If you want to switch from Windows to Linux but are not, why?

[michalrz]

I couldn't do without virtual workspaces now, and they're supported under Linux better than any other OS in existence. OSX gets close, but the Linux implementation is still better IMO.

Curious - does drag&drop work like in KDE - in that, can you pull that window on workspace 3 right to your (current I assume) chrome desktop?

How's KDE4 packaged in Mint nowadays? Valid candidate for a second minireview?

 

[BulletDust]

Curious - does drag&drop work like in KDE - in that, can you pull that window on workspace 3 right to your (current I assume) chrome desktop?

How's KDE4 packaged in Mint nowadays? Valid candidate for a second minireview?

I'm running the MATE desktop and yes, you certainly can just drag a window to another workspace using the workspace switcher. Likewise you can right click on a window and shift it to any workspace you want.

 

[BulletDust]

How's KDE4 packaged in Mint nowadays? Valid candidate for a second minireview?

A KDE review sound great! I'd certainly be interested in your experience.

 

[heatlesssun]

Honestly, NVS was actually far better just after release. Window snapping worked and windows used to maximise to their respective displays, the task bar could be spanned or centred with no issue and the task bar didn't randomly shift from monitor to monitor. After a while it was like NV just lost interest in it. Honestly, SLS works far better running proprietary NV drivers under Linux, windows snap as needed, windows maximise to their respective displays and games either span all monitors or fill a single monitor depending on the resolution selected.

Due to the flexibility of Linux I can put as many panels as I like (task bar) where ever I see fit.

Cool. I've never said that there aren't plenty of things that work better with Linux. Windows has never been a flexible desktop environment compared to Linux. The main purpose for Surround for me is gaming so even though this works better under Linux, the point of it for me would have its own set of issues in Linux.

 

[heatlesssun]

Just curious, what smartphone do you use?

Currently using a Lumia 950. But I'm not a heavy smart phone user but I will probably pick up an Android device sometime. I've made the case many times that desktop Linux and Windows phones are in a similar predicament. Low market share thus less support. However if what's there works there's for someone then it works. But it's hard to recommend a Windows phone given the ecosystem. But it does integrate pretty well for me as a use Microsoft's cloud, Cortana, etc.

 

[heatlesssun]

It offers neither the greatest hardware or software. As someone who supports Office 365 Enterprise, the Office 365 apps aren't available first or best on the Windows Phone.

It sounds like Microsoft platform is more important to you than "app support and latest and greatest hardware."

I spend virtually all of my computing time on PCs, not phones. Since that's where I spend almost all of time and personal IT dollars and since Windows phones do leverage Windows PCs to the extent where much of it carriers over, even money on a number of apps, it works for me currently. Once the situation comes about where that doesn't work then I'll get an Android phone.

Microsoft is only in their predicament because they chose not to do anything about it. For the longest time, they were the most capable and legitimate smartphone. They had plenty of time to react to the newcomers in the market. There is really no excuse.

I agree with this overall.

 

[modi123]

Currently using a Lumia 950. But I'm not a heavy smart phone user but I will probably pick up an Android device sometime. I've made the case many times that desktop Linux and Windows phones are in a similar predicament. Low market share thus less support. However if what's there works there's for someone then it works. But it's hard to recommend a Windows phone given the ecosystem. But it does integrate pretty well for me as a use Microsoft's cloud, Cortana, etc.

As an Icon owner who just upgraded to Win10 Mobile.. I would agree.

 

[B00nie]

Debian is up on the distrowatch because it's a popular server OS that's used headless most of the time.

 

[Vermillion]

It's also aimed at more advanced users and therefore lacks a number of bundled packages and runs a fairly stripped down installer. As far as Linux distro's go, when trying to prove a point you picked one of the worst. 32bit Linux support is also beginning to dwindle as Linux shifts solely to x64.

Crazy thing is he would have had an easier time using Arch because the Beginner's Guide on their wiki is superb and very easy to follow. That wiki is what drew me to Arch many years ago and got me to leave the Ubuntu based realm. Overall the Arch Wiki is an unbelievable resource that generally can be applied to any distro. Just that some of the commands may vary depending on the package manager.

