Jawahar is absolutely right. Although this is by no means Ubuntu's only problem.

@Amir - he's talking about priorities in the design of their operating
system, not business strategies. The cynical "people only use windows
because they are forced to" view is really starting to bug me.

Very few people are actually forced to use Windows. Most people know
someone capable of installing a new operating system for them, and
almost certainly would if it there was genuinely a better solution for
them. However, for most people, Windows does remain the best solution.

Whatever you say, Windows *is* easier to use than Ubuntu. Almost
everything does actually work the way people expect it to. Which is,
unfortunately, not the case for Ubuntu.

See HappySpaceInvader's comment:
"For example, I want to be able to have Pidgin instant messenger
launch at login.  Can I select this in the preferences?  No.  Can I
drag the Pidgin launcher from the menu into the sessions 'Additional
Startup Items'?  Unfortunately not.  If I choose Add Startup Program,
can I select from a nice list of applications?  I can't even do that."

And he's right. So Ubuntu definitely does need more focus on Usability.

So many people seem to think that Windows is winning *just* because
they have "unfair" advantages like being installed on every computer.
But it's just not true. I have said before and I'll say again - if
Ubuntu was genuinely a far superior product, people would use it, and
there would be nothing Windows could do about it. Computer vendors
would pre-install it instead of windows, and every slightly tech-savvy
person out there would ensure that it was installed on all their
friends machines.

Although yes it does certainly help that Microsoft have had so many
successful business strategies.

Robin.

2008/7/13 Vadim Peretokin <email address hidden>:
> While they should be
>
> 1. Freedom on every computer sold on the planet
>
> --
> Microsoft has a majority market share
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Computer Science Ubuntu: Confirmed
> Status in Ichthux - Linux for Christians: Confirmed
> Status in JAK LINUX: Confirmed
> Status in The OpenOffice.org Suite: Confirmed
> Status in Launchpad Translations: Invalid
> Status in Tabuntu: Confirmed
> Status in Ubuntu: Confirmed
> Status in "bum" source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
> Status in "casper" source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
> Status in "djplay" source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
> Status in "firefox" source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
> Status in "ubuntu-express" source package in Ubuntu: Invalid
> Status in The Breezy Badger: Invalid
> Status in The Dapper Drake: Invalid
> Status in Baltix GNU/Linux: Confirmed
> Status in "linux" source package in Debian: Confirmed
> Status in Tilix Linux: New
>
> Bug description:
> Microsoft has a majority market share in the new desktop PC marketplace.
> This is a bug, which Ubuntu is designed to fix.
>
> Non-free software is holding back innovation in the IT industry, restricting access to IT to a small part of the world's population and limiting the ability of software developers to reach their full potential, globally. This bug is widely evident in the PC industry.
>
> Steps to repeat:
>
> 1. Visit a local PC store.
>
> What happens:
> 2. Observe that a majority of PCs for sale have non-free software pre-installed.
> 3. Observe very few PCs with Ubuntu and free software pre-installed.
>
> What should happen:
> 1. A majority of the PCs for sale should include only free software like Ubuntu.
> 2. Ubuntu should be marketed in a way such that its amazing features and benefits would be apparent and known by all.
> 3. The system shall become more and more user friendly as time passes.
>