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View Full Version : Windows -> Ubuntu transition for end users



keithpeter
December 17th, 2011, 10:22 PM
Hello All


"Most of the existing evidence is that office workers can smoothly transition from Windows to Ubuntu without training. This doesn't seem to be as true of the non-profit sector, however. Fossbox did not appreciate how much training would be required to help staff make the transition to a brand-new operating system and staff experienced considerable frustration trying to work out the new system."

From Fossbox Pilot Programme (http://www.fossbox.org.uk/?q=node/8) reports. I found the Fossbox site while searching for supercollider sound software information. Fossbox have other pilot studies available, which show lower training needs. Very interesting reading!

They also have some presentations downloadable as pdfs.

crashed111
December 17th, 2011, 11:59 PM
I think a lot more people would migrate to Linux if they knew the advantages and how much faster / easier their life would be.

However we are unfortunately stuck in the situation we are in thanks to programs only running on MS based systems.

CharlesA
December 18th, 2011, 12:19 AM
I think a lot more people would migrate to Linux if they knew the advantages and how much faster / easier their life would be.

However we are unfortunately stuck in the situation we are in thanks to programs only running on MS based systems.

Try spending two days fighting with Samba, which doesn't work even when you use a good smb.conf file.

*nix isn't the answer to everything.

guyver_dio
December 18th, 2011, 12:49 AM
As I've said before and as an ex-windows user I've been through this myself. Windows users get lazy and nursed, they never have to think 'is this software available', it always is for obvious reasons. So when they come to ubuntu they feel restricted, most of their windows programs are now not supported (not natively anyway). So they go 'oh i can't use this I can't get any of my programs', not realizing the massive amount of supported software that takes the place of those windows programs. When you come to linux you need to be ready to use linux programs, instead of guitar pro use tuxguitar, instead of microsoft office use libreOffice etc... there's basically an equivalent for almost any program.

That's something that took me a little bit to realize and now that I do I see the extraordinary amount of software available and no longer feel that restriction. I don't even feel that restriction with games, most of my friends play games through steam, guess what wine supports steam and plays all the games I've tried so far. The cherry on top of all this is that all of it is free, so you pay nothing for the same functionality you were getting on windows but on a smaller, faster more resourceful OS.

keithpeter
December 18th, 2011, 12:55 AM
Hello All

CharlesA: nope it isn't, I can remember a lot of IT Support requests a few years ago around networking a couple of rooms full of Mac OS X computers on a Windows network with active directory. They got it working eventually, but the big colour printer was running direct rather than off the network for that year.

@crashed111: The issues in these pilot studies were mainly related to training on alternative applications and printer drivers. Compatibility was down to Word forms - in the UK a lot of government business gets handled electronically using PDF or Word forms. I noticed the organisation was using the 10.04 LTS all through.

CharlesA
December 18th, 2011, 01:11 AM
CharlesA: nope it isn't, I can remember a lot of IT Support requests a few years ago around networking a couple of rooms full of Mac OS X computers on a Windows network with active directory. They got it working eventually, but the big colour printer was running direct rather than off the network for that year.

That sounds like a total nightmare. Ugh!

keithpeter
December 18th, 2011, 10:57 AM
That sounds like a total nightmare. Ugh!

The colleges I work in seem to have it all sorted now; mixed rooms of G5 and Intel Macs (and mixed versions of Mac OS) authenticating students onto a Microsoft based network with networked home drives and printing.

The only thing now is the Media students keep saving 3Gb video files to their home drive and wondering why the network is so slow :twisted:

The pilot studies on Fossbox seem to show a complete migration. A few places seem to be using 'thin clients' as a way of getting more use out of older hardware. Might be important in the charities with no money (known as 'voluntary sector' in UK).