I recently made this post in reply to a Windows user (a reasonable one) at Computerworld:
Here's the "profound" truth that I finally learned about Linux:
You can fix stuff.
One of the most maddening things about Windows (including XP) is that if something goes awry in the system, as is bound to happen sooner or later with ANY OS, the fix is usually reinstalling.
Office pukes? IE gets squirrely? Cut-and-paste not working consistently? Back up your data as best you can, and let the reformatting begin. Or, if you're REALLY lucky, a system restore. But don't hold your breath.
If something breaks in Linux, you go online and quickly find a solution. Or, with a little experience, you learn to edit the bogus config file, or reinstall a specific library, or sometimes simply do a ctrl+alt+backspace to restart your X server.
That's why I have stopped helping friends and family with Windows issues, instead referring them to my 21-year-old son, who is still in the Windows world for his own reasons.
OTOH, I'm not a bit afraid to turn computer-illiterate friends into Linux users. A little up-front personal hand-holding, and they are on their way.
Admittedly, it IS difficult for a long-time MS user (like I was) to change his/her paradigms. That is one of Linux's biggest challenges. That's why each revision of Ubuntu, Fedora, and the rest of the gang looks and acts more and more like Windows, for better or worse.
But I wager that if you were to install a version of Linux aimed at an easy desktop experience (I prefer Ubuntu) and, most importantly, FORCE yourself to use it exclusively for a week, you too would see that it is simply a better way to do things.
Give it a shot! The latest and greatest Linux builds will typically run very sweetly on hardware that originally came with Windows 2000 installed.
Just be prepared afterwards to deal with an ever-present sense of frustration as you observe the illogical and borderline illegal stranglehold that Windows has on the PC market.
Comments (1)
Saw this on Computerworld, and was impressed enough to follow the link. I expect I'll be dropping in from time to time, to have a look around :).
Posted by Bernard Swiss | December 11, 2008 8:59 PM
Posted on December 11, 2008 20:59