Because it’s not, in my opinion.

Linux has standards, but virtually none of them are all-encompassing across all the installs. For example: Which distribution? Which desktop manager? Which package manager? Which kernel version?

A Windows install at one location looks and feels — and has the same code and dependencies and is compatible with the same installs and management functions — as any other location, barring specific policy considerations. Same for macOS. Not for Linux.

One can build a Linux standard for their environment, yes; but in my opinion considering Linux itself as “standardized” just isn’t there.

So, at one point there was 14 competing standards. That was too many, so a bunch of nerds got together and made one all encompassing standard. One that had all the best parts of each other standard.

Now we have 15 competing standards.

There isn’t any one single entity calling the shots like Microsoft or Apple.

There’s only one windows desktop enviroment, window manager, etc. Same for Mac OS.

With Linux damn near everything can change depending on your distro of choice. There’s no one “linux” that you install. Linux is just the kernal and everything is piled on top of to make the entire OS.

Because freedom.

Windows is one OS, with limited ability to customize. Mac is one OS, with limited ability to customize.

Linux, as a core concept, is hundreds of OSes that anyone can customize any of, at will, to meet their requirements. Different versions of Linux diverge because different people/projects want different things.

You could consider Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux and Oracle Linux to be about as standardized as Windows or Mac. These distributions are usually what larger enterprises use for servers and sometimes for software development, IT operations etc. These are about as standardized things get in the linux world.

Now when it comes to using Linux as daily driver there are so many options out there and none of the distributions have really yet hit the mainstream. For my understanding it’s been long been battle between Ubuntu and Fedora with their derivatives but with SteamOS using Arch Linux would not be surprised if some sort of Arch based distribution with maximum Proton combatibility would gain popularity.

Arch itself seems too minimal to be considered as “standardized” operating system.

Same reason “clothes” cannot be considered standardized. Someone will think standard is jeans and T-shirt, for others it’s a suit, and for others a dress, some will change clothes regularly, and others will only wear Nike shoes. If you try to define what everyone should wear you’ll get people pissed off, and they will still wear what they want.

The attraction of Linux is precisely that it isn’t one of the two ‘standards’. Your working environment doesn’t get determined by some product manager in a far-away office, who has a set of target users in mind, which he’s given fictional names, biographies and mugshots.

Bcs nobody is monetising it that hard from the ecosystem-monopoly pov.

And “standardised” prob isn’t the best word to use imho.

Linux offers much better backwards & current compatibility that the other two/three just do not. Saying ‘it’s not supported’ does “standardise” things much quicker.

Also there are diffident distros by different people or companies - a bit like saying how Windows & MacOS arent standardised and look/operate differently.
But you can make your own Linux distro or modify it’s kernel or window/packet/etc manager all you wish.

Also the point about how Windows and Android keeps changing stupid shit for no reason (un-standardising the UI experience though time) but an average user like my father prob didn’t even know when his Debian got upgraded (even between distros he didn’t notice that much, now I have him on a rolling distro & it’s even more seamless tho others basically do the same).

Oh, and if by ‘standardised’ you mean the look & feel … well thats for nerds and power users, people like to optimise stuff for themselves. A bit like car seats where one fixed seat won’t fit all.

To me I’d consider Linux not standardized since anything outside the kernel can be swapped out. Want a GUI? There are competing standards, X vs Wayland, with multiple implementations with different feature sets. Want audio? There’s ALSA or OSS, then on top of those there is pulse audio, or jack, or pipewire. Multiple desktop environments, which don’t just change the look and feel but also how apps need to be written. Heck there are even multiple C/POSIX libraries that can be used.

It certainly can be a strength for flexibility, and distros attempt to create a stable and reliable setup of one set of systems.

There was a the POSIX standard…

I don’t understand the question. There are definitely standards like POSIX that exist.

Because linux doesn’t have an “ecosystem”. You have to either make your existing ecosystem work with linux or center your ecosystem around apps and things that work with linux. I do that and I’d say it’s more standardized than both the windows and the mac ones…

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Who says it can’t? I don’t accept your premise.