"Okay, I switched to Linux, now I'm getting this error message: _______."
"Install ______."
"It gives me this error now: ______."
"You have to update the _____ library first."
"It won't let me."
"You have to use sudo."
"It tells me to clone the git via the command line, but git says verifying login from command line isn't supported any more."
"You're following seven year old instructions."
"They're the only instructions I can find."
"You should switch to this other flavor of Linux."
As someone who has had been around Linux-based people and whenever I have had a single gripe about Windows - it's this.
I don't have a hate boner with Linux, I just feel like Linux is a little too much for the average casual user. Everything is fine until they run into a single issue with Linux, if the bewilderment of not having their familiar easy to run programs that they had on Windows wasn't a turn off for them from the get-go.
I remember I had a date with a girl back in the'10s. We hit it off and got back to her place. Wanted to show her a funny Internet video.
She brought out an ancient laptop that refused to boot and said her Ex had tried to fix it with Linux.
I got it pointed at the right dependencies, she fellated me as it updated.
I think this is my only sexy story that includes Linux.
Well, I guess there was this one time I loaned a lonely neighbor DOS 6 disks.
But, that does not include Linux.
Okay, I'll bite. I've been trying Linux every few years for the last few decades and it's never been anywhere close to replacing Windows for me. I'm not a luddite; I was in tech for many years (MCSE certified) but there just... ALWAYS something that doesn't work right. And there's NEVER a simple fix. Linux for me ends up being more of a hobby than a tool and I haven't had the time or patience to deal with it in the past.
But I'm willing to try again,
Anyone have any resources to get me pointed in the right direction? Which distro to try, how to install as a dual-boot on an exiting Windows machine without breaking it, how to get Steam/Nvidia drivers/games going, etc?
EDIT - Apparently trying to dual boot with Windows on a machine with two physical drives is too much to ask (unless you have a CS degree). Maybe next time, Linux.
Replace some troubles, with different troubles. Brilliant, as usual...
There are issues that simply cannot be resolved without switching away from Windows. For example inefficient drivers, old hardware, telemetry and privacy issues in general. I've several times seen how Linux can bring new life to old computers, make the PC cooler, and the fans spin less or not at all under low workloads.
The primary instances where wouldn't recommend Linux is when the person is:
- Using DRM-heavy games that (on purpose) refuse to run on Wine/Proton.
- Using Windows-only proprietary software or drivers.
- Isn't ready to learn a new system (e.g. an older or disabled person).
If these issues don't exist, I think Linux can bring benefit to a Windows user. If they are not ready to do a complete switch, they can dual-boot and try it out.
Windows sucks but no one seems to realize this because they're too comfortable with how they fix, or work around, the broken stuff repetitively. The repetitiveness of the bad experience becomes "normal" so nothing is amiss. It being broken is "normal" so in their eyes it "just works"TM. It's almost like a form of brain washing.
It really is akin to people in domestic abuse situations who are just so numb to it they aren't motivated to get out.
Maybe we should be taking a book from domestic abuse counseling or something?
Why? So I can have more trouble? :P
That used to be me. Now whenever someone ask me to fix their computer I'm like "no hablo windowes"
Mass acceptance on the desktop will never happen for Linux and the Linux community itself is mostly the problem. For the same reason why open source software, for the most part, is just so god awful (with a few fantastic examples). It is software written by developers, for developers with little consideration for users. It tends to be clunky and counterintuitive.
I love Linux, but it's my job. When I go home I just want the simplicity of Windows. Thanks to tons of useless certifications it does exactly what I tell it to do.
When family wants a new OS install I don't suggest Linux or even mention it's existence. They get a version of Windows 10 with the bloat ripped out and the inability to upgrade to Windows 11. 90% of tech support calls have been stopped.
What friends I have attempted to convert usually go back to Windows due to Nvidia driver issues but as we move forward and gaming becomes less of a hurdle maybe we'll see more converts. Especially if Windows keeps pushing their whole cloud OS thing.
I'm that guy LOL
Im gladly to help!!
A tale as old as time.
I remember back in the early 2000s when I first got into IT. My manager at Burger King was one of those Linux guys and he tried to get me to install Gentoo. And his status message in MSN Messenger (probably used Pidgin too) was “In a world without windows, who needs Gates?”
I think this has mostly died down with PCs becoming less common than phones.
Every time I try Linux on my own, it's fine. But God forbid I ever use any device that comes with Linux pre-installed, and I'm cursed. I'm on my third steam deck after it software bricked itself, and our university Linux server is so unstable that it disconnects my session with vim every 30 minutes or so. Pain. At least there's a method to the madness: trust nobody but myself :P
First time I agree with the Raven. Switch to Linux!!! Windows is just a shitshow, we all watch and can't believe they are doing this. Win 11 will bring us one of the biggest hardware-waste ever in a world where we should spare with resources.
But hey, throw that 4GB RAM machine in the trash bin everyone wants Win11. So glossy and shiny, so hot right now.
Really though, switch to Linux.
ngl, the "switch to linux" crowd is close to a vibe of complaining that "my car is making some weird sounds" and the response is to "buy a new car!" I mean, it would solve the problem of not having that issue with windows/your car, but it also means you have to intrusively replace your workflow and probably find some entirely new programs to do what you already could, and potentially have many new, less explicable problems, just to not have that one tiny problem that you could live around.
Well... I jokingly told my friend to switch to Linux - that guy switched and I can attest to it that he is much happier now 😁
I'm not like this!!!
Where did you get this picture of me?
SWITCH TO LINUX
Felt called out by someone
Most birds have trouble with windows. Especially when they are polished and super shiny
Unfortunately I've definitely been the raven at least once.
Of course I know him, that's me!
Also mention that you use Arch
Pop os wolnt let me use my gpu so there's that
how do these two birds interact in the first place?
Yeah not a very big fan of trying to get people to switch platforms especially if they are non-technical as if they A) have the mental bandwidth to change their whole workflow paradigm to appease someone else’s ideals, and B) even have a use case where Linux is an option
Anyone’s negative feelings for Windows and Office’s telemetry or Apple’s walled garden is justified but if I do know what Linux is, I didn’t decide to use Windows because I wanted to lick bill gates’ boots, I have a specific use case. And if I don’t know what it is, I probably need the OOB usability that Windows and OSX offer
I use macOS for Work, Linux for Personal stuff, Windows for Gaming. I still prefer Linux to anything. It's lightweight, FOSS, privacy respecting and fast. I have mint installed on my 11 yo laptop, and it still kicks like a warhorse during web development.
It's weird to see so many people in the comments talking about how they switch to Linux and supposedly have so many issues.
Did they do it 10 years ago or something? Just install something like Debian 12 (ideally with KDE if you're primarily a Windows user), and everything works. Recommended to install Flatpak as well, which can be done super easily depending on your distro, but in KDE it's just inside the "app store" (Discover).
The problem is windows
Oh, I'm sorry. Is there supposed to be some kind of joke here??? This strikes me as perfectly reasonable!
I have almost my whole family on opensuse tumbleweed and even my mom can hit the update button in the notification panel. One brother on arch and the other on windows. Guess which computer I'm reluctant to touch even with gloves on. And it has nothing to do with the operating system, it's genuinely disgusting.
I used to suggest linux to my friends and family but i stopped doing that as i found none of them actually cared what OS they ran. They also have a misunderstanding that Linux is very complex and difficult to use.
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