Honestly though if you're moving somebody from Windows to Linux your best bet is Ubuntu or Mint and giving them the MATE or XFCE derivative of said distro. After that if they want something else (odds are they'll never change) they can move onto a different distro of their choice or learn to change the DE for a different experience.

 

[ManofGod]

Currently using a Lumia 950. But I'm not a heavy smart phone user but I will probably pick up an Android device sometime. I've made the case many times that desktop Linux and Windows phones are in a similar predicament. Low market share thus less support. However if what's there works there's for someone then it works. But it's hard to recommend a Windows phone given the ecosystem. But it does integrate pretty well for me as a use Microsoft's cloud, Cortana, etc.

I know what you mean which is why I recently bought a Lumia 950. I do not need nor really use the apps that are out there and the Windows 10 mobile does intergrate very nicely with everything else I have. (It is nice to be able to send a text from my desktop computer instead of having to pick up my phone to do that.)

I also realized, if I need specific app support for work related stuff, I can always pick up a $200 Android phone like the Honor and just use it over a wireless network. I did try an android phone earlier in the year and was surprised to find that almost all the apps I tried where one, done and never went back. (The Microsoft apps being the exception to the rule.)

Also, being able to plug in my Lumia 950 and directly access it from my Windows 10 desktop and my Band 2 as well is fantastic. (Something that cannot be done on desktop Linux.)

 

[ManofGod]

It offers neither the greatest hardware or software. As someone who supports Office 365 Enterprise, the Office 365 apps aren't available first or best on the Windows Phone.

It sounds like Microsoft platform is more important to you than "app support and latest and greatest hardware."

Microsoft is only in their predicament because they chose not to do anything about it. For the longest time, they were the most capable and legitimate smartphone. They had plenty of time to react to the newcomers in the market. There is really no excuse.

Balmers Microsoft was doing something about it and they were moving forward. Unfortunately, Nadella's Microsoft decided to abandon the hardware side of the platform, for the most part, and also kill the Nokia purchase that Balmer had made to move things forward. That said, my Lumia 950 works extremely well and without any loss or issues.

If I need an Android phone, I will just pick up a $200 one and use it on Wifi exclusively.

 

[ManofGod]

Ah, we've found totally unbiased people who use the latest and greatest hardware and software that is available who just happen to only use Microsoft products. They're not like the Microsoft/Windows version of Linux or Apple/Mac fanboys at all.

I use an iPhone, a Windows 10 desktop, a Windows 8.1 laptop (audio driver issues on Windows 10), and an Android tablet (media consumption device, not productivity device). I also have a Macbook and an old Linux laptop: as a tech, I feel I should be familiar with other things besides just Microsoft and Windows.

That's nice dude, what was that you were saying about abusive posts? I use all things and understand how to use them all. (Always learning though because there is no possible way I could know everything.) Why would I own another phone OS if the Windows 10 Mobile OS is exactly what works for me and the ecosystem I use?

Sorry dude but, owning a Mac Book and an old Linux laptop does not mean you are familiar with the "other things". Also, why would I want to own a dust collector of an Android "tablet" when that is all it would do for me. Owning things could mean you have more money than sense. (I know that is the way I used to be back in my 20's.)

 

[heatlesssun]

Ah, we've found totally unbiased people who use the latest and greatest hardware and software that is available who just happen to only use Microsoft products.

Less biased than what you said here. I've always qualified what I've said in this regard to PCs. If one wants to be able to use most all of the latest and greatest PC hardware and software then Windows is really the only option. If Linux were a viable option here, a lot more people would be using Linux.

I use an iPhone, a Windows 10 desktop, a Windows 8.1 laptop (audio driver issues on Windows 10), and an Android tablet (media consumption device, not productivity device). I also have a Macbook and an old Linux laptop: as a tech, I feel I should be familiar with other things besides just Microsoft and Windows.

And we use Linux at work, I use it in VMs. But that's all server side stuff where most of the x86 Linux is used much more than on desktops.

 

[NoOther]

Debian is up on the distrowatch because it's a popular server OS that's used headless most of the time.

