Some people are not well informed about Linux

[jayr69]

Hello everyone.
I must admit that something funny happened to me today.
I was having a conversation today with a client about linux and that person told me that any computer that is setup with linux is practically useless and that nothing good can be done with that computer.
I asked my client where he heared that because he was totaly off the tracks.
I also told him that i have a few computers and laptops setup with linux Mint and that i can do anything that a windows computer can do with it.
I can listen to music, watch movies, stream music and videos, edit audio and video.
I can make presentations, prepare a budget, record audio and video and edit those audio and video files.
I can touch up my pictures with gimp.
All in all i told him that the free os with the free software works better then anything that microsoft has to offer, it is just a question of getting used to it.
I also told him that i have only one computer that is set with windows and that is because of the games that i love to play.
Even that windows computer, besides the games, is set with open source software.
I prefer to work with linux Mint and with the bunch of free software that is available in it's repertory.
I have an old Lenovo R61 laptop that can't support windows 10, it was designed for windows xp, but with linux mint 21.3 that laptop runs like a charm.
That laptop works better now then the day it got out of it's box brand new with windows installed in it.
As long that the hardware will last, that laptop will be in service.
Instead of throwing it away, i am using it on an everyday bases and that thing runs even faster then my computer at work set with windows 10.
Once our conversation was done he finaly told me that he had an old laptop that he doesn't use anymore and that he will it bring to me so that i can set it up with linux mint with the same software that i have in my laptop.
That will be so easy to do with the backup and restore tool included in linux Mint.
Just a couple of clics and everything will get installed just like that.
I think that if most of the people out there would get to know all that we do know about linux and linux Mint in particular that microsoft and windows would lose alot of feathers.
Have a good day everybody and thanks again to the developers for giving us linux Mint and all that comes with it for free.

[AZgl1800]

consider that 99.99% of the public has no clue what Linux is,

they are totally innocent and do not know that 99.99% of the Servers in this world are now running Linux, they only see the web browser results....

to those of us who use Mint, we know the Truth.....
and we love our Mint PCs and feel impoverished if we have to use a windows PC, at least I do...

[Hoser Rob]

... i have a few computers and laptops setup with linux Mint and that i can do anything that a windows computer can do with it....

Speaking as someone who hasn't had Windows installed for a decade or so, that is absolute rubbish in general. I hardly think Linux is useless but I often tell people to not be so quick to yank all their Windows. Many DO need it.

[jayr69]

Yes you are right, windows is still needed but it is so heavy on a machine and with the way that it is built we always have to reeboot as soon that we do a minor modification.
Still here at work we use a program for our budgets and that wouldn't work on linux Mint so we need windows for that.
Everything else that i do on the computer at work i can do on linux Mint.
I even use DRAW to make floor plans of my facilities that i have to rent here, i give those to my caretakers so that they know how to set the rooms.
Even the display that shows the activities in the building is run with linux Mint.
I use windows as less as possible.
Have a good day everybody

[MurphCID]

I have some points to make on this since I just gave two linux laptops to friends who never used Linux and now they love it once the FUD was dispelled.

1) You have to only use the terminal. This is a big one, you have to use the command line and input obscure commands to use Linux at all. We as a community are partially at fault for this perception.

2) There is no software on Linux, only Microsoft has software you can use. Software stores are fragmented, with Mint and Gnome actually having decent ones, but they are confusing to newbies since there are SO MANY choices.

3) Linux is a 1:1 replacement for Windows- Yeah, not so much, you have to find new things to use, and in many cases new workflow. Gimp vs Photoshop, LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office. and there are some programs that will never be ported, or a Linux alternative developed: TurboTax, iTunes, AutoCad, etc.

4) Sure, you can game on Linux. Maybe.

5) Linux requires you to manually configure everything, especially printers, scanners, etc. Thank goodness Mint, POP!_OS and Ubuntu have finally gotten it right, even BETTER than Microsoft in installing and configuring printers. Fedora, not so much.

6) You have to be a computer expert to use Linux since there is only command line. Again we are partly responsible for this FUD. And those who run Linux SERVERS confuse people with desktop Linux.

