As a free and open-source software user(I run Ubuntu on my personal laptop and Android on my smartphone), every time I hear that it isn't user user friendly or that you can't get things done on it I can barely control my eyes from rolling.
Specially when the person that said that uses Firefox, or on a lesser degree Chrome. The over kill is when they use an Android power smartphone, since Android is the how user friendly and good a FOSS powered device can be. And if you add OSes like Ubuntu and Linux Mint to the mix, it gets harder to make the point that the average user can't use, or be comfortable with FOSS.
I agree that FOSS is far from perfect, then again most software isn't made to be perfect at everything. Every FOSS project is intended to be used at a certain field, and that gives it a set of strengths and weaknesses to make it work in the best possible way for the task it was design to do.
When someone ask me if I recommend FOSS, the first question is what do they do. After I know what they want from their computer, I can direct them to what FOSS they can use. Ubuntu and Linux Mint being my go to OSes for the average users, and something like Ubuntu Studio for those who want an OS geared for someone who is a multimedia producer.
There is something for almost every user needs, with SteamOS now covering gamers on the FOSS community. There are some areas that aren't covered, or at least not as they should be, as of yet. But, as more people are becoming aware of the benefits of FOSS it isn't all that far fetched to think that soon every user will have a place in the community.
As such, users that already can prove that FOSS is a viable alternative to come forward and bring more people in to use FOSS. Now more than ever, I'm certain that FOSS can be used even by non-technical people, and we need to bring those users in. Every user is as valuable as the developer, and both should be equally welcome to the community.
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