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My intention was not to create impression that Linux is the problem. I myself have had similar experiences as you have had and use Ubuntu on all my PCs. Howeve
by mmsimanga 6y ago
My intention was not to create impression that Linux is the problem. I myself have had similar experiences as you have had and use Ubuntu on all my PCs.
However the reality is schools teach on Windows and just about all PCs and laptops sold in my home country have Windows installed. Apple products very rare and for the very rich. What this means is the average "computer guy" available to help my dad is typically a Windows person. If my dad says he can't print, the Windows guy cannot help him on Ubuntu so typically thinks the problem is Ubuntu.
I am not saying the problem is Ubuntu, Ubuntu just isn't common in my home town.
- Andrew_nenakhov 6y agoThese days the only application that is important for a non-computer folks is the browser, and Ubuntu can run Firefox just fine, it's easy to launch and turn off. In my experience, the perception that Linux is somehow 'hard' is just not true, deeply rooted in 2002 or something. Things have changed so much, and whatever kids are taught in school is not that big of a problem anymore.
- mmsimanga 6y agoYou quite right, if you only browse the Internet then using Firefox will suffice. Problems tend to start when you editing documents and sharing them with people on Windows computers. Yes I know LibreOffice can edit MS Office documents but the inconsistencies in formatting tend to add up especially for novice users.
- Andrew_nenakhov 6y agoThe key here is simply to stop caring about MS office documents, and use open standardized format for information exchane. That is, OpenDocument, a native format of LibreOffice, which is available on any platform out there. My company never ever sent out a single file on MS Office format since it was founded in 2007, and I assure you that business can work just fine without ever using .doc(x) / .xls(x) files.