Comments on: Why don’t you switch to Linux?

By: Florin

Florin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:45:58 +0000

I think reasons 1, 3 and 6 make sense, but I find the proportions unrealistic. It may be that users just don’t know what software is available for Linux, where and how they can get drivers, and so on. Games are an entirely different creature, and games developers should indeed take action.

As for 2, 4 and 5, the ppl giving these reasons are IMO clearly victims of MS’s FUD campaigns. Kubuntu karmic provides an user experience quite similar to that of Windows 7 (only better ), user friendliness was quite high two years ago already, and has gotten a lot better today, and there are many things more complicated to do (especially administrative ones) in Windows than in KDE, besides the things which are impossible on Windows. In particular, installation is a lot easier and faster for Kubuntu than for Windows 7.

I can’t agree with media stuff being harder to configure. Using just the package manager and a little bit of google, I configured my fairly new laptop in a way I can’t even think of with Windows (unless I install pulse on Windows – which is doable, but which most Windows users would probably find too complicated).

I still use Windows at home on an old PC which I’ll soon give to my sister (which I’m using to write this post) (and which I consider packing with kubuntu + edubuntu before that), and at work because of ASP.Net development and the need of sharing projects with others. But I can see it comming that MonoDevelop will be usable interchangeably with MS Dev Studio for ASP.Net, and at that point there will no longer be a reason for me to stick with Windows at work. Most apps I use have either comparable or better equivalents on Linux, or are intrinsically cross-platform, or are actually ports of originally *ix-only apps.

By: Isaac

Isaac — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:51:37 +0000

I’m with you, linux is easy for users and very straightforward. In fact it only takes about an hour to instruct staff how to use Ubuntu after a company conversion from XP.

I admit that without a technical staff performing the install and setup it could be more daunting for users in the beginning, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure most things out and quick/easy guides are readily available for doing literally ANYTHING a person could want to do.

By: Radu

Radu — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:41:43 +0000

Actually there’s stuff you can do in Ubuntu with less clicks than on Windows… And yes, you don’t have to use the terminal unless you like it.

By: vlad

vlad — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:52:57 +0000

What about usability?
We (window$ u$er$) are used to windows’s UI and changing it throws us out of our comfort zone, and the ‘tech dude’ we know has no idea about linux, so when we encounter problems we are doomed (and don’t tell me about the community online when we can’t figure out why our internet is not working)…
So we don’t switch to linux because the terminal looks like you have problems with your computer )

By: Radu

Radu — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:22:11 +0000

Give me a more detailed explanation. I am using HDMI on Linux, I don’t have problems with video/audio codecs and I can see HD content decoded by my graphics card, not my processor.

By: Bogdan

Bogdan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:06:20 +0000

How about complicated to setup multimedia support?

By: Radu

Radu — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:51:42 +0000

Victor, the part with the games is related to the game houses and not to Linux. Point taken for the ads.

By: VictorX

VictorX — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:11:23 +0000

What Linux needs to get more users? It’s quite simple: Advertising!!! And not going around saing: “We’re smarter than M$, we’re virus free and the old stuff… It just needs to go with a simple, straight advertisment for simple minds (most Windows users).
And, yeah, it would be nice to allow my mint super-computer to run Unreal Tournament 3 or any game with warp graphics to run with my Linux O.S.