Linux is not Windows
Attracting attention months ago was an effort from two people at Linus Tech Tips to migrate from Windows to Linux. Some Linux advocates roasted those two for lack of skills and knowledge and incorrect expectations and attitudes.
These two people are not Linux savvy, which is one of the reasons for the project, but seem to be computer savvy.
The frustrations from these two people were reasonable. While there is a common joke among many Linux advocates that “Linux is not Windows,” the frustrations demonstrated by these two people indicate why many people who are not computer savvy fail, refuse, or cannot migrate to Linux.
Windows dominates the desktop. The majority of computer users are accustomed to Windows and have many expectations and presumptions about computer operating systems. As long as Linux distros are designed by geeks for geeks and vendors do not support Linux in a robust manner there never will be an easy way for many people to migrate to a Linux computer.
Even if the transition was easier, many people cannot migrate because of needs and work flows. There is the added proverbial salt to the wound that business staples such as MS Office, Outlook, QuickBooks, AutoCAD, and Photoshop are unlikely to be ported to Linux. Ever. A wild speculation though is the people behind such vertical software are not interested in Linux because the desktop experience is inconsistent and spotty.
Complaints and frustrations by new users should not be ignored or mocked.
Posted: Category: Usability Tagged: General
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