Edit: here is some context because people are getting mad
the reason i asked because my friend asked me to install linux on his laptop because he wanted to look like a cringey hacker so i installed it but after i installed linux few days after he reinstalled windows(i am not sure why but he said he can’t run bluestack, i suggested other VMs but he wouldn’t have any other way but that’s not reason i think he switched he was being dismissive) and now his mic and web cam is not working and some other stuff, so he’s asking me again to reinstall linux constantly and i don’t want to do that again (why? My school is far from my home around 9km/5.5 and i go there by my bicycle so after school I don’t wanna waste my time installing linux)so i was just ranting didn’t expect to make people mad
It’s installed on their PC. That’s 98% of it. If Linux was pre-installed on everyone’s PC we’d all be using Linux, and the normies would complain about how hard Windows is to use.
I’m convinced my Mom wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Windows 10 and Debian with a Win10 theme.
Unless she uses Peacock. That’s the only thing that tripped up my mom although Peacock barely runs in her Win 10 environment either.
Even if there are Linux preinstalled laptops people don’t buy them. Linux on desktop has too many fundamental Issues and still isn’t a viable option imo. Even top Linux distributions don’t have particularly good interfaces with very questionable design choices.
This type of questions seems too obvious and really childish, there’s no way you don’t know why people use windows despite it being trash. Either you’re dumb or you’re asking this questions for attention.
Yeah, I think there needs to be a push for less of these circle jerk posts. It seem more appropriate for a meme community than something that I at least assume is meant to be about more focused discussion about Linux than a Windows fixation.
other than pre-installed i don’t know and the reason i asked because my friend asked me to install linux on his laptop but after i installed linux few days after he reinstalled windows and now his mic and web cam not working and some other stuff, so he’s asking me again to reinstall linux
- Familiarity
- More games/better gaming support
- Consistency with computers used at work/school or by friends/colleagues
- IT people can benefit from using the same systems as their users to provide better support
- Availability of proprietary software necessary to run specialized equipment
- Non-power users might not run into significant issues with Windows since it does basic tasks like web browsing, game playing, and movie watching just fine
Gaming related: while true Proton put Linux gaming on the map, most problems are anti cheat related. Some games run even better under Linux IT related: this really depends on your job. I work 100% on Linux machines but my client is indeed a Windows machine with regular fuckups because of shitty Updates or things Windows does for no good reason or even worse no proper error handling or logging. Non power user related: most stuff happens in Browsers Today so watching Videos, browsing the web works the same and doesnt need that much bloat and spyware Windows delivers by default
Today there is no real reason to stick on Windows though besides mostly flawless gaming or shitty software which is not available on Linux nor runs proper through WINE
None of this applies to the average user though.
The vast majority of devices sold come with Windows or MacOS, so you’re suggesting that the average Joe should wipe their drive, pick a distro, and self-install and maintain a new operating system.
You and I know that it’s not as difficult as it sounds, but that’s asking a lot from people who can’t even bother to reboot their system when there’s been an update pending for 10 days.
Those are real reasons though.
- Familiarity = Lazy
- Games = Waste of one’s life
- Consistencty… = Need to fit in, low self worth
- IT people can… = You accept being controlled by others
- …proprietary software… = How fcking dare you, sir?!?
- Non-power users - These people need Linux the MOST. They screw up their windows installs and need competent people to fix it for them… again, and again, and again!
I’m not sure insulting people is the most effective way to win them over to your perspective.
You seem to attribute to character flaws what is more commonly just practical decisions.
I won’t be an apologist for people’s shortcomings, especially when those hurt Linux adoption.
- Familiarity: There is Cinnamon, MATE, and KDE that is plenty similar to Windows for understanding the interface. This is not an excuse.
- Games: The fact that games continues to dictate peoples platform choice is simply intolerable. Games are on Windows to make money, not on Linux because it doesn’t make enough money. That simply should not be allowed. It’s a feedback loop. And why? So people can sit on their butts accomplishing nothing. If one is going to be on a computer, USE it for doing something useful. Games are a waste of good computer.
- Consistency: Seriously, be a thorn in the side of proprietary file format users. They promote vendor lock-in with their careless use of proprietary Windows software. Don’t just go with the flow, show them they are wrong for surrendering to companies in it only for money. If it costs you friends, they weren’t good enough people to be friends with, anyway.
