My experience as a new ubuntu user after 2 days.

[ced3]

Excuse any english mistakes, it's not my main language. Also this is a long post but I wanted to explain what I think the OS needs to make me and my grandma stay on it if those needs were met..

I want to share my experience as a long time windows user who switched to Ubuntu 2 days ago because I feel like it's the type of objective feedback the developing community could need or rather should seek. When I say I was objective, I really mean it, I came with great expectation and a curious envy to discover a new OS. Before starting however, let me present myself because I feel it's relevant. I'm a long time windows user, currently web developer. So I'm not totally oblivious to computers in general but I'm not quite as knowledgeable as many of you. I don't use the console - or the terminal, whatever you call it on Ubuntu - in general, I like using a GUI and I like things to work on my PC. I'm also an artist that use various application on windows like reason, ableton and some video editing software like Adobe after effect... I know you know where this is going but bare with me. Now I think the Ubuntu community wants the OS to keep being a niche OS, but I don't think anyone benefit from that and I'll explain why I think so.

So there we are, monday morning and I got some work to do, let's start this computer. "OS not found". Well It seems like the perfect time to try Ubuntu as I wanted to try for some time now. A quick research on google on the benefit of the OS and <<Linux is in fact really easy to use with distributions that provide an intuitive user interface like Ubuntu, could even be easier than windows>>. Downloaded it. My grand mother calls me in the meantime as she needs help on her computer as usual. I thought "hey if Ubuntu is so easy maybe I should install it on her computer, maybe later though, I'll test it myself first". This is important because as I was trying the OS for the first time I constantly thought about whether or not she would have an easier time on windows than Ubuntu. The quick answer after some days of usage is that it very well could... but not quite there are keys things that need to improve in order for me to reconsider it.

Let's start with the reason I think Ubuntu shouldn't seek to be a niche OS for tech people. First and foremost if there are more people using it that means there is a bigger potential market for big companies like adobe and the likes. That means it is more likely they decide to release their app available on Linux as well. Bigger population means more software availability which is the main reason some people go back to windows. I feel like the guys doing Ubuntu should seek one thing : "If a grandma tries ubuntu she should be able to intuitively find her way so she doesn't uninstall to go back to windows or mac." At the moment it's just not the case and I'll try to explain why I think so.

The installation went fast and easy and I'm on the desktop. It looks great, it looks better than other OS - obviously subjective -. It's intuitive, drop an icon there and it stays there etc.
First problem encountered: my keyboard is qwerty. Problem solved, took me 1 minute to figure out. Quick easy and clean, I like it so far.

Task #2 : Installing 2 softwares. We get to the meat of my feedback and what my thread is essentially about: the software center. It is killer in its own right. It's the feature that could make this OS easier for my grandma, easier than any other OS. Unfortunately it's just not the case at the moment but it's almost there. So back to it, I want : Steam, Eclipse and java. After a quick google search I find out I can install Steam from the software center. Problem: There is no install button for steam... Had to use the console to install it. It might not seem like a huge deal to you but it is to my grandma. Then I've to use the console some more because the package downloaded are not good or something along those lines. Then I want to install eclipse and java jdk. I read the reviews in the software center and see that it's not up to date. So I download it from internet. Granted I might have picked the wrong application to start with as I didn't encounter any problem after that. That wasn't a great first impression to say the least. However I do think this thing is wonderful and is the way to go. It's just noob friendly. During that time I also had to uninstall Steam to reinstall it. I installed the synaptic GUI to uninstall apps. It's quite messy, there are a lot of things listed so I type Steam. And to my surprise there are a bunch of things that are listed. I read the doc for 5 minutes and understand there are packages, dependencies etc. Then stop as I'm not even halfway through the page. My point is I shouldn't have to. If the OS would aim for being intuitive it should have a layer of abstraction on top of that. And that does not mean that console guys are forgotten, you can really have best of both worlds there. Look at android, you just press an icon and drop it in the trash, done. Secundo apps that are downloaded from internet can't be uninstalled from the software center. This software center is great but it needs to be centralized and have everything there so it's easy and intuitive. That's the way my grand ma can use Ubuntu more easily than windows. In fact if that were the case and more apps exclusive to windows were available on Ubuntu, I'd make her do the switch in an heartbeat because I know that it's just better and I support the open source side of things.

