tried to convert 4 windows users :C

[anaconda]

Converting below average windows users to linux is HOPELESS!

First I installed ubuntu to 1 machine, which refused to work with XP anymore.. 256MB ram, windows recovery CD broken, and the installed windows reallly sloooooow, even found a virus and adware from it. Added 128MB ram, and ubuntu was fast in this machine.

To the 3 other machines still running windows (one of them is new, and doesnt have officepack) I installed openoffice, firefox and thunderbird. The idea was to first make the switch to OO, firefox and thunderbird, and then later completely to ubuntu.

I did expect some problems in changing to OO, but I thought that the switch to thunderbird and firefox would be easy... I was wrong.

Here are just a few "problems they had"
Where are the favourites (=bookmarks)
How do I send mail with thunderbird.. (which was setup correctly, and even all old mail moved from outlook).. I mean it even looks like outlook.. just a few buttons in different places..
How cain I save a file with OO?
I hate this machine!
Why did you change the Iexplorer (there was an update to version 7)
and continous complaining .. it is just amazing. They are still in winblows, but you just wouldn't believe..
Why cant I get my mail (the network cable was'nt connected to the laptop) and it was thunderbirds fault ofcourse...

I think I will have to buy 1 new machine and buy and install Ms office, outlook, and iexplorer , and antivirus etc. to those machines.

But I think I will buy a vista machine with the new outlook to it, so that it will be 10X more different than the old XP anyway...

It seems that some users have learned to use programs like this:
if you want to save the document: go to the leftmost menu and select the fifth item from that menu. And if save isn't the fifth then they just cant save the document.. and learning anything new is completely out of the question..

I bet the change to vista is going to be REALLY difficult for many people, and MS is doing a big mistake when they are changing (again) the user interface.. It will be hard for many people..

[cudjoe]

I guess your friends should just be ready to listen.
Try to spend one afternoon, they´ll get the philosophy...

[em007a]

It sounds to me like they are happy where they are at and don't really want to switch. Remember the old saying: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it.

[anaconda]

It sounds to me like they are happy where they are at and don't really want to switch. Remember the old saying: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it.

Yep. I think that is true.

I did speak with them before doing anything. Talked about viruses etc.. and they mildly agreed .. but I guess you cant force a change. Just feels silly to be buying 1 new computer, 2 outlook and office licenses to a nonprofit (goodwill?) organisation,.. And the only use of those computers will be email, writing documents and printing..

[esaym]

Converting below average windows users to linux is HOPELESS!

First I installed ubuntu to 1 machine, which refused to work with XP anymore.. 256MB ram, windows recovery CD broken, and the installed windows reallly sloooooow, even found a virus and adware from it. Added 128MB ram, and ubuntu was fast in this machine.

To the 3 other machines still running windows (one of them is new, and doesnt have officepack) I installed openoffice, firefox and thunderbird. The idea was to first make the switch to OO, firefox and thunderbird, and then later completely to ubuntu.

I did expect some problems in changing to OO, but I thought that the switch to thunderbird and firefox would be easy... I was wrong.

Here are just a few "problems they had"
Where are the favourites (=bookmarks)
How do I send mail with thunderbird.. (which was setup correctly, and even all old mail moved from outlook).. I mean it even looks like outlook.. just a few buttons in different places..
How cain I save a file with OO?
I hate this machine!
Why did you change the Iexplorer (there was an update to version 7)
and continous complaining .. it is just amazing. They are still in winblows, but you just wouldn't believe..
Why cant I get my mail (the network cable was'nt connected to the laptop) and it was thunderbirds fault ofcourse...

I think I will have to buy 1 new machine and buy and install Ms office, outlook, and iexplorer , and antivirus etc. to those machines.

But I think I will buy a vista machine with the new outlook to it, so that it will be 10X more different than the old XP anyway...

It seems that some users have learned to use programs like this:
if you want to save the document: go to the leftmost menu and select the fifth item from that menu. And if save isn't the fifth then they just cant save the document.. and learning anything new is completely out of the question..

I bet the change to vista is going to be REALLY difficult for many people, and MS is doing a big mistake when they are changing (again) the user interface.. It will be hard for many people..



I have always been amazed at people that seem to be so intelligent with windows and the software on it. Then a simple change can really show just how little they know. hmm:mad:

[Sammi]

I have always been amazed at people that seem to be so intelligent with windows and the software on it. Then a simple change can really show just how little they know. hmm:mad:
Some people don't want to know. They just want it to work.

[raublekick]

In my experience it is best to allow people to change on their own. However, it does require them to do things a bit on their own.

I recently fixed up my boss' computer (added more ram, new hard drive). After I reinsalled Windows XP for him, I did nothing more than get all of the updates online, install Firefox, and download some alternative programs. Yes, I simply download the installers for Gaim, OpenOffice, and a few other programs. When I gave the computer back to him, I explained the benefit of those programs briefly, and said that if he wants to give them a shot, he can.

I think people are more willing to change if they can just play with new things while still using their old programs as a fallback.

[Brunellus]

Philosophy is meaningless to end-users.

Your only resort is either heavy support or coercion. In our household, we run about 2/3s of the time (or more) in Ubuntu--but that's because our main WinME machine died about two years back and I moved it to Linux as a desperation effort.

My youngest brother (age 11) and mother are Ubuntu users because I have Ubuntu boot by default on their machines.

My mother's a special case--she dual-boots Windows (skype video is a must)--but has been conditioned by her time on a Linux computer to prefer Evolution mail over anything in Windows. My patient explanation that windows-based viruses and malware simply will not run when she's in Linux have convinced her to prefer Ubuntu over Windows--but her uses of the machine are very very limited indeed.

From a coercion angle: you could simply fail to help people with their Windows problems. This will happen by default if you no longer run Windows as your primary OS--you will simply forget how things are done in Windows. When Windows goes wrong--and it will--you will find yourself muttering deep, dark oaths about how inadequate the command line and recovery tools seem to be.

[weatherman]

From a coercion angle: you could simply fail to help people with their Windows problems. This will happen by default if you no longer run Windows as your primary OS--you will simply forget how things are done in Windows. When Windows goes wrong--and it will--you will find yourself muttering deep, dark oaths about how inadequate the command line and recovery tools seem to be.
that's pretty much my viewpoint as well: if people want to use software that will break let them do so, as long as they don't expect any support from me.

[Sammi]

that's pretty much my viewpoint as well: if people want to use software that will break let them do so, as long as they don't expect any support from me.
This is also my favorite reason for changing from Win to Ubuntu. I can tell people that I can't help them with their Win computer problems because I don't use Win :D

How I used to hate helping friends and family with their win related problems. Now I have the best excuse in the world :KS

[sloggerkhan]

Considering that you work in an office or something, mnadating use of open office or firefox while continuing to use windows hardly seems drastic. And if they are complaining about the new internet explorer, too, then you know you can't keep them happy without freezing things in the year 2005.