Actually that isn't really true. It's up there because it is the basis for most popular distributions out there and people can generally get less overhead and faster upgrades by going with the base Debian build rather than having it packaged up inside Ubuntu/Mint/Knoppix/Kali/SteamOS/etc. As a matter of fact, we have a ton of debian workstations at work, and also servers which use displays and GUIs.

 

[NoOther]

No noob is going to change the DE before they learn a lot of other things. You're just inventing scenarios that are not something people do daily with their computers. I might as well make the argument that Windows doesn't work because when a noob wants to get extra megahurtz and tweaks the windows registry, things get broken. But that argument would be stupid just as yours was.

Really? The first thing I learned to do in Linux was customize it by modifying existing DEs to meet my needs.

 

[ManofGod]

Welp, just because I prefer to use Windows 10 Pro as my host does not mean it is 100% bullet proof. (Neither is any other OS however, either.) It could be that I have been messing with my work computer on and off for the last year, it could be that I use this machine to do stuff for customers, it could be there was a bug, or any other number of things.

Basically, I had to wipe and redo but, thankfully, I have backups of my important stuff on another drive. I also did an SSD swap with my home computer until I get the main one in that computer RMA'ed and I could have bumped one of the cables loose yesterday well I was inside of it. Oh well, stuff happens, I am just glad my computer is nice and fast so it does not take forever to redo it.

Maybe Linux reached out and slapped my machine and good one.

Edit: Looks like a hard drive I was testing caused my computer to crash and corrupted my OS. Oh well, it happens. I figured it out: Linux can see the drive but will not mount it which is why Linux is not crashing. Windows is trying to mount the drive and because of that, it crashes. (I tried mounting it in Linux but it refuses unless I try to do it in read only mode.)

 

[ManofGod]

I don't believe I have ever used the phrase "abusive posts".


So how would you describe your experience with your Apple products? How would you describe your experience supporting macOS users? I could tell you my experiences supporting macOS users at work. Since apparently I need to demonstrate my knowledge to you, how would you like me to do so? Your reply is only further evidencing a lack of an unbiased starting point when it comes to technology, which is relevant to the topic at hand.

Dude, when I sit down in front of computer or mobile device, any of them, I look at them all as the same thing. They all accomplish the task at hand in essentially the same manner which means all I have to do is troubleshoot the issue according to what is in front of me. Whether you agree with me or not will not change the way that works and works quite well for me.

 

[Bowman15]

Dude, when I sit down in front of computer or mobile device, any of them, I look at them all as the same thing. They all accomplish the task at hand in essentially the same manner which means all I have to do is troubleshoot the issue according to what is in front of me. Whether you agree with me or not will not change the way that works and works quite well for me.

Using an operating system should not be a chore. Windows and Mac's/iOS/Android have that overall ease of use. Linux not so much.

 

[ManofGod]

Using an operating system should not be a chore. Windows and Mac's/iOS/Android have that overall ease of use. Linux not so much.

I suppose it could be seen that way without issue. However, I find that sitting in front of a Linux Desktop or Server will require the same deductive reasoning skills as any other OS or hardware issue. (Just may take longer if it is something I have never ran into before.)

 

[BulletDust]

Also, being able to plug in my Lumia 950 and directly access it from my Windows 10 desktop and my Band 2 as well is fantastic. (Something that cannot be done on desktop Linux.)

This is one of the reasons I prefer Android - It works well with Linux, it simply appears as a mounted drive and I just drag and drop files to it and it's far less limiting than iOS. Most of the time though I'm transferring files between my phone and Linux PC via bluetooth.

Using Googles infrastructure and insync my mobile devices and desktop Linux PC all work together beautifully. Helps immensely when you're running a small business.

Using an operating system should not be a chore. Windows and Mac's/iOS/Android have that overall ease of use. Linux not so much.

I don't know where people get the idea from that using Linux is a chore?! I can assure you, my Linux machine is actually more straightforward to use than my OSX machine, Finder is a bloody chore as a file manager..

I blame the Linux users putting up screenshots of their desktop with bloody terminal windows all over the place, scares Windows folk off...

