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I think that distros with “perfect mirror” DEs could make a big difference in bringing about TYotLD. Lots of DEs are vaguely Windows-like, but this isn’t enoug

I think that distros with “perfect mirror” DEs could make a big difference in bringing about TYotLD. Lots of DEs are vaguely Windows-like, but this isn’t enough for non-technical users. It’s still different, and this adds enough friction that anybody who might’ve been interested quickly loses interest. On the other hand, if a distro could be sold as “Windows but better” (using a modern Win10 like DE) or “like Windows in the good old days” (using a Win2K/XP/7 DE), it’s significantly more compelling. Add in something that’s like Proton but more intelligent and automatic (e.g. it sees you’re trying to install X version of MS Office, and so configures everything to work correctly automatically) and it’s even more interesting. I know that Lindows used to be a thing, but it made a few critical errors: selling the product (opening them to litigation), not throughly duplicating the Windows desktop well enough, and the integrated WINE not being mature enough. All of that is avoidable now.

HayBale 3y ago
I would say Win clone DE would be horrible for the new users as it would be too similar for the users to fully comprehend that they switch the system and still too different to not incur frustration. Because you can't make 100% copy of Windows without making cheap knockoff of Windows. Linux is in good state right now it does not need another major change.
- jwells89 3y ago
  Depends on the type of user I think. For totally non-technical, they're never going to be interfacing with any of the under the hood differences anyway… the biggest change for them is going to be using an App Store like package manager UI instead of downloading random exe files. The group that I'd expect to be most likely to stumble with a clone DE is the group that is just technical enough to get themselves in trouble. This group tends to overestimate their own technical capabilities and quickly frustrates when discovering unexpected differences. For this group, yes I'd agree they'd be better off with a more standard "Linuxy" DE.

HayBale 3y ago

I would say Win clone DE would be horrible for the new users as it would be too similar for the users to fully comprehend that they switch the system and still too different to not incur frustration. Because you can't make 100% copy of Windows without making cheap knockoff of Windows. Linux is in good state right now it does not need another major change.

jwells89 3y ago
Depends on the type of user I think. For totally non-technical, they're never going to be interfacing with any of the under the hood differences anyway… the biggest change for them is going to be using an App Store like package manager UI instead of downloading random exe files. The group that I'd expect to be most likely to stumble with a clone DE is the group that is just technical enough to get themselves in trouble. This group tends to overestimate their own technical capabilities and quickly frustrates when discovering unexpected differences. For this group, yes I'd agree they'd be better off with a more standard "Linuxy" DE.