mushroom
November 4th, 2006, 12:10 AM
As someone who loves Linux and has no use for Windows (and thinks it's a terribly made operating system), I must say that I've sifted through my fair share of posts (particularly on Slashdot) that detail some experience they had with Linux/converting a Windows user to Linux. Now, the real reason that Linux isn't experiencing mass-adoption is because Windows is preinstalled on most systems, but the whole perceived difficulty angle is definitely a large part of it. I've found through these many posts that it's not the fault of the OS itself, but because of the people who attempt to use it or convert those who don't. See for yourself from these two forum posts I've constructed.
Windows user:
"Okay, I've been a Windows user for a long time and decided to try Linux out and not research it whatsoever because I believed it to be Windows without the spyware and viruses. Here's my purely anecdotal evidence that Linux is definitely not ready for the desktop:"
Linux user:
"I believe that Windows users can migrate to an OS they've never seen before or heard about before because they probably don't even know what an OS is and they will love it because they don't have to install spyware and virus protection despite that they never did that in Windows because they don't know that clicking pop-ups and opening unknown attachments is a bad thing. Now here's my purely anecdotal evidence of how Linux is just as easy to use as Windows:"
Windows user:
"What? I had to edit a text file? What's up with this interface? This isn't how I did it in Windows...wait, no Photoshop? What is this 'Gimp?' Why can't I play DVDs on this OS that I had no business installing without thoroughly researching it first? I was told a few commands that made my video card/sound card/modem work, but I have no idea how to use them because the person never told me how and, as mentioned before, I installed an OS without learning what it was actually about and without the intention to do so. Are they joking? Please. This is beneath me. Linux sucks."
Linux user:
"All I had to do was feed a couple of commands to him without telling him what they actually did or how to use them and his video card/sound card/modem worked like a charm! Now all I have to do is answer his questions when something goes wrong because I neglected to tell him how to actually do anything. This is but a small price to pay for knowing that another person has been converted from the evil that is Micro$oft. Long live Linux!"
Windows user:
"So as you can see, my experience is exactly what others would experience with Linux because they're all just as lazy and misinformed as I am, therefore, Linux isn't ready for the desktop."
Linux user:
"Unfortunately, a week or so later he went back to Windows. I don't know why he converted back after I just threw a bunch of commands at him without regard to his previous GUI-only experience instead of directing him to a GUI program that did the same function or telling him what the commands did and how to use them. Oh well, I'll just continue to annoy them without realizing that they may be perfectly happy with Windows and that I don't need to convert every last person to my favorite OS. Micro$oft must die!"
Windows user:
"Okay, I've been a Windows user for a long time and decided to try Linux out and not research it whatsoever because I believed it to be Windows without the spyware and viruses. Here's my purely anecdotal evidence that Linux is definitely not ready for the desktop:"
Linux user:
"I believe that Windows users can migrate to an OS they've never seen before or heard about before because they probably don't even know what an OS is and they will love it because they don't have to install spyware and virus protection despite that they never did that in Windows because they don't know that clicking pop-ups and opening unknown attachments is a bad thing. Now here's my purely anecdotal evidence of how Linux is just as easy to use as Windows:"
Windows user:
"What? I had to edit a text file? What's up with this interface? This isn't how I did it in Windows...wait, no Photoshop? What is this 'Gimp?' Why can't I play DVDs on this OS that I had no business installing without thoroughly researching it first? I was told a few commands that made my video card/sound card/modem work, but I have no idea how to use them because the person never told me how and, as mentioned before, I installed an OS without learning what it was actually about and without the intention to do so. Are they joking? Please. This is beneath me. Linux sucks."
Linux user:
"All I had to do was feed a couple of commands to him without telling him what they actually did or how to use them and his video card/sound card/modem worked like a charm! Now all I have to do is answer his questions when something goes wrong because I neglected to tell him how to actually do anything. This is but a small price to pay for knowing that another person has been converted from the evil that is Micro$oft. Long live Linux!"
Windows user:
"So as you can see, my experience is exactly what others would experience with Linux because they're all just as lazy and misinformed as I am, therefore, Linux isn't ready for the desktop."
Linux user:
"Unfortunately, a week or so later he went back to Windows. I don't know why he converted back after I just threw a bunch of commands at him without regard to his previous GUI-only experience instead of directing him to a GUI program that did the same function or telling him what the commands did and how to use them. Oh well, I'll just continue to annoy them without realizing that they may be perfectly happy with Windows and that I don't need to convert every last person to my favorite OS. Micro$oft must die!"