I understand what you mean here, but how can KDE realistically make commercial software vendors port their software to Linux? What group or groups could incentivize this, and how can it be done without creating significant user growth first? (it's a chicken and egg problem, so you can't wait until the users are there if they're waiting on software to be available)

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 1 points 14 hours ago

It is a matter of emphasis I think. Do not imply that they will have to switch.

I think it is important to say that there is software for every use case on Linux. Because, while all know the few cases that are "less" well covered, it is absolutely true these days that, no matter what you want to do, you can do it on Linux. In many cases, the apps you use today are available on Linux too. Emphasize this first for people who are just forming an idea of Linux in their mind and maybe wondering if it could work for them.

After you have done the above, be honest that, not all the same applications are available. It is common that Windows users moving to Linux will have to find alternatives for some of the applications they used on Windows. Do not hide from it. But don't lead with it either.

Finally, it is ok to mention that "in some cases", Windows applications can be used on Linux through emulation. I would give a huge "for example" many Windows games work on Linux SteamOS and Proton. Maybe link to the list. However, how likely this is to work varies from application to application. For most software, it is better to find native alternatives.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 2 points 17 hours ago

Yeah, it's absolutely a catch-22. That said, most Linux distros come with closed source repos deactivated out of the box. The nicer ones will at least ask you during the install process, but some don't bother. It's less about convincing the devs to port and more about exposing the stuff that already exists.

And Proton shows that a translation layer that works reliably on Linux isn't impossible, it just needs the right amount of focus and investment. I don't know how far the current tools are from that, though. Which is interesting, because I do use Linux on the daily and I haven't even bothered to check in ages, instead moving to Windows for that, which tells you something.