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You are splitting hairs. My dad's PC was as useful as a brick to him after it downloaded Windows 7 and then wouldn't boot. If you think 'reinstall' is an accept

You are splitting hairs. My dad's PC was as useful as a brick to him after it downloaded Windows 7 and then wouldn't boot. If you think 'reinstall' is an acceptable or realistic solution for average users, you are badly mistaken.

cptskippy 10y ago
You act as if this is something unique to Microsoft. Ubuntu distro upgrades were so bad (don't know if they still are) that you were better off reformatting and reinstalling. If the upgrade didn't flat out brick the device, it was almost certain to screw up drivers and setting beyond repair of even more power users. Apple had it's fair share of El Capitan and Sierra upgrade brickings and those require you to take your Mac to a Store. The only difference is that Windows is 90% of the market so problems from them generate way more noise than any other OS.
- reacweb 10y ago
  I do ubuntu dist-upgrade since 2009. I have done 2 full reinstall. Once to try linux-mint. And another one a little latter when I bought a new ssd drive (switched to ubuntu gnome). The main upgrade issue was with systemd in 16.04: it found a dependency loop between net access and my nas drive and decided to cancel net access.
  - cptskippy 10y ago
    I ran Ubuntu on a netbook and a laptop from ~2007-2012. Wireless support was beyond awful and distro upgrades would break it beyond repair. There were also numerous bugs with Audio and their transition in desktop environments failed horribly.
    - jimmies 10y ago
      2012 was a very different time. Stuff sucked so much back then, especially wireless. It doesn't help, also, that most people don't buy hardware for Linux but expect it to run on a random machine that they spared. Buy good hardware (Thinkpads, Chromebooks), do research, never worry about stuff not working.
    - hpcjoe 10y ago
      Linuxmint based on Ubuntu has been my go to since 2013. Everything I want just works. I use debian on my servers with the occasional rhel/centos for those folks who want or need that. Windows never touches bare metal around me anymore. That has been the cause of so much pain and lost time ... Virtualize it, put specific snapshots on the vm, and I've got a working Windows in a window.
- joosters 10y ago
  If we're talking anecdotes, then I should mention that I've had very little problem with many Ubuntu installs and Mac installs. Certainly no 'brickings'. But you're missing the point. My Dad did not ask to install Windows 10 (n.b. I put the wrong version in my first post), Microsoft did that for him. Other OS upgrades may not be perfect, but at least they give users the choice.
josteink 10y ago
> You are splitting hairs. My dad's PC was as useful as a brick to him But it was recoverable. You could just boot some installation medium, and you were good to go again. You didn't have to throw the PC away. It was not converted into garbage. See how that makes a difference? It's not a brick.

cptskippy 10y ago

You act as if this is something unique to Microsoft. Ubuntu distro upgrades were so bad (don't know if they still are) that you were better off reformatting and reinstalling. If the upgrade didn't flat out brick the device, it was almost certain to screw up drivers and setting beyond repair of even more power users. Apple had it's fair share of El Capitan and Sierra upgrade brickings and those require you to take your Mac to a Store. The only difference is that Windows is 90% of the market so problems from them generate way more noise than any other OS.

reacweb 10y ago
I do ubuntu dist-upgrade since 2009. I have done 2 full reinstall. Once to try linux-mint. And another one a little latter when I bought a new ssd drive (switched to ubuntu gnome). The main upgrade issue was with systemd in 16.04: it found a dependency loop between net access and my nas drive and decided to cancel net access.
- cptskippy 10y ago
  I ran Ubuntu on a netbook and a laptop from ~2007-2012. Wireless support was beyond awful and distro upgrades would break it beyond repair. There were also numerous bugs with Audio and their transition in desktop environments failed horribly.
  - jimmies 10y ago
    2012 was a very different time. Stuff sucked so much back then, especially wireless. It doesn't help, also, that most people don't buy hardware for Linux but expect it to run on a random machine that they spared. Buy good hardware (Thinkpads, Chromebooks), do research, never worry about stuff not working.
  - hpcjoe 10y ago
    Linuxmint based on Ubuntu has been my go to since 2013. Everything I want just works. I use debian on my servers with the occasional rhel/centos for those folks who want or need that. Windows never touches bare metal around me anymore. That has been the cause of so much pain and lost time ... Virtualize it, put specific snapshots on the vm, and I've got a working Windows in a window.
joosters 10y ago
If we're talking anecdotes, then I should mention that I've had very little problem with many Ubuntu installs and Mac installs. Certainly no 'brickings'. But you're missing the point. My Dad did not ask to install Windows 10 (n.b. I put the wrong version in my first post), Microsoft did that for him. Other OS upgrades may not be perfect, but at least they give users the choice.

josteink 10y ago

> You are splitting hairs. My dad's PC was as useful as a brick to him But it was recoverable. You could just boot some installation medium, and you were good to go again. You didn't have to throw the PC away. It was not converted into garbage. See how that makes a difference? It's not a brick.