Switching Operating Systems Is Almost Never The Answer

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Switching operating systems is almost never the answer? Does this apply if you are still running Windows ME? :D

"Oh, just switch to XYZ [the responder's favorite operating system] and you'll never have problems like that again." I'm here to tell you that this advice is bad advice, and that the person making the claim is an idiot, and that you should probably ignore everything they say from thereon in.
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I don't think it can be generalized down to "suggesting a switch is bad, and this person is an idiot for doing so". There's sound reasoning for switching an OS. As long as proper research has been done (such as financial impact, productivity impact, potential issues), then I don't see a problem with it.

It's the fanboi people who don't do that and just try to convince people to switch because "it's better" that causes issues.
 
Spidey329 said:
I don't think it can be generalized down to "suggesting a switch is bad, and this person is an idiot for doing so". There's sound reasoning for switching an OS. As long as proper research has been done (such as financial impact, productivity impact, potential issues), then I don't see a problem with it.

It's the fanboi people who don't do that and just try to convince people to switch because "it's better" that causes issues.
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I think you should read the article. That isn't what the author is saying. He is saying don't listen to people who tell you, you should switch because the other OS is just better. What he says is you should realize what you are getting into before you switch. In fact the author himself did switched OS's and doesn't seem like he is switching back. He makes valid points which are points I have made to people for decades when deciding on OS's to choose. It usually all comes down to your comfort level, experience and time.
 
Pretty common sense article. If you have basic needs and are doing generic stuff like web browsing, basic video and audio playback, basic social media, basic office automation, casual gaming, etc. just about any OS, desktop or mobile will do. It becomes exponentially more complex as platform specific dependencies arise.
 
Here I am trying to switch to Linux thinking that switching OS's is indeed the answer.
 
I never had a single issue with Windows ME. Everyone moans and bitches about it, but I thought it was great.
 
The article is right. Switching just to switch is a bad idea. To say, no, never do it is foolish as well. XP had a good run, but with support from Microsoft gone, you're asking for trouble. I don't think there's that one OS to rule them all. What you're going to do and familiarity with an OS is huge. While PC gaming has made progress throughout the years, the best chances for it (IMO) lie with Windows, though with SteamOS, we shall see.
If you think of how many OS's that are available, that might tell you something about computing needs in much the same way you see various automobiles on the road: one size doesn't fit all.
 
rudy said:
Haven't you been trying to switch for like 10 years?
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I've only gotten into linux since 2 years ago. I've tried it every so often before for like a day and then removed it. Today though it's my only OS on my laptops because gaming isn't a priority on my laptops. Desktops though still run Windows cause of gaming. But I'm using some old machines for testing to see how viable it is to game on Linux full time.
 
Switching back to Vista from Win 8.1 solved a lot of problems for me
 
i like it when i find servers built on xp, that makes this security analyst happy. glad the vendor made it a requirement because they care.
 
Tell me about it. I've recently been forced to start using a Mac for work (There's really nothing they're working on that truly requires a Mac aside from possibly XCode, but the company's engineering department is basically standardized on Macs) and so far it's a serious pain to deal with. I will grant that the hardware (I've got a non-retina MBP) is very well designed and very solid, but the opeating system is just a pain for me to use, and it's not just because I've been using Windows for so long. There are some common shortcuts from Windows that I just haven't found a good way to do on Mac. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time, but I can't see myself ever switching. Basically, it's different. Not necessarily any better, not necessarily any worse, just different.
 
I am in the process of converting a client from XP to Win 7.
Put a Win 7 machine in his restaurant a few weeks ago, ordered a new Dell laptop with Win 7 last week, and I am currently working on his desktop that I built him 2 years ago.

The desktop got a 960GB SSD for win 7 and the old 120GB SSD will stay in the machine with XP on it, so it can still be booted to XP if need be.

I tried to make a VM out of the physical XP install so he could access the old XP without doing a reboot and changing the boot device, but the 2 methods I tried failed to boot the Virtual version.
 
I have yet to get one customer to switch to Linux. Even though I show them what it can do and would make the PC £100 cheaper.

Can't give that stuff away...even for free.
 