So I said software availability ? I shouldn't have to run a virtual machine or wine to use the softwares I want. I shouldn't have to use another software when I did use the same one for 3 years and all the tutorials I read are for after effect. It really, really is a deal breaker and that's not how you make my grand ma stay and remember more grandmas equals bigger market which equals to more apps availability. But it's kind of a chicken and egg problem isn't it ? How do you break the spiral ? Opinions are welcome.


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Side-note :

This is less important but there are some little annoying things that are worth mentioning but aren't deal breakers. Can't minimize an app without clicking its icon ? I understand it's used to switch between many windows when you have many of them open, which is fantastic. What about when I only have one open ? It is annoying, I often see myself on windows clicking da icon just to maximize, read a bit of what I just forgot, then minimize and go back to my task. Which is easy, fast and intuitive. I think there very well could be best of both worlds there. ( The two others are more subjective and due to the fact that I've been on windows for so long but I'll mention those anyway : No quick, intuitive, one click access to the desktop there probably is a shortcut though but my point is that I've to google it. Ctrl+alt right doesn't work and instead is alt GR to type special chars, well I kinda like it, but I also like having a standard for things, now I have 2 standards to remember).

[grahammechanical]

When did your grandma get a computer? You are not the first person to complain that their grandma could not use Ubuntu unless it became a copy of Microsoft Windows. Well that is not going to happen. From the beginning Linux was never meant to be a clone of Windows.

Let us face facts. Linux is not for you. That is the truth. I can live with that.

[ian-weisser]

It's unlikely your Grandma's first impulse would be to drop to a shell prompt to install Steam.
Much more likely most non-technical users would Google the problem...and discover the relevant reason (Steam is falling behind) and the simple solutions.

You have, unfortunately, fallen into *two* common traps that technically-skilled Windows users are vulnerable to when they first try Linux.

1) Your Windows technical expertise is sometimes helpful, but sometimes completely misleading (Example: Misunderstanding package management has led you round in frustrated circles). Ubuntu is not Windows. It doesn't work like Windows. The software is different. The strengths and weaknesses are different. The culture is different.

2) Ubuntu's market and business plan are TOTALLY different from Microsoft's. Ubuntu doesn't need a 'killer'. You are NOT a customer of Ubuntu, your use of Ubuntu has brought nobody any revenue, and your feedback has less value than you intend. Indeed, as a technically-skilled user, you're outside Ubuntu's target market. You are a participant, and a welcome one, in an open-source project. How you improve Ubuntu and it's applications is different than how you improve software in the Windows ecosystem.

Non-technically-skilled Windows users generally don't have these problems for several reasons.
You are not alone in falling into those traps. Many have. Think of it as a rite of passage - the scars of your first night at our campfire...now your campfire, too.

[mystics]

Before I begin, let me just say welcome!

Now I think the Ubuntu community wants the OS to keep being a niche OS, but I don't think anyone benefit from that and I'll explain why I think so.

From what I've read on these forums, I don't think the Ubuntu community wants Ubuntu to remain niche. Now, there are some in the community that just don't care about who leads the market, but I think a very small portion of the community, if even that, really wants Ubuntu (or Linux in general) to remain a niche OS only used by less than 2% of users.

<<Linux is in fact really easy to use with distributions that provide an intuitive user interface like Ubuntu, could even be easier than windows>>.

Just to forewarn you, a lot of stuff you'll read online about how "easy" or "hard" Linux is can be exaggerated either way. Can Linux only be used by tech nerds who understand cryptic commands? No. Is Linux as easy for the average user as Windows or Mac? Probably not. I'm not saying people are trying to be deceptive, but a lot of people tend to either never get past the difficulties or tend to forget just how difficult some of those things can be to the average user.