- IT people can…: Sure… nothing like Teams and corporate spyware agents on your system. No thank you.
- Proprietary software: Simply shouldn’t exist. It is a harm to society and needs to be eradicated.
- Non-power users: Yeah I said it, and I’m not wrong.
The message: Join the Linux and FOSS utopia, quit wasting life gaming (unless you do it to spend quality time with your child, as computer games are for children), make real relationships not based on conforming and not based on promoting non-FOSS solutions, learn how to properly run and secure a computer, as it is a responsibility and a tool, not a toy and not something you should trust anyone else to administer, stop paying for software written for non-FOSS platforms, and finally, again, more responsibility in knowing how to properly and safely use a computer. That time wasted gaming could have been spent educating oneself on how to use, administer, and secure computers. It can also be used to properly call this stuff out in order to help create a more perfect society.
I had a point by point response, but I don’t think perpetuating this discussion is productive, so I’ll just leave you with the friendly advice that adopting a judgmental, nearly religious fundamentalist, and authoritarian approach to FOSS feels like it violates the spirit of FOSS itself and will likely be off-putting to even other FOSS enthusiasts, much less anyone you want to convince.
That’s fair. I’m finding myself more tolerant since I’ve had lunch. Have a good day.
- It’s preinstalled on their PC.
- All their Hardware is guaranteed to work.
- All their preferred Software is available and supported.
- A small but very loud minority of the FOSS advocates are absolute insufferable and people associate this negative experiences with Linux.
- There are thousands of Distros and it can be confusing.
Things have gotten way better on Desktop Linux but changing public perception takes a lot of effort and time.
Pre-installed is the biggest factor. Go to Walmart or best buy. You’ll find windows and Mac and chromebooks.
I don’t think it’s “laziness” per se, but rather people aren’t that technically inclined. It’s too much of a challenge for the average person especially when they don’t understand the benefits.
For me, someone who’s used both, I’m now using a windows machine because there are two applications that aren’t available for Linux os’s that I need for work. You cannot use a substitute program (one is a less common secure video conference program).
Our media pc in the living room is running a Linux OS, but when we try to watch the local web player for national programming (Ireland) Firefox won’t run the player on Linux like it can on Windows, so we have to use Chrome, which I absolutely hate doing.
I’d love to use Linux full time, but I must use a couple of windows/mac OS applications, so I put up with windows. Win 10 isn’t so bad.
I’m waiting on Linux to get proper HDR support before being able to use one for TV use. Been waiting for that for years.
Also, the reason people eat at the same restaurants regularly, and use the same brand toothpaste etc.
- They feel it meets their needs and are comfortable with it
Because “inferior” is just a perspective. In your pov Linux may be better, but for someone who wants a PC to play games, mainly games with anticheats, Linux is objectively worst.
Linux, Windows, MacOS, etc are just software. You must be able to use the software that best fits in your needs and that’s it.
I wouldn’t say its inferior, different? Sure but not inferior
Exactly. It depends on the user and their requirements. Windows has far more commercial software support and is pre-installed and supported on a huge number of systems. Linux has many advantages in a large number of niches and if you operate in those niches it is hard to understand why anyone would choose to use Windows but a lot of people don’t choose their OS at all. It is chosen for them when they buy their computer or dictated by their job or the software they need.
Posts like this are why Linux users have a bad rep. I like Linux but a lot of tools I use are developed for windows, not Linux. I use Nvidia gpus (because I have to for CUDA) which are known to bug out on Linux.
Because it’s reliable, capable, and comes preinstalled on everything. Linux is better in a lot of ways, but it’s only really good for power users who can install it then can deal with the quirks or people who only use Facebook and need the stability. Everyone else will get confused by the differences to what they’re used to, then when they try to install Microsoft Office or Photoshop, they’ll just ask whoever installed it to “put it back to normal.”
It’s preinstalled.
One word. Distros. If I want windows on a home computer, it’s windows. Maybe it’s Home or Professional, but it’s just fucking windows.
If I want linux at home, it’s Ubuntu or Debian or Arch or Slack or Cent or Mint or some other shit. Then I choose one and I want office and it’s not an option, so I google “office on linux” and it’s libreoffice or wayland or x.org or god forbid open office. Guess what I don’t want to do, explain that shit to my kids.
