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> after they spend too long looking at StackExchange trying to figure something out. Why are they on Stack Exchange? If they are installing a Linux distro on a
by zanny 12y ago
> after they spend too long looking at StackExchange trying to figure something out.
Why are they on Stack Exchange? If they are installing a Linux distro on a Windows computer, then of course you will have an unpleasant experience. If you want to use Ubuntu the right way without having to butt heads with anything, you buy a system from zareason / thinkpenguin / system76.
You can / will run into the same "searching the Internet" for problems installing Windows on your custom built gaming rig. Driver bugs, config issues, etc. Except for those you will end up digging through yahoo answers or windows help with even more misinformation and bloat.
In the end fundamentally it is not a problem with the Linux desktop. You can use a terminal on Windows as well, but you don't expect to because you bought a Windows computer and expect it to work. The same expectation should be had of prebuilt Ubuntu systems, and I think nowadays it lives up to expectation in my experience.
- bufordsharkley 12y agoCheapest laptop on zareason: $699 Cheapest laptop on thinkpenguin: $599 Cheapest laptop on system76: $799 (unless, of course, I'm missing something) ...I'm running Ubuntu on an ASUS laptop that cost under $400, which worked almost seamlessly, and I installed Mint on my ma's laptop that cost under $400. (That incurred finding a new video driver to avoid running everything in 800x600) I would love to have a Linux-out-of-the-box experience, but the price has to make sense.
- zanny 12y agoI know this is a problem, that is why one of my side jobs is custom building Linux machines locally. I do tech support, and if the client doesn't need Windows specific software or it runs perfectly under Wine I'll set them up with Linux builds and notebooks. I have several Chromebooks I'm versed in reformatting and know they work flawlessly and on what kernel versions that happens. That is not good UX for the average joe, or anyone you are just introducing to Linux. It is a UX fail and ruins impressions when people try to install Linux on arbitrary hardware and have a bad time of it. Yes, if you are a veteran and know what you are doing you can do better than the vendors, but to recommend anything else to a Linux newbie without absolute confidence in comprehensive hardware support is just ruining their first impression.