Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
For the past two decades, I've been beating the Linux drum as loudly as I can. There have been moments when it seemed to have worked, and moments when I felt like I was the only one dancing to the beat.
Over time, I've drawn more conclusions than I care to admit, but some of those conclusions have held fast and strong since I began this journey: conclusions that I believe could help make it easier for the masses to adopt Linux as its default OS.
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I know, I know ... it sounds like a message delivered by a being from outer space bearing a flag that says, 'Kaboom!' With that said, why don't I share with you the ideas I've harbored over these past years that could give the open-source OS a boost?
1. Add a Welcome app
Some distributions do this; some do it well; some not so well. Those who do it well provide an invaluable service to new users. These Welcome apps help introduce users to what Linux (and their chosen distribution is), give quick links to important features (such as an app store, settings, etc.), offer tips on how to use Linux, help users make certain decisions (such as theme, default browser, etc.), and give users choices on other software to install.
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I believe this sort of feature would be a very welcome addition to any distribution, especially those geared toward new users. In fact, I would go so far as to say this should be considered a must. And if distributions that don't have a Welcome app are now considering one, take it seriously and put a good deal of thought and effort into designing and building this feature.
2. Bake Snap or Flatpak support into its GUI app store
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