At work we have red hat and cent. If I’m spinning up private cloud computer it’s cent, if it’s public facing its red hat. No decisions to make. But then I have to research some arbitrary package and all the user guides are Debian based and like clockwork apt-get and rpm are inevitably different versions and installs to opt instead of /usr/local and just fuck.
Yea it’s come a long way, but home pcs need to operate brain dead simple point and click. Windows as successfully abstracted away every component of the concept of an operating system from 80% of end users, and 99% of the last 20% don’t want to deal with it off the clock.
People use tools that work best for them. There really is nothing much more to it than that. An operating system is a tool, not a religion.
not a religion
Terry Davis would disagree
This frustrates the shit out of me but I have a feeling it has everything to do with mindshare. Windows just has the majority of the mindshare and a lot of decisions about information technology are not necessarily made by technically savvy people. Even technically savvy people make poor choices. I had a director once tell me that he prefers proprietary software to open source because it gives him somebody to sue if the software fails. Obviously he is neither a lawyer nor much of a reader because the terms of use and conditions basically indemnify the software company.
Linux and BSD are superior in almost every way. You could literally run an entire organization on Linux Mint as the desktop. Even before Linux Mint was a thing, I had a contract job supporting a rollout of CentOS to the desktop at a small publishing company and this was back in 2005. This company did absolutely everything systems related on CentOS. If this company could do it 18 years ago on CentOS, I can only imagine it is going to be even easier today.
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You get dragged back to Windows by a lot of employers and schools. Nobody has time to fight the system when everything depends on your Windows based outputs.
Microsoft specifically engages and sponsors technology in governments around the world for this reason. Their whole schtick is ‘embrace’.
Windows on its own is inferior and MS preys on its users by extracting more data and pushing them more into price-increasing cloud-based subscription models where privacy, ownership and the term “Personal Computing” means nothing anymore, and where its cloud infrastructure (where all your stuff lives) also is a big juicy target for hackers all over the globe, so you should absolutely, if you can, move away from Windows to a neutral OS like Linux, where you remain in control over what you use and the security of your infrastructure (if it’s too hard for you, pay someone to take care of it, instead of shoving your whole life and all of your company’s business secrets into MS’ cloud).
The couple of areas where Windows can be seen as “superior” on the desktop are also mostly not due to Microsoft, but due to other developers (only) developing their stuff for Windows due to its popularity. So if you use some proprietary applications or special hardware which only work on Windows, you’ve made yourself dependent upon that OS. And by staying on that OS, you’re not changing anything. You should move to Linux and insist on developers to make their stuff work on Linux as well. Or else nothing changes and MS will continue to do what they want with their users. It’s a downhill spiral and it started with Win8 or Win10. At some point, Windows will be so bad and Linux desktop will be so good that a change will happen automatically. But still, you should switch now to accelerate the inevitable process, and not support MS for much longer. The monarchy is dead, we live in a democracy now. (Well, most of us)
Yes, the change can be hard, especially if you’ve used a lot of proprietary Windows-only stuff. But it’s necessary. The operating system is too important for it to be 100% controlled by a privacy-disrespecting, US intelligence service obedient company. Sure, Windows might still offer you a better experience for your specific workflows in some cases. But it’s a poisoned apple, and more and more poison gets added over time. Just move away and stay away. Adjust your workflows. Make a statement. Every new Linux user is another argument in favor of the open operating system, and another reason for developers to start building for Linux as well. If you stay on Windows because, say, your career depends on you using some proprietary Windows-only stuff, then OK, use it as long as you have to. I’m not telling you to stop using what you HAVE to use. But if you stay on Windows even though you could just as well move to Linux (which most people can), you’re not doing anyone any favors except that you’re supporting the status quo and slowing down important progress.
And about the games using anti-cheat … just skip those. You don’t even want them on Windows. That’s literal malware you’re installing onto your system, just to play a video game. Sure, Windows itself also contains malware, so maybe users just don’t care. Fair point. But I still can’t recommend people harming the security and privacy of their systems so blatantly. Some of the anti-cheat stuff is actually compatible on Linux if the developers allowed it to be (technically it is compatible in most cases, but devs have to allow it specifically), but please just don’t support such things. There are many great games out there to play besides games using anti-cheats. Just like there are many great Linux-friendly applications you probably don’t know about yet besides those Windows-only proprietary apps. It is some initial work to adjust and make the new discoveries, but it’s worth it. Even necessary, considering how user-hostile Microsoft/Windows has become.
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