Do you have to be in a computer-related career to use Linux?

[regonzal]

Discuss.

Me- I am an enthusiast of computers but not a programmer (this honor goes to my older brother). I work in academics and social sciences (Psychology & Sociology) and ponder how common this is.

[chucky chuckaluck]

not at all. i can't even get through most man pages without losing consciousness.

[MarblePanther]

Of course not.

Maybe back in '96 this was so, but now....I mean, this is Ubuntu! :)

[oldsoundguy]

I am retired .. audio engineer. I have a boat load of Linux driven computers (right now 5 of them on my network.)

I have NO CLUE about writing lines of code for a computer .. I just USE them. Love the fact I don't have to spend hours each week maintaining a windows machine just to be on line or to do simple things.

Guess that answers the question.

[regonzal]

I appreciate all your responses. I am truly wanting to ditch Windows but I work a lot with statistical data software that runs on windows and if I could get this to work under Linux I would totally make Ubuntu my primary OS.

[MikeTheC]

not at all. i can't even get through most man pages without losing consciousness.

Wha...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

[gymophett]

Why would you have to be a computer related career?
Uhm?
No you use it as your own personal desktop because it ROCKS!

[dannytatom]

Not at all, you can be jobless as well 8)

[kavon89]

I think the whole purpose of Ubuntu is to bring Linux to the desktop (and the average Joe).

[RichardLinx]

Not at all, you're not in a computer related career and are using Linux. Desktop Linux isn't for extremely knowledgeable computer users any more, now days Linux is suitable for a wide range of people.

[techdude3177]

Not at all, you can be jobless as well 8)

+1
i think a lot are like this right now.

[gymophett]

+1
i think a lot are like this right now.

Lol ;]

[T2manner]

Definitely not.
Most major distributions nowdays are "newb-friendly".
Heck, I figured out how to use Ubuntu last year, at age 14, so there's no reason you couldn't.

[bikeboy]

Given that my career choice is almost entirely the opposite of computer based, it's safe to conclude that people in unrelated industries can do fine with, and indeed enjoy, using Linux exclusively on a daily basis.

For the record, I've been studying various aspects of sport an exercise for the last 5 years or so.

[Sorivenul]

You don't have to be in a computer-related career at all.

Turn the question around: Do you have to be in a computer-related career to use OS X? Windows? The answer to these questions is, of course, no.

If you want to use Linux, there should not be much stopping you. There is plenty of software available for any purpose, and statistical/data computation and analysis such as you mention are fairly common tasks.

The software you use may change, or need to be run in Wine, through virtualization, or through a dual-boot setup, but these are choices/options. Using Linux is a choice as well. Do you have to be in a computer-related field to use Linux? No, you just have to be willing and able to make choices.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Nope, I was into linux before I got into a computer career.

[TravisNewman]

Of course not.

Maybe back in '96 this was so, but now....I mean, this is Ubuntu! :)
Hell in '98, 2 months after owning a computer for the first time in my senior year (2 months after I learned how to use the internet at all), I installed Linux for the first time. I promptly uninstalled it when I had no idea what the heck was going on. Kept trying it off and on over the years and it finally stuck. All it takes is enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge.

[MikeTheC]

Not at all, you can be jobless as well 8)

Sadly... What dannytatom said...

(Although, on the flip side, I'm in college and for the moment things are working out.)

[dasunst3r]

No -- there are two possible scenarios for usage:

Regular users
Ideally, this regular user would have one or more friend and/or relative who knows Linux. That person will advise the user on what products to buy and do the work to get things up and running. Other than that, it's practically "Set it and forget it." For these people, I recommend checking for updates every two weeks and auto-install critical security updates.

Power user
A power user needs to have the patience to take on that huge learning curve associated with Linux and have the ability to maintain calm even when things break. They will also generally help the regular users.