Worst mistake new Linux users make? (surely been done before; oh well)

[Dr.Ninethousand]

In my opinion it's probably that they install Linux and then immediately attempt to add WINE and their favorite windows-only apps, only to be frustrated because their favorite windows apps suck.. then they go around for the next few years bashing linux..

it could also be that they join #ubuntu IRC and then call me a jackass for helping them without actually driving to their house and typing the commands for them.. I DON'T GET PAID YOU LAZY RETARDED JERKS!!


what do you guys think is the worst mistake?.

[LaRoza]

Everyone makes mistakes, and Linux isn't for everyone (just for most people), but I think the worst thing that can be done is to blame Linux for your own mistakes.

Documentation, tutorials, etc all exist for a reason.

[ibutho]

One of the worst mistakes many people make is assuming that Linux is like Windows and not appreciating that there is a big learning curve for any new OS. It really annoys me because some want everything to be like Windows and blame Linux for being different. You may as well stick with Windows.

[speedwell68]

Ok, in two and a half years of using Linux, I have installed Wine once. Then it was only because I found my old copy of Quake III Arena. The only hint of Windows on my PC is the MS Core Fonts, as I still have to interface with people in the real world and sometimes the availability of fonts like Arial and Times New Roman is useful, as people like customers are wanting the use of these fonts.

To totally slate a industry wide product like Windows is frankly ridiculous. As is the use of it's apps. Whereas I don't personally use any Windows apps, but I like the fact that I have the choice of using the if I need to. Linux is about freedom of choice, if people don't like that freedom then perhaps Windows is the OS for them.

[Catalyst2Death]

the second or third thing I tell people about linux is that in order to get simple tasks done (music, web browsing, etc) it will work out of the box. But to completely utilize the hardware they have, it will require considerable tinkering and work... I agree with the OP's assessment, That was my first experience with linux (except that I didn't even get to wine) and I ended up switching back to windows. Second run at things was generally better (I have essentially moved away from windows completely)

[Dr.Ninethousand]

oh, speedwell, it's not that I think WINE has no place ever, but I think it's a big problem when new users try to install and use it before they even know what 'terminal' means..

[speedwell68]

oh, speedwell, it's not that I think WINE has no place ever, but I think it's a big problem when new users try to install and use it before they even know what 'terminal' means..

Why is that a problem. When I first used Linux I was 100% sure of the terminal. I was 100% fluent in the old MS-DOS command line, just not the Linux one. It took me a little while to fully get to grips with my GUI of choice (GNOME) and then I tackled the command line. Not everyone is an IT guru and a new OS is a learning curve. People learn at different rates.

[LaRoza]

the second or third thing I tell people about linux is that in order to get simple tasks done (music, web browsing, etc) it will work out of the box. But to completely utilize the hardware they have, it will require considerable tinkering and work... I agree with the OP's assessment, That was my first experience with linux (except that I didn't even get to wine) and I ended up switching back to windows. Second run at things was generally better (I have essentially moved away from windows completely)

Actually, more hardware works out of the box in Linux. My webcam, printer, graphics, and other usb devices work perfectly in Linux and Windows still complains about them.

[dominiquec]

Worst mistake: giving up so quickly.

[YaroMan86]

I don't agree that installing WINE is the biggest mistake.

I have to side with the "Linux is NOT Windows" crowd here and say.... Linux is NOT Windows.

Thus, the biggest mistake I have seen new Linux users make, of course, is the aforementioned comparison of Linux to Windows, which to me is a foolhardy approach.

I've been talked down numerous times on Ubuntu Brainstorm, though, for slapping down ideas that are "Make Linux like Windows" suggestions, in essence. Some of them I can get behind if I think that Linux can't manage a better way, which is a rarity for Linux NOT to manage to do thing better than Windows.

My philosophy is anyone who says things like these:

- "I got rid of Linux and went back to (Windows/Mac) because it just isn't LIKE (Windows/Mac)."
- "Can someone PLEASE include (Horrible Windows/Mac Feature) in Linux?"
- "Can we get rid of (Linux Feature)? I've used (Windows/Mac Feature) and I think it is much, much better."

Now, I can understand some things that are "borrowed" from Windows or Mac ARE good, Compiz Fusion being an example, but the reason I appreciate them is, one, they are GOOD features, and, two, frequently the Linux "borrowed" feature is technically superior to the feature it was cloned from!

Compiz Fusion, even in a "beta" state, for example, is much more awesome than Quartz or (Shudder) Aero.

I'm also not forgetting that Linux is really comprised of borrowed philosophies: Free Software, UNIX operations, unified file systems, etc. But there are things that are wholly Linux.

[Pethegreat]

I tried installing wine when I first got ubuntu running. I have only had one program(guild wars) work with wine. I would warn people about wine. Installing it is not too hard, but there is a very limited set of programs that work flawlessly with wine.

I got my self out of the expensive hobby of computer gaming, so linux is everything I need at this point.