7) Linux is always old, never able to use modern hardware- partially true. All too many Linux Desktops look old, have ugly fonts, icons, and just look 10-20 years behind the times.

You cannot just install Linux, you have to be a computer expert. Partly true, some computer makers make it really a PITA to install Linux on their laptops. You actually have to do some research and even then you might not be able to install the distro you want to install.

9) Confusing file structure: Windows "A" drive, "B" drive, "C" drive, etc. Linux: SDA, SDB NVMe01, etc, etc. Too hard for many to for example move /home to a different drive, in Windows is it simple, just go to properties and type in file path.

The solution: Education, and perhaps passing on Linux hardware to friends and family.

[Newbie221]

You actually have to do some research

Exactly !!! When I started considering Linux my first thought was I'll never be able to do this.
Then I started doing some actual research....... and BOOM here I am. The information is available for the taking if you apply yourself.
Still got a lot to learn but I've got 2 computers up and running doing daily task.



Thanks for your time
Newbie221

[BG405]

9) Confusing file structure: Windows "A" drive, "B" drive, "C" drive, etc. Linux: SDA, SDB NVMe01, etc, etc. Too hard for many to for example move /home to a different drive, in Windows is it simple, just go to properties and type in file path.

Not many people set up Windows like I did back in the day (late 1990s-2000s) - separate partitions for: System, Data (documents, media etc.), Workspace for video editing, and Cache for system & user variables, temp files, partial downloads etc.. Guess I was sort of doing it "the Unix way" without knowing it?

.. Only thing is, with the rig at the time, I was at risk of running out of "drive" letters, with all the disks and devices with their partitions.

The solution: Education, and perhaps passing on Linux hardware to friends and family.

I agree 100% there! If only they would listen ..

[billyswong]

About the terminal thing, I think the perception is partly due to tutorials on how to do something in command are more portable, or one may say cross-DE compatible, than tutorial on how to do things in GUI. As long as the user know how to fire up a terminal, writing or following instructions in that tutorial will be "easy".

[BG405]

Also agreed. Thing is, it's easy to forget that newcomers to the Linux world might feel put off, especially initially. They might not think straight away that the screen they see isn't necessarily the same as the one we see.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

About the terminal thing, I think the perception is partly due to tutorials on how to do something in command are more portable, or one may say cross-DE compatible, than tutorial on how to do things in GUI. As long as the user know how to fire up a terminal, writing or following instructions in that tutorial will be "easy".

For you, maybe. For me, it depends on how well the instructions are written and how complete they are, something many are not.

[151tom]

I often tell people to not be so quick to yank all their Windows. Many DO need it.

Yes you are right, windows is still needed

I used to not be able to login to some websites unless using a Windows OS but then discovered that I could login to those websites using Google Chrome.

I don't know what's up with that and never tried to figure it out.

The wife has a Windows 10 laptop although is learning to use Linux.

I've been using Linux since 2014 and find it does almost everything I need.

[AndyMH]

I have a son-in-law who is in IT, think he maybe a software dev, or at least seems to spend his days in powershell. He has a closed mind to linux and I've given up having any discussions with him on that subject.

[TaterChip]

I have some points to make on this since I just gave two linux laptops to friends who never used Linux and now they love it once the FUD was dispelled.

1) You have to only use the terminal. This is a big one, you have to use the command line and input obscure commands to use Linux at all. We as a community are partially at fault for this perception.

As someone that is respectively new to Linux I can understand where this one is coming from. Most web searches only show you how to do things via the terminal. Most people don't understand there is GUIs for most things. I can saw without a doubt, I wouldn't be on Linux if it was all terminal based.

2) There is no software on Linux, only Microsoft has software you can use. Software stores are fragmented, with Mint and Gnome actually having decent ones, but they are confusing to newbies since there are SO MANY choices.

This WAS my actual thought process the first two times I tried to make the switch. It took me a while to learn about FOSS options, and for them to become a good enough replacement for what I was using.

3) Linux is a 1:1 replacement for Windows- Yeah, not so much, you have to find new things to use, and in many cases new workflow. Gimp vs Photoshop, LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office. and there are some programs that will never be ported, or a Linux alternative developed: TurboTax, iTunes, AutoCad, etc.

