I stopped caring. When my GF bought a laptop I just installed Linux there and she has no issues using it. Linux is where I always wanted it to be. Now when I see someone using Windows I just think “you poor soul” to myself and move on.
There are way way too many testimonials here lately about switching to Linux or installing Arch, etc. These aren’t interesting.
I’d be more interested in knowing how many people are sticking with Linux.
What issues besides insert windows program doesn’t work.
Places where the average switcher has problems that aren’t just user error or misunderstanding some fundamental difference, but good places that the community can investigate and improve on.
Most people will probably give up after a few days. Not because Linux is bad, but because most people don’t wan’t to spend hours to fix an issue they never heard off and never encountered on Windows/Mac
Windows/Mac are spoon feeding their customers and people tend to forget how important it is to have problem solving skills ! How to search the web, get out of their confort zone and learn new things…
The tiktok, meta, shorts generation will probably never touch any linux distro, except if during their live time they have some sort of “revelation” on how bad it actually is…
And some just don’t have time… Job, baby, wife, friends…
Linux is a full time and never ending experience, the rabbit hole you want/will dig deeper in hope to find a white rabbit !
Linux is a full time and never ending experience, the rabbit hole you want/will dig deeper in hope to find a white rabbit !
While Linux can certainly be such an experience, it doesn’t have to be at all.
If you have a defined use case for your system, and there’s Linix software to support that, it often just install something like Linux Mint, install the software you need from the repos, and wahoo, you have a computer to do what you need and you just use it.
Which, for most people, is how they use their computer anyway, a few bits of software they just use to do what they need to do, no need to tinker, problems unlikely to arise.
But these people are the type that don’t care, they’ll use what comes with the computer they bought, and just be happy, and thus will likely never try Linux.
For those of us who like to stay in the know and on the bleeding edge, and tinkering and understanding, then it’s a full time thing. But we’re such a small minority.
Isn’t this like posting “I’m done with meat, are you?” in /c/vegan?
Done with it since I graduated, from then 4 years with Linux and still go on
After many weeks spend on downloading and installing various things for linux, he complains that he needs to download drivers for windows, a process that will take one afternoon or less. Makes sense. I understand that Linux is a tech toy for a techy, but pretend that somehow it is easier installation and setup than windows for average person is just dishonest. Even which flavor of linux one should install creates a stupor for non-tech person (or a person who never used linux).
The thing is, most people don’t consider installing an OS. Odds are the computer came with one.
Otherwise (aside from the paralysis of choice) neither Linux nor Windows present more or less of a challenge to install.
The people who find the most difficulty seem to be the ones who think they know better or have become used to the windows way of doing things.
As an aside, Last windows install I did required setting two registry keys during the install process. It was far more annoying than a typical Linux install.
The last Linux Mint installs went totally smooth. On think centres /thinkpads though. Usualy never had problems installing windows except back in the day and you needed to prime and cut up your hard drives.
I’m with you with (distribution) choice (that’s definitely stressful, especially when you aren’t used to actually having to choose what kind of computing experience you want) but driver/program distribution on Linux is less painful/easier than on Windows on average. If your hardware happens to be supported, everything should work out of the box without the need to install drivers; the biggest problem for more or less average users would be having to install Nvidia drivers if they have a Nvidia GPU. Installing software is generally as easy as opening your distribution’s software store, searching what you need and hitting the install button.
If your hardware happens to be supported, everything should work out of the box without the need to install drivers;
Is not it true with Windows? Plug and play? And while I did not study this, I strongly suspect that it is more true for Windows than for Linux.
I’ve been using Linux for about a decade now. Windows for even longer before that. We still have some Windows laptops in our house. Even a decade ago when I first started trying Linux out, it was far more plug and play than Windows and still is.
The overwhelming majority of the time drivers are provided by the Linux kernel - install your distro and everything just works.
Windows I always have to go to various websites, download files for various devices and then install them.
Even when I need something specific on Linux, one store (in my case Arch repositories, including AUR), I can use one interface and download and install anything in one step - I skip the looking for the manufacturers website, going to the website, finding the software download, downloading it and then going through the installation process on Windows.Linux has some things that are more difficult, but overall is infinitely easier to use.
