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lapcat • today at 12:27 PM • 0 replies • view on HN

No, and the reason has nothing to do with technology. Consumers can buy a phone running Android or iOS in retail stores. They can buy a desktop running Windows or macOS in retail stores. They cannot buy a phone or desktop running Linux (by default) in retail stores. That's why we have a duopolies on mobile and desktop.

If it's not easy for consumers to find something, most consumers won't find it. If a product is not available in retail stores, it's not a mass market product. If a buyer has to ignore the default operating system and instead download and install a different operating system on the device, they mostly won't.