If you were to ask any of my friends, they could readily attest to my profound passion for Linux. That said, it might surprise you to know that hardly two years ago, I barely knew what Linux was, let alone had any earnest interest in switching to it from Windows. Although a shift as dramatic as this may seem astonishing when considered in hindsight, analyzing my path from one push or influence to the next paints a more telling picture. I want to share my story of how I came not only to use, but indeed champion, the Linux desktop.
I'll be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with Linux. That said, it's never going to win over many on the desktop. In fact a recent review of OS desktops stats indicates a slight increase in Linux use, but was understood mostly as a uptick in Chrome OS users. The problem of course is not Linux but is Linux as a distribution source. It's not widely in the face of a potential PC buyer, most don't even know that Chromebook's are running a Linux kernel or even what a kernel is? Windows is not perfect and getting worse in terms of privacy for sure. But it's a sense of comfort to those PC users who don't understand Linux or want to learn anything new. Then you have the elephant of not being able to run common apps that most people in the "real" world use. Not those open source ones nobody knows about or familiar with. I've seen a worthless attempt at selling a Linux based PC to the general public before. In the end the users ask the same questions, where is those Windows apps? Where is Office? Why doesn't my hardware work? Incredibly they then realize how much effort is put forth to make Windows work, and how much you miss it when your using Linux. Apple Mac fans have similar advantage of a system of OS, hardware, and apps that just work. It's like buying a car, nobody wants to keep fixing a car, they want to change the oil and drive it. Same for PC's users want it to update and be able to run everything and have it work and not have to fix stuff. Linux to all its credit for improving compatibility is still not there for the average computer user. Its a computer geeks OS that is wonderful when its working and a nightmare when it doesn't. It's like a Italian sports car, great to drive when it's not in the shop being fixed.
jescott418: Your opinion is a sad one that enforces and attempts to justify indoctrination and subjugation.
You're right about Windows getting worse in terms of privacy. I have a question for you - just how bad does it have to get before it's unacceptable? Windows 10 now collects user keystrokes (in order to make Cortana smarter, according to Microsoft), collects your web searches, and scans through your emails. I'd rather use nothing at all than something like that. I'm so grateful that something like Linux exists, because it gives us a choice.
By the way, I've installed Linux for several home users and given them the choice to switch back to Windows if they want - not a single person has switched back (after 5 years). The use case for computing is changing - not everyone has "specialist apps" they need that will only run on Windows. The trend has been to move to cloud based applications. Hell, even Microsoft Office is available in web application form now. One person I switched over to Linux is a "podcaster" who said she really "needed" specific Mac OS applications. I leant her a laptop running KDE and Kdenlive. It took her about a month to make the transition, but now Kdenlive has become an indispensable part of her workflow (along with Linux, and many other open source applications).
Your "real world use" may not be relevant to someone else's real world use.
How Linux Helped Me Become an Empowered Computer User
Posted by: Jonathan Terrasi February 7, 2017 03:02 PMIf you were to ask any of my friends, they could readily attest to my profound passion for Linux. That said, it might surprise you to know that hardly two years ago, I barely knew what Linux was, let alone had any earnest interest in switching to it from Windows. Although a shift as dramatic as this may seem astonishing when considered in hindsight, analyzing my path from one push or influence to the next paints a more telling picture. I want to share my story of how I came not only to use, but indeed champion, the Linux desktop.
You're right about Windows getting worse in terms of privacy. I have a question for you - just how bad does it have to get before it's unacceptable? Windows 10 now collects user keystrokes (in order to make Cortana smarter, according to Microsoft), collects your web searches, and scans through your emails. I'd rather use nothing at all than something like that. I'm so grateful that something like Linux exists, because it gives us a choice.
By the way, I've installed Linux for several home users and given them the choice to switch back to Windows if they want - not a single person has switched back (after 5 years). The use case for computing is changing - not everyone has "specialist apps" they need that will only run on Windows. The trend has been to move to cloud based applications. Hell, even Microsoft Office is available in web application form now. One person I switched over to Linux is a "podcaster" who said she really "needed" specific Mac OS applications. I leant her a laptop running KDE and Kdenlive. It took her about a month to make the transition, but now Kdenlive has become an indispensable part of her workflow (along with Linux, and many other open source applications).
Your "real world use" may not be relevant to someone else's real world use.