I think most of normal users don’t even know what an OS is, so they don’t think who is choosing it.
Comment on "Linux? Those guys who like to talk about themselves?"
yesman@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
This is true! Ignorance of Linux is the no1 reason people don’t adopt it. This is doubly hard for Window-brains because the concept of choosing an OS is foreign to them. From their perspective it’s your boss, your school, or your parents who choose your OS.
olenkoVD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 hours ago
azimir@lemmy.ml 3 hours ago
Having taught a computer science course on Operating Systems it’s even tough to teach a room full of CS undergrads what one is.
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
I talked to some colleagues some time ago and they had never heard of Linux. The very concept of different operating systems was news to them. We still have a long way to go.
NessD@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
Even though I highly support Linux and what it’s thriving to be, but comments like this are why people don’t switch. Calling people names never is a good idea to get them to support your course.
folekaule@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
Exactly. If we want people to switch to Linux, we need to make sure they are going to have a good experience. That means to accept that there are still some use cases that Windows is better for, at least for some people. If all you use your gaming rig for is LoL or you spend 99% of your workday in Excel, it doesn’t make sense to switch. Linux will be there for them when they’re ready.
hperrin@lemmy.ca 6 hours ago
Do we want the kind of people who are afraid of Linux to switch to Linux though? I feel like those people should stay on Windows until Linux adoption is just too overwhelming. Let the people who actually want to explore and try new things switch first, cause they’ll be more useful at providing feedback, and less likely to hurt the community.
Like, was it a good thing that Linus did his first Linux challenge? It was a lot of press, but a lot of it was bad. Maybe that is a good thing and I’m just wrong here. I feel like in his second challenge he was much more open to actually trying something new, and kind of realized that he doesn’t actually know anything about computers, but just Windows.
folekaule@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
I don’t think being afraid is a big problem, if you are also motivated to try it. If you’re afraid and have a good experience anyway, that’s a good thing. If you were afraid and have a bad experience, you’ll likely not try it again for a long time, if ever. The key difference is what kind of experience you have. If the bad experience can be avoided in the first place, for example by telling that their game will not work, then nothing was lost. They may try again when they’re bored with that game.
If they have a community to help them make the right decision and choices along the way, they can have a good experience. I think the point I’m trying to emphasize is that the community should try hard to set them up for success rather than cheerleading: “go for it! it worked great for me!”
I hear your point about Linus (of LTT) and yes he gave Linux “bad press”, but I think it helps balance the hype with some realism of “it doesn’t work for everyone”.
I wouldn’t call Linus an average user though. I liked watching Switch and Click’s journey with Linux. She starts out knowing basically nothing, but with a can-do and eager-to-learn attitude. She worked through it and now has become quite the Linux power user. I think that that is more encouraging and relatable to the average computer user. I think it’s the way to go in general: be encouraging and positive, but also be honest about the rough edges.
It’s also about setting realistic expectations and not overselling the product. Tons of people install Linux on either bleeding edge hardware (no vendor support) or an older, secondary computer (well supported, but slow) and they experience that as “Linux is bad”.
They may expect their proprietary software to work and it doesn’t. Then they have to go back to Windows after they had finally worked up the courage to try Linux. I think it’s fine to say “I don’t think Linux will work well for you” before they get into that situation.
I, myself, despite having used Linux off and on since the mid-90s, didn’t fully commit to a Linux desktop until a year ago. I built a new PC for it, knowing it would run only Linux and with parts I knew would work. I knew exactly which programs I had to give up on and find alternatives for. I made an informed choice and I’ve never been happier with my PC after switching.
hperrin@lemmy.ca 7 hours ago
Ok, but, like, who cares? If someone wants to eat a pile of shit to stick it to the burger enjoyers, let them.
NessD@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
Apparently enough people to comment on that.