 

[BulletDust]

I would like to point out in regards to UAC, "the primary purpose of elevation is not security, though, it's convenience." "It’s important to be aware that UAC elevations are conveniences and not security boundaries." "UAC is meant to enable users to run with standard user rights, as opposed to administrative rights." "To both enable more software to run with standard user rights and to help developers write applications that run correctly with standard user rights, Windows Vista introduced User Account Control (UAC)." "The UAC solution to these problems is to run most applications with standard user rights, obviate the need for administrator rights all the time, and encourage software developers to create applications that run with standard user rights."
(Quotes from Mark Russinovich, CTO Microsoft Azure, Technical Fellow: Security: Inside Windows Vista User Account Control and User Account Control: Inside Windows 7 User Account Control)

I'm not sure if sudo is a security feature and/or security boundary, but the purpose of UAC isn't security, it's to allow users to run as standard users and to encourage developers to write applications for standard users as a default.

I think UAC only automatically elevates certain programs (hard coded list) signed for/by the Windows operating system (with more checks), as opposed to just signed by Microsoft Corporation, which aren't auto-elevated.

UAC elevates privileges, so does sudo - However sudo also allows an administrator to block certain commands from other users.

 

[silent-circuit]

Giant flaming hunk of shit.

Granted, so's Windows. But it'll run the stuff I want to run, assuming it isn't too busy blowing up. Linux? Lucky to get good media support, nevermind actually trying to do something.

Linux is not a viable OS unless you're willing to write or piecemeal your own software. I'm not. Most people are not.

 

[BulletDust]

Giant flaming hunk of shit.

Granted, so's Windows. But it'll run the stuff I want to run, assuming it isn't too busy blowing up. Linux? Lucky to get good media support, nevermind actually trying to do something.

Linux is not a viable OS unless you're willing to write or piecemeal your own software. I'm not. Most people are not.

Good media support? My Linux machine has better media support out of the box than Windows! Under Windows I have to install suspect codec packs to run all the media I want under WMC.

 

[KazeoHin]

Good media support? My Linux machine has better media support out of the box than Windows! Under Windows I have to install suspect codec packs to run all the media I want under WMC.

But unlike Linux, you don't need a computer science PHD to install VLC or any other application.

 

[silent-circuit]

But unlike Linux, you don't need a computer science PHD to install VLC or any other application.

This. This shit right here. VLC, done. Linux? God, hope I got the right distro and the right hardware and I plugged my webcam in the right USB host controller, cause otherwise my wifi cuts out and I can't watch Netflix anymore.

 

[BulletDust]

But unlike Linux, you don't need a computer science PHD to install VLC or any other application.

Here's the issue right here! Why do Windows users assume that installing software under Linux is a nightmare?! It's remarkably simple! Yes, you may need to use the terminal and copy/paste a command (s) to download and install software - Quite often software is packaged as .deb installers and every bit as simple to install as under Windows using the GUI.

Here's a tutorial, 'apt' is the package that is used to install software, 'sudo' is essentially UAC:

1. sudo add-apt repository [repo name] - This adds the repository to the OS. Repository's are a good idea, Windows needs something similar.

2. sudo apt update - This updates the list of files contained within the repository to the OS.

3. sudo apt install [package name] - This installs the required software.

If you want to un-install software:

4. sudo apt remove [package name]

Now before you all start claiming 'that's harder than it is within windows' lets put some perspective on things and understand that once you've downloaded the .msi installer, opened the file, clicked 'next' > 'next' > 'accept' > 'install' > 'ok' you could have copy/pasted the necessary commands to download and install software under Linux - With the exception of your password, you don't even need to type!

This. This shit right here. VLC, done. Linux? God, hope I got the right distro and the right hardware and I plugged my webcam in the right USB host controller, cause otherwise my wifi cuts out and I can't watch Netflix anymore.

I'm running Broadcom Wifi on my laptop and Broadcom Ethernet on my desktop, everyone knows how poor Broadcom's support is under Linux - I don't have a single issue, runs perfectly, runs fast. You're generalising and exaggerating, as a result your comments aren't really adding to the discussion.