I do think that new users should go through an hour tutorial to know how to use the terminal and some basic commands. I am still picking up bits and pieces of terminal usage knowledge along the way.

[Frak]

Worst mistake?

Listening to the extremophites who proclaim Linux as either the Holy savoir, or the Devil.

Use Linux, it'll solve all your problems -> Linux Elitist, the Holy savoir believer

Linux sucks, its made by crappy developers who don't listen to anybody -> Linux bashers, the Devil proclaimers

Of course, these are the two extremes. Sadly, alot of people fall into the Holy Savoir catagory. Though, I try to keep in the happy medium.

Linux isn't perfect, but it isn't useless either.

[TBOL3]

Use linux, It'll solve all your problems... :)

Anyway, I try* to keep to the middle as well

*I usually fail.

Anyway, I think one of the biggest problems is people that switch to linux because it looks good, or stay away because it looks bad. I think iCandy is just a plus, not a deal breaker/maker.

[brunovecchi]

I think that the worst possible mistake that a beginner could do is to not look up for applications in Synaptic before trying to find them on the web. When I first started, I would look for any programs I needed in the web and ended up compiling (or trying to) a lot. I didn't even look for distro-specific packages, so it got really complicated. That gave me the false impression that installing software was way more difficult than Windows, and I think that it could be one of the main reasons that some people give up early on linux.

[Dr.Ninethousand]

good point, most people coming from Windows have an old habit of searching lots of various shareware sites for programs..

I feel like maybe I should clarify my first post..

I don't think Wine itself is the problem, but I see a lot of new users who expect to use the same old cracked programs they had on Windows, don't even bother looking for alternatives or learning about Linux packaging, get mad when nobody in IRC can give them a magic .exe to fix their "issue", and then give up and go around telling people that Linux is crappy.. I get the feeling they never even considered Linux until some *nix-obsessed friend told them about Wine in an effort to convert them..

[Barrucadu]

Comparing Linux to Windows is probably the worst mistake. Most people have learned Windows over a very long period of time, and so they think it is very easy. They then try Linux for a few hours and think they are justified in comparing how much Linux, which they have barely given a chance, and Windows, which they learned in (possibly) over a decade.

[superarmy]

I made alot of the mistakes already mentioned in this thread looking back now I almost feel ashamed ( trying to get IE and MSN working in wine). I got extremely frustrated at not being able to install what I wanted,(doing it the windows way) eventually I went to the forums and began to realize it takes a completely different approach. Now I realize how perfectly set out things are (for me anyway), it's quite the learning curve but it is diffenitely worth it.

[Canis familiaris]

Buy an ATI card thinking drivers have been open sourced. I did the same and had to work considerably hard to set the drivers and compiz and I still cant use Celestia.

[kaspar_silas]

I actually installed Ubuntu to play a bit. Then when I needed to continue my work (previously based on XP) installed WINE and tried my old windows programs and they all worked. Straight up with all features bar slightly odd tonfs and reduced performance in Mathematica.

Thus I really liked Ubuntu from the start. I currently don't really use WINE but the initial good experience really helped the switch not ditrupt my work.

I feel the initial user friendlyiness of Ubuntu is why this distribution is growing so quickly. Possibly my initial path was a bad mistake but it worked out a treat :-)

[danbuter]

Actually, more hardware works out of the box in Linux. My webcam, printer, graphics, and other usb devices work perfectly in Linux and Windows still complains about them.

The problem with this reply is that when someone buys a computer, Windows with all the required drivers is already installed. Ergo, to the average user, it "just works". When they try Ubuntu and the wireless just will not work, they think Ubuntu is broken. Good luck convincing them otherwise.

[northicert]

Thinking Open Office will open Microsoft Word documents with glitch free results. Sometimes it's more work to reformat the layout then to re build it from scratch.

[Catalyst2Death]

A lot of hardware does work out of the box, but if you want to use advanced features, or have a program take full advantage of your hardware I feel that it takes more tinkering than in windows. This is not a bad thing. I really enjoy the ability to fiddle with things with relatively low consequence... Case in point: (ATI) Video Cards and TV tuners.

[sub2007]

Again, I think the biggest mistake is thinking that Linux will be the same as Windows and not realising that there are different ways of doing things in Linux as in Windows - it's the thinking that "wow Linux will be just like Windows but better!". They also may be very "commercial-centric" (as their life will have been based around using commercial software) and do don't realise that the open source model works differently. An example would be support (forums, IRC, wiki's), they may expect the support to be the same as they would get in Windows or other commercial software. Also as mentioned before there is the belief that Wine will handle all your Windows apps flawlessly and get annoyed when it doesn't.

[Jordanwb]

For me it has been getting drive paths confused:

./path/to/file means relative to current directory
~/path/to/file means relative to your home directory
/path/to/file means relative to the root folder

Then it takes me two minutes to figure out why a command won't work. Also forgetting to put sudo before certain commands. Also if I want to delete a directory from the CLI I forget to put the -R suffix with rm.