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The idea that Windows "just works" is pretty recent. 20 years ago, any time I visited a relative who had a Windows PC, I was installing Firefox, fixing a driver

by Zak 9mo ago

The idea that Windows "just works" is pretty recent. 20 years ago, any time I visited a relative who had a Windows PC, I was installing Firefox, fixing a driver, and removing spyware, if not outright malware. Either you were a power user, or you were having a bad time.

mkozlows 9mo ago
It's also still not true. My son has a Windows machine that he's responsible for, after a long time running ChromeOS. He's reported all kinds of weird driver things, and having had to watch YouTube tutorials to figure out how to fix issues.
- p_ing 9mo ago
  At least the vendor writes a Windows driver, no matter how bad it is. If your device doesn't work on Linux, you're simply SOL.
cosmic_cheese 9mo ago
The main difference is that with Windows the work is mostly front loaded. From 2000/XP forward, as long as you set up the correct drivers post-install, they for most intents and purposes, barring shitty hardware, really did “just work”. There’s something to be said for “Windows creep” though, where the install decays over time and a reinstall is required. Back in the 2K/XP/Vista days this could be pretty bad, but that improved with 7 onwards. It still exists today, but the decay takes years to become noticeable instead of months. Linux isn’t without its own issues there however. Even on a more friendly distro like Ubuntu or Fedora, eventually one will end up with things like config files that slipped through the cracks and didn’t get migrated correctly, very slowing degrading the desktop experience.
- Zak 9mo ago
  That more or less matches my experience. A quality PC with NT5+ preloaded and not too much bundled crapware would mostly just work when it was fresh, but it would not be working well a year later if not maintained by someone with a modicum of technical knowledge.
ranger207 9mo ago
I don't disagree which is why the level of effort needed to use Linux has always seemed overblown to me lol, but that is the relative popular perception

by Zak 9mo ago

mkozlows 9mo ago

It's also still not true. My son has a Windows machine that he's responsible for, after a long time running ChromeOS. He's reported all kinds of weird driver things, and having had to watch YouTube tutorials to figure out how to fix issues.

p_ing 9mo ago
At least the vendor writes a Windows driver, no matter how bad it is. If your device doesn't work on Linux, you're simply SOL.

cosmic_cheese 9mo ago

The main difference is that with Windows the work is mostly front loaded. From 2000/XP forward, as long as you set up the correct drivers post-install, they for most intents and purposes, barring shitty hardware, really did “just work”. There’s something to be said for “Windows creep” though, where the install decays over time and a reinstall is required. Back in the 2K/XP/Vista days this could be pretty bad, but that improved with 7 onwards. It still exists today, but the decay takes years to become noticeable instead of months. Linux isn’t without its own issues there however. Even on a more friendly distro like Ubuntu or Fedora, eventually one will end up with things like config files that slipped through the cracks and didn’t get migrated correctly, very slowing degrading the desktop experience.

Zak 9mo ago
That more or less matches my experience. A quality PC with NT5+ preloaded and not too much bundled crapware would mostly just work when it was fresh, but it would not be working well a year later if not maintained by someone with a modicum of technical knowledge.

ranger207 9mo ago

I don't disagree which is why the level of effort needed to use Linux has always seemed overblown to me lol, but that is the relative popular perception