Downloading and installing VLC is stupidly simple, you can even install it from the Ubuntu Software Center if the terror is too much!

 

[KazeoHin]

Here's the issue right here! Why do Windows users assume that installing software under Linux is a nightmare?! It's remarkably simple! Yes, you may need to use the terminal and copy/paste a command (s) to download and install software - Quite often software is packaged as .deb installers and every bit as simple to install as under Windows using the GUI.

Here's a tutorial, 'apt' is the package that is used to install software, 'sudo' is essentially UAC:

1. sudo add-apt repository [repo name] - This adds the repository to the OS. Repository's are a good idea, Windows needs something similar.

2. sudo apt update - This updates the list of files contained within the repository to the OS.

3. sudo apt install [package name] - This installs the required software.

If you want to un-install software:

4. sudo apt remove [package name]

Now before you all start claiming 'that's harder than it is within windows' lets put some perspective on things and understand that once you've downloaded the .msi installer, opened the file, clicked 'next' > 'next' > 'accept' > 'install' > 'ok' you could have copy/pasted the necessary commands to download and install software - You don't even need to type!



I'm running Broadcom Wifi on my laptop and Broadcom Ethernet on my desktop, everyone knows how poor Broadcom's support is under Linux - I don't have a single issue, runs perfectly, runs fast. You're generalising and exaggerating, as a result your comments aren't really adding to the discussion.

And that is why Linux is forever stuck in it's rut. If you think for one second that my 60-year-old mother-in-law knows how to open the console, or can type more than 3 words per minute, and also types with two fingers, looking at the keyboard, will find anything to do with the console easier than just moving a mouse and clicking twice.

Not to mention, do you know how frustrating it is to switch between mouse and keyboard? They are right next to each other yet moving my right hand over to my keyboard may as well be a 3 mile journey. If I'm doing something, and I'm relaxed and just browsing, and I encounter something that requires me to type, take for instance: those useless "HOW OLD ARE YOU" prompts on steam store pages for mature games, or entering tobacco websites. If they DON't have a drop-down of some sort and I need to type ANYTHING, I'll often just avoid the page, clicking out of it and finding a different one. Its disrupting and inconvenient to have to change my current mode of input. I'm in a groove, my mouse is me: I'm clicking on stuff. I'm clicking on pages, videos, buttons. The 'typing' part of my brain is off completely.

"wow, you must be soooooo lazy!"

Maybe maybe not, because that behaviour has NOTHING to do with laziness, because you'll find MANY, MANY people do this. They may not admit it as freely as I do, but what I described above is normal behaviour. The Google search bar does everything it can to fill in search results as quickly as possible with predictions so we have to type as little as possible before finding what we need. Most people don't even type anything when browsing youtube: they just follow the path of suggested videos and waste time doing that. In fact, you'd be surprised how many people search for a specific video by clicking on similar videos INSTEAD of typing in the name of the video. these people know that they could just type the name of the video but it is SO much more relaxing to just click on stuff with one hand, leaned back.

As soon as you say "just type into console...." 99% of people will ask "Why the f**** do I need to do that? Why the F*** can't I just click on something?"

And there in lies the fate of Linux.

 

[BulletDust]

You type your password, you don't have to type anything in the console.

After stepping my mother through the process over the phone even she can install software on her Linux PC, she's 62. The Windows users claim that the Linux users are arrogant, which I defiantly am not, but you're all claiming that you're lazy and too stupid to move out of your comfort zone?! Us Linux users aren't making these claims, you all are!

 

[KazeoHin]

You type your password, you don't have to type anything in the console.

After stepping my mother through the process over the phone even she can install software on her Linux PC, she's 62. The Windows users claim that the Linux users are arrogant, which I defiantly am not, but you're all claiming that you're lazy and too stupid to move out of your comfort zone?! Us Linux users aren't making these claims, you all are!

I never had to step my in-laws through installing something. They click on it and it installs. No stepping required.

