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Microsoft have turned multiple generations into the digital equivalent of abused spouses, constantly saying "this time is different" every time a new OS is rele

Microsoft have turned multiple generations into the digital equivalent of abused spouses, constantly saying "this time is different" every time a new OS is released. They'll buy new PC's and downgrade to windows 7, or grit their teeth and use win 8.1. If you show them a shiny, modern KDE-based Linux distribution, their eyes glaze over while they proclaim "yeah, but Linux is hard." Even if you prove that it's easy as pie to use, they'll keep saying that, while they look uncomfortable from the cognitive dissonance they're experiencing.

phaus 12y ago
>Even if you prove that it's easy as pie to use, they'll keep saying that, while they look uncomfortable from the cognitive dissonance they're experiencing. I love Linux, and I think it has the potential to be the best operating system for end-users. Unfortunately, it is hard for the average person to use. Even the most user-friendly distro, Ubuntu, suffers from incompatibility issues and broken drivers after I update. It doesn't happen often, but the average person doesn't EVER want to spend hours fucking around with his / her computer just to get it working properly. The interface is user-friendly, but that won't matter if something breaks.
- dllthomas 12y ago
  My dad installed Ubuntu for a friend of his - a non-computer-savvy poet - and she was quite happy with it. There's a distinction to be had between "use" and "administer" (I'm not sure how much administration of the box she did or didn't do).
  - anonbanker 12y ago
    I'd say windows is similar in this regard. Using Terminal Services on a Server 2008R2 computer as an unprivileged user is still going to hide all the administration tasks required.
- anonbanker 12y ago
  The most user-friendly distribution is now Chakra Linux, which is KDE-based. Rolling distributions experience none of the problems you mentioned. Further, as the kernel has everything (but AMD/NVidia drivers) built-in, I'm curious as to how an upgrade broke drivers.
runjake 12y ago
> Linux is hard This is a bit patronizing. I'm a Windows/OS X user who used Linux as a daily driver OS longer than he's used Windows or OS X. I came to (Soft Landing) Linux from Minix on Amiga, and AmigaOS before that. It's not that Linux is hard, I feel more comfortable with it than I do in either Windows or Linux, but I'm tired of messing with things and not having available common apps I desire. And yeah, there's OSS alternatives, but I find them almost always awful (GIMP and Wireshark are exceptions, though). It's not that I find KDE too hard, it's that it's hideous (just my opinion) and it too closely emulates the stuff I like least about Windows. And yeah, you can change its appearance but I'm tired of messing with things, or having to tweak UIs to look right because they were designed to function with the default theme. Every year or so, I take another look at desktop Linux to see if it will meet my needs. I want to go back, but there's just not enough there for me to pull the trigger. But God, I want to.

phaus 12y ago

>Even if you prove that it's easy as pie to use, they'll keep saying that, while they look uncomfortable from the cognitive dissonance they're experiencing. I love Linux, and I think it has the potential to be the best operating system for end-users. Unfortunately, it is hard for the average person to use. Even the most user-friendly distro, Ubuntu, suffers from incompatibility issues and broken drivers after I update. It doesn't happen often, but the average person doesn't EVER want to spend hours fucking around with his / her computer just to get it working properly. The interface is user-friendly, but that won't matter if something breaks.

dllthomas 12y ago
My dad installed Ubuntu for a friend of his - a non-computer-savvy poet - and she was quite happy with it. There's a distinction to be had between "use" and "administer" (I'm not sure how much administration of the box she did or didn't do).
- anonbanker 12y ago
  I'd say windows is similar in this regard. Using Terminal Services on a Server 2008R2 computer as an unprivileged user is still going to hide all the administration tasks required.
anonbanker 12y ago
The most user-friendly distribution is now Chakra Linux, which is KDE-based. Rolling distributions experience none of the problems you mentioned. Further, as the kernel has everything (but AMD/NVidia drivers) built-in, I'm curious as to how an upgrade broke drivers.

runjake 12y ago

> Linux is hard This is a bit patronizing. I'm a Windows/OS X user who used Linux as a daily driver OS longer than he's used Windows or OS X. I came to (Soft Landing) Linux from Minix on Amiga, and AmigaOS before that. It's not that Linux is hard, I feel more comfortable with it than I do in either Windows or Linux, but I'm tired of messing with things and not having available common apps I desire. And yeah, there's OSS alternatives, but I find them almost always awful (GIMP and Wireshark are exceptions, though). It's not that I find KDE too hard, it's that it's hideous (just my opinion) and it too closely emulates the stuff I like least about Windows. And yeah, you can change its appearance but I'm tired of messing with things, or having to tweak UIs to look right because they were designed to function with the default theme. Every year or so, I take another look at desktop Linux to see if it will meet my needs. I want to go back, but there's just not enough there for me to pull the trigger. But God, I want to.