Task #2 : Installing 2 softwares. We get to the meat of my feedback and what my thread is essentially about: the software center. It is killer in its own right. It's the feature that could make this OS easier for my grandma, easier than any other OS.

Not to turn you off of Linux, but the Ubuntu Software Center isn't unique to Linux. Apple has had the Mac App Store for a long time, and Microsoft now has the Windows Store as of Windows 8. Now, the latter often gets criticized for not being up-to-standards with what Apple and Google have accomplished, but the Ubuntu Software Center receives a lot of criticism itself.

But if what you want is a storefront and your grandma has Windows 7, then you might want to consider taking the free upgrade to Windows 10. If she has Windows 8 or newer, then she should already have something similar.

Problem: There is no install button for steam...

You may want to open up a support thread with regards to this because this doesn't sound normal at all.

So I said software availability ? I shouldn't have to run a virtual machine or wine to use the softwares I want.

Not the fault of Linux developers or users. Developers won't make a Linux version until they see Linux as worth the risk. In some cases, such as very small teams, it can even be simply not understanding how to make something for anything other than Windows. Things like Wine are basically our way of coping until Linux gets the user base necessary to catch the eyes of larger developers and convince smaller developers to put in the time to learn it.

But it's kind of a chicken and egg problem isn't it ? How do you break the spiral ? Opinions are welcome.

Use it when you can, advise it to people when it may work for them, and be there to help them make the switch. That's really all we can do.

Can't minimize an app without clicking its icon ? I understand it's used to switch between many windows when you have many of them open, which is fantastic. What about when I only have one open ? It is annoying, I often see myself on windows clicking da icon just to maximize, read a bit of what I just forgot, then minimize and go back to my task. Which is easy, fast and intuitive. I think there very well could be best of both worlds there.

I'm not sure what you're talking about because you should be able to minimize apps through a window button, mouse commands, and/or keyboard commands (whichever one you prefer).

[vasa1]

In case it hasn't been mentioned:
linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

[coldraven]

When I ran Windows I had dodgy versions of the software that I could not afford. Things like Dreamweaver, Photoshop etc. Now I use Ubuntu and all my software is legitimate and free!
One big difference is that in Windows you have to remember to update all your software individually (Did you update Adobe Reader lately?). In Ubuntu all your software and security fixes are updated automatically with one click.
There is no activation key for Linux. Recently my laptop screen died. I bought an identical model* and just swapped the hard drive. It worked immediately! You cannot do that with Windows, you would have to pay for another license. Windows is expensive!
There are many versions of desktop Linux. Some try to look like Windows but Ubuntu does not. Check out Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop for a Win7 lookalike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maEcB85mQpM

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the world of open source computing.

*I paid just £60 for a dual core HP. My laptop may be old but with Linux it still runs fine.

[stalkingwolf]

ubuntu/linux niche for Techy people? I have installed MInt 13 and zorin for several 10-12 year olds and will be setting up a machine in the next day or so for a 4 yr old. none of them have had a problem. Maybe because they listen? dont know.

Linux of what ever flavor is not a drop in for windows. It is far easier today than it was in 01 when i installed my first linux system.

[leclerc65]

I have installed MInt 13 and zorin for several 10-12 year olds and will be setting up a machine in the next day or so for a 4 yr old. none of them have had a problem.

They are better than their grandpa's and grandma's, naturally.

[Habitual]

Welcome to Ubuntu!
Your English is fine.
Grandma uses Steam?

[stalkingwolf]

My Dad and step Mom are 96 and 92. i have considered installing a linux for them. but decided not to for 2 reasons.
1 windows is what they know.2 there is no one close to them that can provide support for them. I have several siblings close but they all use windows. So on the rare occassion when my brother hits a wall i get a call.