I would argue that switching away from an EOL OS that is no longer supported is ALWAYS a good idea, almost regardless of what you switch to.

Other than that, I agree. Choose your OS based off of objective criteria for what you plan on doing, not based on what others say.

This Article - however - assumes that people suggesting an OS change arent also helping with that assessment :p
 
daglesj said:
I have yet to get one customer to switch to Linux. Even though I show them what it can do and would make the PC £100 cheaper.

Can't give that stuff away...even for free.
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There's other factors at play here such as the time and investment to understand the operating system which is opportunity cost. People judge on how much of their time is worth learning the ropes to adapt to a different operating system. Just because it's 100 pounds cheaper means shit to them.
 
Here I am still running BeOS. ..wonder if switching to win 8.1 will fix a lot of my issues
 
Also forgot to mention: Have an amazon Kindle for son with parentl controls, nexus 10 & mini retina for myself. Also picked up a nexus 7, 2013, 32G NIB for $99 recently
 
Cobalt35 said:
I never had a single issue with Windows ME. Everyone moans and bitches about it, but I thought it was great.
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Windows ME got me started into computer troubleshooting when I was 14, never new how to format a hard drive and reinstall windows till I got my first one with ME on it.
 
Ragenrok said:
Windows ME got me started into computer troubleshooting when I was 14, never new how to format a hard drive and reinstall windows till I got my first one with ME on it.
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First laptop I had was WinME. It made me realize that computer CS reps are full of sh*t.

Was a Toshiba. The machine would not stay asleep. I tried everything I could think of at the time. Called Toshiba about it, they told me I needed to alter some Advanced Power Management (APM) settings. I looked high and low on that machine for APM and it wasn't there. One rep even told me where to click and there was no APM there. Reps refused to believe that a machine made it out with incomplete software.

I even asked them to just email me or send me a friggin installer for APM but they refused.

Despite that, that little machine kept chugging for a long time. In part because I had purchased an extended warranty for 5 years....and at the 4-year mark basically everything sans keyboard and the enclosure had been replaced.
 
Kaitian said:
There's other factors at play here such as the time and investment to understand the operating system which is opportunity cost. People judge on how much of their time is worth learning the ropes to adapt to a different operating system. Just because it's 100 pounds cheaper means shit to them.
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There are parallels to Dvorak keyboards.

It is unquestionable that they are MUCH more efficient to type on than the Qwerty layout which was designed to intentionally slow typers down so they didn't bind up their typewriters, but very few of even us in here have bothered to switch.

Why? Because it is new, and has a huge learning curve, and because even once you are successful in switching, everyone else using your computer will be confused and slowed down,. and once you get used to it, every other keyboard in the world will be difficult to type on.

Linux is great. It is more stable, more secure, runs well on lesser hardware and - once you are used to it - is actually easier to use for many things than Windows. Oh, and it, and most software running on it is free... And as opposed to the bad old days, hardware compatibility is amazing, and you rarely have to go hunting for drivers or updating them. Everything is built in.

There are also some sacrifices.
It has the learning curve downside. Why take time to learn something new when what you have works?

You can't just install any software you want anymore. Everything exists for Windows, but in Linux in many cases you have to put up with workalikes. There is much less of the simply save and install experience in windows. On the flipside they come with large software repositories ready to install for free, but its not entirely the same.

So, there are upsides and downsides to it, which brings us right back to the whole "examine what is right for your use". If you absolutely have to have Photoshop, and only Photoshop, no workalike will do, then Linux is probably not for you. Same if you absolutely have to play all the latest Windows games (though more and more titles are supported)

So, examine the benefits and drawbacks and do what is right for you.

Me? I'm a mixed user in a mixed household.

My main desktop dual boots Windows 8.1 and Linux Mint. I usually use Linux for productivity and web type stuff, and dual boot to Windows for most games.

At work I have a HP Ultrabook with Windows 7, not by choice though. That's what it comes with, and it is pretty locked down.

My fiancee is a Mac user. She has a current 27" iMac and an older Macbook Air.

My stepson has a gaming rig that runs Linux Mint. I built him his first rig from parts I had laying around, and I didn't happen to have a Windows license at the time. he was mostly interested in Minecraft, NES/SNES emulators and Youtube anyway, so it didn't make a difference.

