks with Linux preinstalled. To me, more advanced users who want something more could probably tweak their Linux machines in so many awesome ways that newbies couldn’t. At least, not yet. No Linux distro is perfect but then again, it’s never easy looking for a good product that’s almost perfect. But if it’s something that people could use and find it not so difficult, it could be the start of Linux becoming more mainstream.