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Ok, don't get me wrong, I love Linux and I'm not trying to be an ass. I'm a Linux guy (Debian/Gentoo mostly), but you will never get average users to switch to

by XaYdEk 10y ago

Ok, don't get me wrong, I love Linux and I'm not trying to be an ass. I'm a Linux guy (Debian/Gentoo mostly), but you will never get average users to switch to Linux, the same way you will never get me to use anything after Windows7 for personal use, I have a rage fit with all the icons and no proper command line and they will have a rage fit (or at least have a feeling of angst) if they have to type 3 lines of commands in the terminal to fix or setup something. Where I see Linux as powerful, they see it as difficult. Where I see Windows and Apple as limited and inflexible, they see it as simple. So it seems people will go for easy 98% of the times.

berntb 10y ago
>> you will never get average users to switch to Linux Last I looked, Linux (in Android) was leading BSD-alike (iOS) -- and those are probably the two most popular platforms around... :-) Especially for average users that are cost conscious. (At a minimum, place one and three of installed world wide base?)
- XaYdEk 10y ago
  Desktop. Talking desktop. You will never get them to do it by themselves, you have to set it up for them. There is a resistence to switching to Linux, because of the image they have in their mind about it. Mint and Ubuntu are very user friendly and yes once I dropped them (Ubuntu & Lubuntu) on my familly computers the resistance vanished in a matter of minutes after using them. Biggest problem was "Why is the X on the left top of the window ?" So I'm saying: without some incentives or guidance, adoption of Linux desktop by average users will remain low because of perceived difficulty, existing familiarity with Windows and Mac OSes and general mental inertia.
illys 10y ago
Forget about command line and just try this: Install Linux Mint (the one I find fit - but other distribs could do), with a web browser and WPS Office, explain your basic Windows user how to reply to system update popups (very similar to Windows). You should not hear from them until the next mandatory system upgrade (in several years).
- wiredearp 10y ago
  Or tweak the popups to only trigger on important security updates. That's what I did for my father and now I'm not even sure he knows who I am.
tobltobs 10y ago
Since Win8, if a relative, who only needs a browser and a word processor, asks me to reinstall his computer for him I just install Ubuntu without asking and telling. Most can't tell the difference and no one switched later to Windows. Most like the intuitive new "Windows" UI ... Imho the times where Windows was easier are gone. Ubuntu is the new easy.
Scarblac 10y ago
I have a desktop at home with both Windows 7 and Ubuntu 14.04. The default boot option is Windows. The machine is about eight years old. By now Windows has become unbearably slow, so the rest of my family (wife, 7 year old, 2 year old) all always choose Ubuntu, and they have no complaints. Of course, everything they do happens in a browser, but that's probably true for a lot of people.

by XaYdEk 10y ago

berntb 10y ago

>> you will never get average users to switch to Linux Last I looked, Linux (in Android) was leading BSD-alike (iOS) -- and those are probably the two most popular platforms around... :-) Especially for average users that are cost conscious. (At a minimum, place one and three of installed world wide base?)

XaYdEk 10y ago
Desktop. Talking desktop. You will never get them to do it by themselves, you have to set it up for them. There is a resistence to switching to Linux, because of the image they have in their mind about it. Mint and Ubuntu are very user friendly and yes once I dropped them (Ubuntu & Lubuntu) on my familly computers the resistance vanished in a matter of minutes after using them. Biggest problem was "Why is the X on the left top of the window ?" So I'm saying: without some incentives or guidance, adoption of Linux desktop by average users will remain low because of perceived difficulty, existing familiarity with Windows and Mac OSes and general mental inertia.

illys 10y ago

Forget about command line and just try this: Install Linux Mint (the one I find fit - but other distribs could do), with a web browser and WPS Office, explain your basic Windows user how to reply to system update popups (very similar to Windows). You should not hear from them until the next mandatory system upgrade (in several years).

wiredearp 10y ago
Or tweak the popups to only trigger on important security updates. That's what I did for my father and now I'm not even sure he knows who I am.

tobltobs 10y ago

Since Win8, if a relative, who only needs a browser and a word processor, asks me to reinstall his computer for him I just install Ubuntu without asking and telling. Most can't tell the difference and no one switched later to Windows. Most like the intuitive new "Windows" UI ... Imho the times where Windows was easier are gone. Ubuntu is the new easy.

Scarblac 10y ago

I have a desktop at home with both Windows 7 and Ubuntu 14.04. The default boot option is Windows. The machine is about eight years old. By now Windows has become unbearably slow, so the rest of my family (wife, 7 year old, 2 year old) all always choose Ubuntu, and they have no complaints. Of course, everything they do happens in a browser, but that's probably true for a lot of people.