My two HTPC's both run Ubuntu Linux With XBMC/Kodi. I chose Linux here because XBMC/Kodi is cross platform and I didn't feel like spending the extra cash on Windows keys for them. (That and I can save money by having less RAM and drive space than I would in Windows)

My server is an ESXi box with 11 different guests. Two of them are BSD based, the rest are linux based. None run windows. I didn't need any Windows apps (Like Exchange) on my server, so it made more sense to stick with Linux and Unix from a stability and RAM/Disk use perspective. The RAM and Disk savings really add up over 11 different guests.

Linux is much better than it has ever been, and it only keeps getting better, but it still isn't for everyone, and few people can get away with running ONLY Linux as there is likely going to be an occasion at one point or another when running Windows software is either necessary or desired. (yes, there is Wine, but it is a huge pain to set up and doesn't work with everything)

Dual booting works great for me, and I don't think I'd have it any other way as it stands.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041564286 said:
Blog post
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Have you thought about writing your own blog? The fact is you saw benefits to adapting Linux as part of your lifestyle. Most people don't. They don't care about the pro's and cons of Linux just like I explained to you the other day that companies do not care about the pro's of UNIX/Linux. They only care about the cost over the short run/long run. Most people will not take the opportunity to adapt and when they come across frustration, guess who they're going to turn to. Not you, that's for sure. They're going to take it to the nearest shop and get it restored back to the way it was before even if it's a cleanwipe because you spouted out the benefits of saving a hundred bucks on a license. Now they're out several hundred more to fix your fucking around with their lifestyle. You, you'd be standing there poo-pooing them for making the switch back because they don't understand the benefits! The reality is.... NO ONE CARES.
 
Kaitian said:
Have you thought about writing your own blog?
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You are not the first to suggest this. I guess I do tend to get a bit wordy, huh. :p

Kaitian said:
The fact is you saw benefits to adapting Linux as part of your lifestyle. Most people don't. They don't care about the pro's and cons of Linux just like I explained to you the other day that companies do not care about the pro's of UNIX/Linux. They only care about the cost over the short run/long run. Most people will not take the opportunity to adapt and when they come across frustration, guess who they're going to turn to. Not you, that's for sure. They're going to take it to the nearest shop and get it restored back to the way it was before even if it's a cleanwipe because you spouted out the benefits of saving a hundred bucks on a license. Now they're out several hundred more to fix your fucking around with their lifestyle. You, you'd be standing there poo-pooing them for making the switch back because they don't understand the benefits! The reality is.... NO ONE CARES.
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I agree with you here. And that's why I said it isn't for everyone. Under certain circumstances it works out. but other not.

Ironically it seems like modern Linux tends to work out for the very advanced users who can figure out how to solve their problems on their own AND for the least advanced users, who never install a program for themselves, for everyone who is in between it tends not to work out very well.

My 7 year old stepson has taken to Linux Mint 17.1 beautifully :p

I do have to keep nagging him to take the time to install his software updates though :p
 
ManofGod said:
Why switch when you can use them all. :D
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Are you counting each distro as well? If so, not even God has enough computers to run all those. :)

I love Windows. It's my go-to OS. However, I also run several Linux VM's and a Hackintosh. Each does their own thing, and they do it very well. Like others have said, use the right tool for the job. Some OS's are better at something than others. There really is no one size fits all.

Sure, the Hackintosh is just there so I can learn Mac OS. I still have no real use for it other than that.

It can be the answer. Many times (I'm frustrated with the start menu), it's not the answer. If you switch, then your programs and applications that you had before aren't going to transfer over. There are alternatives, but if you're wanting a quick, cheap, easy switch - you're not going to get it. If the problem is your application is web based and you want to use a low powered system and Windows is not cutting it - go to a LAMP server. Hell, put it on a Raspberry Pi even. (Although Windows 10 can now run on the Pi 2, I really prefer Linux for web servers).

Just have to look at the problem and find an effective solution. If cost, time and effort aren't an issue, it's very easy to switch OS's. But, most people have an issue with at least one of those.
 
Linux_Supercomputers_stat.jpeg
 
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