I'm not saying a userbase is one way or the other: I'm saying humans are like this. Why do you think smartphones were a niche, linux-like item until they got full-sized touchscreens which could display large pictures and allow the user to tap on stuff? Remember everyone and their dog, cat, fish and gut bacteria filling the tech space with the same old "until the iPhone has a hardware keyboard, it will NEVER be a professional product" rhetoric? welp, turns out everyone was wrong, and MOST EVERYONE in the professional space uses a smartphone without hardware keyboard, and do you know why? Because people don't like typing. They don't hate it, its just slow and unintuitive: GUIs exist for a reason. Smartphones with big, easy-to-tap shells are the big sellers, and UIs developed more and more ways to make sure people only have to type when it is absolutely, impossible necessary. People can naturally point at something, its instinctive. Pointing and touching on a graphic, visual thing is in our DNA. I'm not saying the console is a bad or ineffective way to get stuff done. In fact, someone with fast typing skill and good syntax knowledge can get stuff done MUCH faster than someone doing the same thing using all GUI related tasks. But that said, it doesn't feel good: you first have to learn all that syntax, you have to have nimble enough fingers to type quickly. And on top of that, you need two hands.

 

[BulletDust]

I never had to step my in-laws through installing something. They click on it and it installs. No stepping required.

Wow, you're lucky. I have many, many clients that need me to step them through Windows issues every day.

I'm not saying a userbase is one way or the other: I'm saying humans are like this. Why do you think smartphones were a niche, linux-like item until they got full-sized touchscreens which could display large pictures and allow the user to tap on stuff? Remember everyone and their dog, cat, fish and gut bacteria filling the tech space with the same old "until the iPhone has a hardware keyboard, it will NEVER be a professional product" rhetoric? welp, turns out everyone was wrong, and MOST EVERYONE in the professional space uses a smartphone without hardware keyboard, and do you know why? Because people don't like typing. They don't hate it, its just slow and unintuitive: GUIs exist for a reason. Smartphones with big, easy-to-tap shells are the big sellers, and UIs developed more and more ways to make sure people only have to type when it is absolutely, impossible necessary. People can naturally point at something, its instinctive. Pointing and touching on a graphic, visual thing is in our DNA. I'm not saying the console is a bad or ineffective way to get stuff done. In fact, someone with fast typing skill and good syntax knowledge can get stuff done MUCH faster than someone doing the same thing using all GUI related tasks. But that said, it doesn't feel good: you first have to learn all that syntax, you have to have nimble enough fingers to type quickly. And on top of that, you need two hands.

So are you claiming that we don't type on smart phones? Are you also trying to claim that the virtual keyboard is not simply present as a result of portability but it is somehow better than a physical keyboard?

Come on, this is getting ridiculous! I'm happy to discuss openly, but you're just totally closed off ranting a rhetoric here.

 

[BulletDust]

At least when I discuss with Heattlesssun his capable of accepting another's point of view and basically claiming 'yeah, cool. I get that' and moving on. He may be heavily invested in MS products, but I don't believe his necessarily biased.

 

[KazeoHin]

Wow, you're lucky. I have many, many clients that need me to step them through Windows issues every day.



So are you claiming that we don't type on smart phones? Are you also trying to claim that the virtual keyboard is not simply present as a result of portability but it is somehow better than a physical keyboard?

Come on, this is getting ridiculous! I'm happy to discuss openly, but you're just totally closed off ranting a rhetoric here.

I did not mention virtual keyboards mostly because I thought it was a given. You can still type on a smartphone, that's pretty obvious. I'm just saying smart and successful companies have done everything they could to make sure you need to type as little as possible in these smartphone OS environments, with things like auto complete, search suggestions, and GUIs that are faster to navigate via tapping icons than by using a virtual keyboard. They did this on purpose, not because there is an evil conspiracy against consoles: No, they did this because it was more user friendly. It is vastly easier to understand and navigate. It is the work of people paid a LOT of money to improve the user experience. People prefer not typing to typing. Its why GUIs were invented in the first place.

I'm not the one ranting a rhetoric when you took the above idea of "GUIs are easier and more relaxing to operate" to "we should never use keyboards and smartphones cant ever use virtual keyboards." Evel Knievel couldn't have made that jump.

