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.
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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.