This is exactly the type of shit I’ve been trying to explain to the Linux fanboys for years and all of them dismiss outright.
Until simple shit like this is easy for the average person, Linux will never replace Windows as a default OS option for regular users. 99% of people are scared of config files and the terminal, and they’re still just too commonly needed in every distro.
A LOT of work has been done to minimize it, but there’s always still basic functionality that just isn’t in the GUI. That’s not an issue for most of us here… But it is for most people. Fediverse users are a small minority.
This is a big reason why most won’t switch. Linux can be difficult to get started with and Windows really makes things a lot easier for the average person.
I tried to switch over to Linux this weekend, I gave up and switched back to Windows last night. I’m not completely computer illiterate, I know how to fix things enough that my colleagues often ask me (the administrative assistant) about simple stuff before going to IT.
I really like the Linux environment and I found alternatives to my frequently used programs, but the one thing I really use my computer most is to play World of Warcraft. I spent hours trying to get it working and I couldn’t. I don’t understand the terminal stuff, GitHub is confusing, and there are so many obscure forums with info I don’t understand. With Windows, the install is incredibly simple and I had my previous setup running within 2 hours.
I WANT to switch to Linux, but until I can run wow a lot easier, it looks like I won’t be. I’m not fully giving up on Linux, it just won’t be on my main machine.
It’s really similar to a conversation I had with a classmate on Android vs iPhone. He just didn’t get why I have an iPhone; “Android is more open”, “you have more options”, etc. I had to explain that it just works; I get a new phone when my old one is no longer supported, then all I have to do is sign in and my phone is back to where it was. Yes, it’s a walled garden, yes there are things Apple does that I don’t like, but the phone itself is simple and easy to upgrade. It just works.
WoW was one of the first things that was working on Linux with wine. It takes 2 seconds to setup bnet with something like Lutris and only requires the user to follow basic on screen prompts. No terminal, no configuration files.
In fact, I just googled “setup wow on Linux” and the first 10 results were tutorials for installing Lutris and just letting it do it for you. Hell even my mom figured out how to do this on PopOS and she’s not that technical.
I feel like this is the kind of condescending comment mentioned above because you assume that I didn’t try those instructions. Maybe I’m more of an average PC user than I thought and just more experienced in Windows than my colleagues, so I know how to fix Windows specific problems 🤷♀️
I don’t know what to tell you. I spent 6 hours following all of those instructions trying to get it working and it didn’t work. I reinstalled Windows, downloaded an exe, and had wow running as soon as it updated. That’s the kind of simplicity Windows provides to an average user, a quick install vs 10 different sets of instructions.
Like I said, I’m not giving up on Linux, but my game machine is Windows for now.
Yup. Hi. I’m one of those people. Everytime I’ve tried to use Linux in the past has come with a massive headache and constant googling to figure out the bare minimums. Windows? Literally holds your hand and just works. Any issues I’ve had with windows I can solve in a single google. I’ve got to delve into obscure forums and try to piece shit together on my own for Linux and I am not about to make my home PC a fuckin homework problem just to use.
What do you use the terminal and config files for? I mainly use bazzite now but after a fresh install the most I do is login to steam and change some settings in Firefox. I copy paste my directory settings for imports on darktable to point to my nas but thats probably the most advanced thing I do
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This is exactly the type of shit I’ve been trying to explain to the Linux fanboys for years and all of them dismiss outright.
Until simple shit like this is easy for the average person, Linux will never replace Windows as a default OS option for regular users. 99% of people are scared of config files and the terminal, and they’re still just too commonly needed in every distro.
A LOT of work has been done to minimize it, but there’s always still basic functionality that just isn’t in the GUI. That’s not an issue for most of us here… But it is for most people. Fediverse users are a small minority.
Can you give a concrete example?
This is a big reason why most won’t switch. Linux can be difficult to get started with and Windows really makes things a lot easier for the average person.
I tried to switch over to Linux this weekend, I gave up and switched back to Windows last night. I’m not completely computer illiterate, I know how to fix things enough that my colleagues often ask me (the administrative assistant) about simple stuff before going to IT.
I really like the Linux environment and I found alternatives to my frequently used programs, but the one thing I really use my computer most is to play World of Warcraft. I spent hours trying to get it working and I couldn’t. I don’t understand the terminal stuff, GitHub is confusing, and there are so many obscure forums with info I don’t understand. With Windows, the install is incredibly simple and I had my previous setup running within 2 hours.
I WANT to switch to Linux, but until I can run wow a lot easier, it looks like I won’t be. I’m not fully giving up on Linux, it just won’t be on my main machine.
It’s really similar to a conversation I had with a classmate on Android vs iPhone. He just didn’t get why I have an iPhone; “Android is more open”, “you have more options”, etc. I had to explain that it just works; I get a new phone when my old one is no longer supported, then all I have to do is sign in and my phone is back to where it was. Yes, it’s a walled garden, yes there are things Apple does that I don’t like, but the phone itself is simple and easy to upgrade. It just works.
WoW was one of the first things that was working on Linux with wine. It takes 2 seconds to setup bnet with something like Lutris and only requires the user to follow basic on screen prompts. No terminal, no configuration files.
In fact, I just googled “setup wow on Linux” and the first 10 results were tutorials for installing Lutris and just letting it do it for you. Hell even my mom figured out how to do this on PopOS and she’s not that technical.
I feel like this is the kind of condescending comment mentioned above because you assume that I didn’t try those instructions. Maybe I’m more of an average PC user than I thought and just more experienced in Windows than my colleagues, so I know how to fix Windows specific problems 🤷♀️
I don’t know what to tell you. I spent 6 hours following all of those instructions trying to get it working and it didn’t work. I reinstalled Windows, downloaded an exe, and had wow running as soon as it updated. That’s the kind of simplicity Windows provides to an average user, a quick install vs 10 different sets of instructions.
Like I said, I’m not giving up on Linux, but my game machine is Windows for now.
Yup. Hi. I’m one of those people. Everytime I’ve tried to use Linux in the past has come with a massive headache and constant googling to figure out the bare minimums. Windows? Literally holds your hand and just works. Any issues I’ve had with windows I can solve in a single google. I’ve got to delve into obscure forums and try to piece shit together on my own for Linux and I am not about to make my home PC a fuckin homework problem just to use.
Config files and terminals? Huh? Why would you need any of that
You would have to run OpenSUSE tumbleweed to get the GUI equivalent of windows configuration.
Yast has a GUI app for everything from Samba setup to Bootloader config.
The trouble is: initially there is a learning curve to SUSE that is different than something like Mint
What do you use the terminal and config files for? I mainly use bazzite now but after a fresh install the most I do is login to steam and change some settings in Firefox. I copy paste my directory settings for imports on darktable to point to my nas but thats probably the most advanced thing I do
Excuses for staying on windows, primarily.