 

[BulletDust]

Personally, I'm pretty sure I type on my smartphone and tablet just as much as I do on my PC - I'm replying on my Nexus 9 right now.

But if you insist on pushing some keyboard crusade, you win. I'm not interested in repetitively defending my argument.

 

[KazeoHin]

Personally, I'm pretty sure I type on my smartphone and tablet just as much as I do on my PC - I'm replying on my Nexus 9 right now.

But if you insist on pushing some keyboard crusade, you win. I'm not interested in repetitively defending my argument.

I'm not against keyboards. Hell, I've typed more than you in this thread, I write stuff and use keyboards ALL THE TIME; my Ducky Cherry Green keyboard is one of my centrepieces at LAN parties. You frame my rant as if I'm saying people NEVER use the keyboard. That's impossible. The keyboard is NECESSARY and crucial to the computing environment. BUT it just simply is not as relaxing to use as a touchscreen or mouse in many situations and developers know this.

Well, you are a Linux user and you are probably a skilled typist: I'm not saying you are doing things wrong, or that your methods are not good for you. You are You and you (for everything I can tell) enjoy your Linux-based computing environments. There is nothing wrong with that.

But this discussion is about why more people aren't switching to Linux and I'm providing a VERY blatant and possibly rude wake-up call for a lot of Linux users who think the world thinks like they do. This is ONE aspect of computing on Linux that will be a deal breaker for most humans. I don't go around asking people about why they don't try Maya over 3DSMax and then get all upset when they express their distaste for the way Maya does things. I do me: when people ask why: I'm going to answer.

 

[BulletDust]

I'm active in this thread as I did it, I switched from Windows to Linux and it's been great - Nothing like some of the assumptions being thrown around here.

 

[BulletDust]

Once again.

You need to use the terminal in OSX for a number of functions, it isn't all pretty pictures and flashy animations.

You can run Linux quite effectively in the modern age without using the terminal at all, just download all of your software off the Ubuntu Software Centre. Some packages may be slightly out of date, but they will install by clicking pictures if text is blatantly terrifying to the average computer enthusiast - Sorry, gamer.

 

[reb00tin]

Most Windows users initially reject Linux because it's very different than what they're used to, and because it doesn't have all the BLING. I was one of these people.

But the real OS is the invisible part, not the GUI or the bling. After switching to Linux, I realized that it's far more stable. It updates on the fly without reboots, uptime is months and I reboot only when there's a power outage. There are no virus, spyware, BSODs, or a bloated centralized registry that can render the OS inoperable. I still have Windows as a virtual machine for running Windows apps. W10 increasingly looks like a mickey mouse OS, and I distrust its spyware enough to not give it access to shared folders in the host Linux OS. It often uses 100% CPU when I'm doing nothing, and it exudes a corporate arrogance that I find offensive, "access denied", "call your administrator", really?

 

[BulletDust]

Most Windows users initially reject Linux because it's very different than what they're used to, and because it doesn't have all the BLING. I was one of these people.

But the real OS is the invisible part, not the GUI or the bling. After switching to Linux, I realized that it's far more stable. It updates on the fly without reboots, uptime is months and I reboot only when there's a power outage. There are no virus, spyware, BSODs, or a bloated centralized registry that can render the OS inoperable. I still have Windows as a virtual machine for running Windows apps. W10 increasingly looks like a mickey mouse OS, and I distrust its spyware enough to not give it access to shared folders in the host Linux OS. It often uses 100% CPU when I'm doing nothing, and it exudes a corporate arrogance that I find offensive, "access denied", "call your administrator", really?

Agreed, my findings exactly.

 

[Bowman15]

I suppose it could be seen that way without issue. However, I find that sitting in front of a Linux Desktop or Server will require the same deductive reasoning skills as any other OS or hardware issue. (Just may take longer if it is something I have never ran into before.)

We're not the typical audience. You want mainstream get it easy enough for grandma and grandpa like Windows and Mac. I've seen the horror on a person's
face when they can accomplish something so easily in Windows and yet Linux is a no go or hours of trial and error.

 

[Bowman15]

Agreed, my findings exactly.

bullshit