What is the lamest reason for giving up on Ubuntu/Linux you've ever heard?

[Dimitriid]

"I dont want to dual boot, I dont want to choose anything at start up"
-Says an owner of a cyber coffee shop with 10 freakin computers.

"I can void my warranty"
-A guy using his pc on a room with no ac at 45 C

"Linux is crap"
-A guy who gets paid to troubleshoot windows pcs all day long and KNOWS how ****** it is. Its so aggravating that after sending an average of 2 replacement hard drives per day, per agent ( this call center has something like 180 agents ) and he still thinks NTFS is superior to ext3 ( he said that and then walked away to go do more hard drive self tests over the phone with customers )


I have a fair share of arguments like that, but the main reason I think is misconception, another co-worker told me today "You're running Linux on a Laptop? WITH wireless working? Wow you're a guru!". He seriously didn't know it took me something like 20 min to get wireless working just by doing forum searches and googling, he still has Post-Traumatic Slackware Disorder

[Chilli Bob]

actually, this used to happen!
nowadays monitors are protected, but before that a wrong x-server configuration would blow up your monitor!

WTF???? How could that work????

[kiddo]

people, I have an idea. What if we combined the serious replies we get here in a wiki and work towards creating powerful, compelling answers to those insane "reasons"?

The goal is not to force linux upon everyone, but at least stop the FUD by allowing those interested in spreading the FOSS love, to have a knowledge base of good rethorics to work with.

Anyone with me? I can create a simple pmWiki space on my server if anyone is interested.

edit: as most people do not notice, I did create that wiki: http://anti-fud.ecchi.ca

[init1]

No Notepad or Paint.

I can run both in Wine. I've tried

[_duncan_]

"Linux is so incomplete it doesn't even have a defragmentation tool."
- an IT professional.

[cookies]

"Communists/Facists/et cetera use Linux"
--Seen on various forums
They also drive cars and eat food

"There is no way to get support on Linux"
--"Tech" articles

"Windows is working fine, now I just have to go run my virus scanner and my spyware cleaner. And figure out why IE takes 5 minutes to open"
--From an IRC channel I go on

"What's an 'OS'?"
--That darn IRC channel again, remind why I go there.

[Fonon]

The lamest reason I got from someone refusing to use linux was..."It can't read and write .doc, .ppt, etc." I went and opened OO.o, and then he just went "pfft! It probably sucks!" and walked away...then he knocked on my door asking me how to fix his computer.

[GFree678]

WTF???? How could that work????

A common problem with many older monitors was they didn't have any protection against invalid frequency/timing settings. If you tried to run a particular resolution at a refresh rate higher than could be handled by the monitor, it could burn out the CRT/electronics. It wouldn't exactly "explode" I don't think, but it would render it dead.

All modern monitors though have automatic protection against such things, instead switching to a screen saying "Out of range" or something similar if such a thing happens.

[Spike-X]

"There is no way to get support on Linux"
--"Tech" articles

Translation - "You have to search a forum full of helpful, experienced people who actually know what they're talking about, rather than sit on hold for half an hour to be connected to somebody who'll just read the manual at you."

[Dimitriid]

Translation - "You have to search a forum full of helpful, experienced people who actually know what they're talking about, rather than sit on hold for half an hour to be connected to somebody who'll just read the manual at you."

Is not only that, I have another translation

"I dont want to read manuals that tell me how to do it myself and realize what a moron I am, I rather make poor descriptions over the phone to a foreign guy so I can yell at him and tell him what a moron he is cause he cannot figure it out over the phone while trying to decipher my redneck accent"