A community for everything relating to the GNU/Linux operating system
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Linux is very user friendly. Windows 11 with debloat is also a good option. Not worth sticking to windows if they won't be using any microsoft specific development tools like visual studio or be playing heavy games. A casual gamer won't be troubled on Linux.
Remember when windows 10 was supposed to be the last version of windows? π€£
It is the last - that a lot of us here will ever use willingly
Switched from W10 to EndeavourOS about two weeks ago. Happy so far. The full-screen W11 ads/W10 deprecation warnings were what pushed me over the edge.
Yeah, if the MS store and UWP apps worked out for Microsoft (they didn't lol).
Now win11 is "okay, now this really will be last version of windows, because you can't refuse installing our crap."
if the MS store and UWP apps worked out for Microsoft
Interestingly, that's exactly what prompted Valve to invest heavily into Linux compatibility. They saw a future where Windows became an iPhone-like OS where most users only obtained apps and games via Microsoft's store, and they absolutely did not like that idea.
That future never came, but later on the project would pay dividends by allowing the Steam Deck to exist.
Yep, and I'd argue thats one of the most fruitful things to come out of MS's blunders. It incentivized the other stakeholders to get win32/64 compatibility efforts into high gear for linux, and I couldn't be happier with what we ended up with today (on the linux side ofc)
Edit: Also, I mentioned the MS store and UWP because that was the reason behind that infamous quote - the team wanted to motivate developers to get on board with the platform, and announcing 10 as the last version of Windows was part of that campaign.
I think what many people really need to feel confident switching to linux is an expert who is willing to guide them through it and offer support.
I'm actively trying to do that, and it's not working. All my normie friends are either ignoring the problem or planning on buying new pcs with win11
The DIY install guide is a joke.
I mean, it is very "broad strokes" but correct. Ultimately though I don't think their goal is to get people to just do it themselves. It seems like their bigger goal is connecting people in the community to people that want to make the switch to help smooth out the transition.
I kinda wish I had the time and knowledge to volunteer at my local commu center and do a "Save your old computer from the Dump!" Free upgrade! ~to~ ~Linux~" drive.
I considered it, but I think the overwhelming, unexpected workload would be migrating data, training users, and working with them through migration to FOSS applications from Office and the like.
Itβs definitely not just going to be βinstalled Linux on your computer, have a great day!β
Yeah I'd start with Ubuntu or mint. Standard apps like libreoffice scripted install and a desktop link to a YouTube learning series.
Not covering data. Clean wipe only. Hence the "save it from the dump" line.
I'd have the center drop off units with stickers to track owners and do the needful. No interaction to end users.
Follow up could be Linux training workshops in a classroom setting.
Iβve been through this before. If you simply donβt care for the userβs data, most of them will be angry afterward. Itβll hurt the cause.
Iβll add an anecdote that I hope gives everyone some hope though. I did migrate an elderly couple to Ubuntu years ago, and they actually really liked it. I think they found it simpler and faster than windows on their old laptop.
Doing it free means they won't take care of it or care. Don't dump that on yourself.
I need Linux users to understand that Windows folks don't stop using an operating system just because the support ended
Not immediately, but eventually... When the the thing stops working correctly (because/or it is infected with entirely new and exciting viruses), they will take it to someone to fix and get told they have to upgrade and it will be pitched entirely as "your computer is a worthless paperweight, please buy a new one". A campaign like this is there to plant the seed so that when those people get told, they might remember that they have options.
I think that's because they don't understand or don't care about the risks. Annoyingly I was in the process of making my own version of this campaign when it launched but I was aiming to explain why someone should care that the os is no longer supported and why its a problem first, then suggesting what to do about it. Options weren't exclusively Linux but I realise buying a new device isn't always an option either so some people will absolutely keep using 10. It's not about getting to 100%, just enough that you can make a difference or keep devices out of landfill.
good thing there's not any sort of digital information war going on. i assume having everyone's computers vulnerable will turn out super good
There are a significant number of Windows users that lack technical skills and rely on others for support. Many will also have hardware that does not support Windows 11.