I’ll just comment this with some cherrypicked screenshots of the year 2024 showcasting user friendlyness:
The install Linux is vague because each distro (not themed or flavoures) is effevtively a unique OS, and user onboarding is a different experience per disro. However if you have ever installed Windows to an unformated drive compared to something like Zorin install. Windows is the harder install for nontech people
Switching to Linux: “I don’t know how to do something”
Years after, being forced to use Windows: “I cannot do something”
(Then someone join the conversation with Adobe or MS Office argument, but I am talking about OS vs OS)
I’m Windows-free for about 18 years.
Windows is a last resort. If some proprietary apps don’t work under Linux (mainly at a work).
It’s funny how conservative Windows is, it still has components from the NT.
I’m Windows-free for about 18 years.
It’s basically the same time I started using Linux somewhat more. I didn’t go Windows-free until 2007 though and then returned to Windows because I needed it for something with my Master’s thesis. I kind of shudder at the thought how my old setups looked under the hood. You learn a lot in 18 years… Probably copy-pasted a lot of shell commands back then. But UT2k4 in its OpenGL glory was worth it
Hell yeah I am. I’ve been using linux since 2019. I bought a dell laptop and installed manjaro.
I recently discovered GNU Guix and decided to install it onto an old desktop (built in 2009) I had laying around. I used a system crafters custom installer and the accompanying video to do a non-libre kernel install. I’ve been liking Guix and I think I’m going to install it onto my laptop and make it my daily driver.
That was me about 22 years ago already. I’ve had a Linux desktop for 22 years and anytime I see a windows desktop I’m just wondering why anyone would accept such trash…
I’m not done with it until it is eradicated from all the computers and tablets of this world.
I’m done both with windows and people that develope software that’s only compatible with windows. Kind of c# shitters.
I’m done with Windows and YouTube videos that should have been a written post.
I just installed kubuntu on my daily driver. That didn’t go super well so I tried endeavor, also didn’t go well. It could be kde plasma, but it did not feel like Linux is ready to compete for something that is ready out the box.
That said, I run endeavor on my little netbook tablet and it works a wonder, so no idea. I couldn’t even get steam to load on my desktop for some reason. I tried Linux on my desktop for half a day, then decided to run back to Win11 with my tail between my legs. It just wasn’t with the hassle. Steam didn’t work, permissions for my second hard drive for Plex were messed up. I just didn’t want to have to figure it out. I’m back comfy with windows, and just experimenting with my netbook for the time being.
I really wanted Linux to stick this time… Oddly, I was using Ubuntu on my daily driver back in 2012 without a problem.
Its crazy how polarizing the Linux experience can be. Was it a desktop or laptop? For me it was just a few clicks (Manjaro then Endeavour) on the first try and be done with it on my desktop PC. Also with dual booting.
Hopefully next time you will have more luck! “Sadly” I cannot go back to windows now, I got Linux-pilled. Linux just treats my right without any Microsoft ads.
Yes, I’m keeping kubuntu on my laptop because it works great. My desktop is going to have to be Windows for now
Try Pop!_OS, it’s a great operating system and perfect for gaming.
Honestly, I’m just not a big fan of the DE. I much prefer kde, which is why I went with kubuntu. Still had trouble getting everything to and running though.
Man, I used Ubuntu back on 12.04, but for some reason Linux seems way harder today lol
You can use KDE on Pop. You can use any DE on any Linux distro, or almost any distro. It’s pretty easy to switch too!
One of my goals after moving is to get another HDD and dual-boot as I transition away. I mostly have to figure out gaming and video editing stuff. I will also probably run WINE just for notepad++ because I can’t quit it with the textfx tools (so far as I know, the linux clone was abandoned, sadly).
As a previous avid Notepad++ user, I switched to Kate and have been very happy with it.
I’ll check it out. Thanks!
I actually got board, got a new HDD, and got linux mint on it. It doesn’t seem to have a bootloader installed and trying to install grub2 hasn’t changed anything. I’m also pretty disappointed in game support. Maybe I’m missing something, but Steam knows it’s on linux and a huge number of games in my library just say they run on windows or windows and mac.
Nope. I have to know how fix everyone else’s computer.
You’re a nicer person than I am. Being able to (lie and) say “no clue how that works on windows, I use linux” is a freaking blessing
