> The reason people don't know about Linux is because it's lacking in consumer-facing design and because much of its use is largely invisible, not because it's GPL.
The problem with GPL/GNU/Linux is that most of the time only toxic idealistic programmers like it who do not have a life. Android is linux only in name. Most of the useful parts are binary blobs. Designers/UI/UX people have a life and are not too logical. They're not going to want to contribute for free to something like Linux where no one knows where to start. There is no proper designer tooling for them. And whatever the tooling is, it will be created by programmers, which mean no input of the users. So predictably a dumpster fire for real non programmer end users.
Most people are not programmers and they want GUI they can comfortably explore not some undocumented CLI. To the everyday consumer, the GUI has more visible value not that boring kernel. You could have the same interface and replace Linux with and real free Unix type OS and non programmers would not notice.
The problem with GPL/GNU/Linux is that most of the time only toxic idealistic programmers like it who do not have a life. Android is linux only in name. Most of the useful parts are binary blobs. Designers/UI/UX people have a life and are not too logical. They're not going to want to contribute for free to something like Linux where no one knows where to start. There is no proper designer tooling for them. And whatever the tooling is, it will be created by programmers, which mean no input of the users. So predictably a dumpster fire for real non programmer end users.
Most people are not programmers and they want GUI they can comfortably explore not some undocumented CLI. To the everyday consumer, the GUI has more visible value not that boring kernel. You could have the same interface and replace Linux with and real free Unix type OS and non programmers would not notice.