They have 4 choices:
Many, probably most, of these users will be happy continuing to use an unsupported version of Windows. However not all of their support advisors will be happy with this. That includes me. I do not want to take responsibility for these users on an unsupported operating system.
For the same reasons, I am not going to recommend running Windows 11 without support.
So, the choice is buy new hardware or try Linux.
These people that are perfectly happy with their computers the way they are, why do they want to go buy new computers? This is not a very attractive option. I think it is the least attractive option.
Given the other choices, trying Linux, especially as a trial to see if new hardware purchases can be avoided, sounds attractive.
If you are relying on others for support, moving to Windows 11 or moving to Linux is the same amount of work. It is no more difficult and probably no less scary if somebody is helping you.
People would rather stay with what they have. Microsoft will not let them.
Windows stopped at 7.
10 is perfectly great, 7 was not bad at all.
10 is perfectly great
Nope.
Ok
You can't install it on just any machine, rendering millions obsolete.
Honest question. Is there some particular reason why people are against 11? Except the usual reasons people are against windows?
Edit: shoving AI down your throat
And this all besides all the other already present points to shit on Microsoft like the data collection
I actually wouldn't mind upgrading to Windows 11, but I ran Microsoft's compatibility tool and it told me I couldn't. I only built my computer in late 2018, and have upgraded storage space since then. But it's nowhere near old enough to need replacing the motherboard or processor.
Microsoft is just requiring an arbitrary hardware specification as an olive branch to their hardware manufacturer partners.
Lots more data harvesting. Lots more AI. Lots more malware.
My partner isn't tech savvy. I asked them to type "CPU-Z" into the task bar and instead of it opening the installed CPU-Z on their computer, the first suggested result was a download link for CPU-Z. They clicked it to download CPU-Z and got full-on AI-suggested malware that forced us to nuke their PC
The big one is W11 now requires a TPM chip, so tons of computers will stop getting updates soon, with no way to upgrade.
And they keep getting worse with a bunch of annoyances, like more ads, trying to force ai, making it harder to avoid a microsoft account, and getting rid of ways to customize the desktop layout.
With the steam deck proving that Linux gaming was not only possible but easy, I could remove gaming as a reason to keep windows, which meant the only thing I actually wanted windows for was an Adobe subscription that I hadn't used in over a year. With windows fighting me the whole time, Linux got out of my way and let me use my own device how I wanted to. Which by the way sounds like I'm using it for something complicated or specialized but I'm not, I need it for web browsing, gaming, and light photo editing, that's about it.
So that's the positive case to move away from windows. The other side is that Windows is actively hostile to me as a user. I don't want or need copilot. For starters I don't have the hardware to really take advantage of it, and I don't want it using power unnecessarily. I don't want office 365, I don't want OneDrive, I don't want another UI on top of the 5 other UI frameworks that exist in windows which only serve to make it harder to change things to what I want. I don't want to sign in using a Hotmail account I made when I was 12 and haven't touched in years. I don't want windows telling Microsoft how I use my own device. There's some cool stuff in windows 11 like WSL which is awesome for me as a dev in my day job, but it's not enough to keep me in a system that, by design and direction, is trying to lock me into it.
Xbox app is another example, where my game controllers sometimes work and most of the time don't. Sometimes there's cross play with steam, sometimes not. Sometimes even installing the game doesn't work and I have to re-download the entire game again. Just bafflingly bad and costs me more than steam ever has. Ridiculous.
As far as I can tell it's mostly the TPM requirement and pushing more ads / AI nonsense.
You can easily avoid the latter by using the LTSC IoT version. I just bought a new (second hand) computer for TPM (my old one was very due for an upgrade).
With the IoT version it's absolutely fine. Definitely an improvement over Windows 10. The only issue I've noticed is it doesn't come with Windows Game bar or some nonsense so after you run games you'll get a random dialog about there not being an app available to handle ms-gamelink URLs or something. You can just ignore it. I might fix it one day.