I had heard this one, but I didn't believe it. My first introduction to Linux was in 2006. No chance it could have pulled me away from winXP. It wasn't until Mint 21.1 that I was able to make the switch. Even now, there is just some things I just can't do.

4) Sure, you can game on Linux. Maybe.

5) Linux requires you to manually configure everything, especially printers, scanners, etc. Thank goodness Mint, POP!_OS and Ubuntu have finally gotten it right, even BETTER than Microsoft in installing and configuring printers. Fedora, not so much.

This is one of the things that floored me. I haven't had to install any drivers for a Brother, Cannon, or Epson printer. I did have to install scanning software though.

6) You have to be a computer expert to use Linux since there is only command line. Again we are partly responsible for this FUD. And those who run Linux SERVERS confuse people with desktop Linux.

7) Linux is always old, never able to use modern hardware- partially true. All too many Linux Desktops look old, have ugly fonts, icons, and just look 10-20 years behind the times.

You cannot just install Linux, you have to be a computer expert. Partly true, some computer makers make it really a PITA to install Linux on their laptops. You actually have to do some research and even then you might not be able to install the distro you want to install.

9) Confusing file structure: Windows "A" drive, "B" drive, "C" drive, etc. Linux: SDA, SDB NVMe01, etc, etc. Too hard for many to for example move /home to a different drive, in Windows is it simple, just go to properties and type in file path.

The solution: Education, and perhaps passing on Linux hardware to friends and family.

The file structure still confuses me at times. In win, I knew where to look for stuff. Linux, not so much. I'm getting there slow but sure.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have some points to make on this since I just gave two linux laptops to friends who never used Linux and now they love it once the FUD was dispelled.

1) You have to only use the terminal. This is a big one, you have to use the command line and input obscure commands to use Linux at all. We as a community are partially at fault for this perception.

...

True that. Jay LeCroix of Learn Linux TV on YouTube is very knowledgeable but he probably scares a lot of Newbies off because he almost always uses only the terminal even there are usually GUI alternatives . I rarely watch his videos because of that. Another kind of video, which I especially despise, are the ones with no narrative, just a screen capture of the content creator going though the steps. I find those videos impossible for me to follow and I won't even bother to watch them anymore.

While I will use the terminal when I need to (when I can get complete, simple, step by step directions I can copy and keep since my memory sucks like a Hoover on steroids), I usually can find a GUI equivalent that is usually much easier to use.

When I'm talking to people about Linux and the almost inevitable fallacy of Linux being command line only comes up, I tell them the truth and say, depending on the distro they choose, their needs, and how someone set up their system, either themselves or for them by someone else, it may be necessary to use the terminal on occasion but that will be rare and, with good instructions, not at all difficult.

I also emphasize that Linux is NOT Windows (or, occasionally, Apple) and that they have to accept that they will have to unlearn much of what they know and relearn it, including replacing many, if not most, of their favorite programs or learning new workflows to accomplish their needs.

Too many people try Linux with unrealistic expectations and wind up leaving due to the disappointment they encounter. Or they think learning how to use Linux is too hard because they are too used to their previous OS or have forgotten how long it took them to learn how to use their previous OS.

[AndyMH]

Too many people try Linux with unrealistic expectations and wind up leaving due to the disappointment they encounter. Or they think learning how to use Linux is too hard because they are too used to their previous OS or have forgotten how long it took them to learn how to use their previous OS.

And, unfortunately, we get the occasional win user (usually claiming to be a "power user") but linux newbie coming here and demanding that we fix feature "xyz" because it doesn't work exactly like win and therefore linux is inferior. They usually don't last long, either on linux or here on the forum. Attitude is important.

[wwblm]

When it comes to the terminal, with Mint at least, for the average user, it is simply not something they need to consider. Years ago I put my wife on Ubuntu and I needed some terminal stuff to make that happen. However, even back then, she never once used the terminal and used that computer for several years. When I moved her current computer to Mint I did not need to use the terminal at all and of course she still does not even know what it is.

I started with DOS and when I got my first Mac I was thrilled to be able to use a GUI! Never warmed to a CLI. While I was building client server relational databases by dragging pictures around the conventional wisdom was that the Mac was just a toy and if you wanted to get actual work done you had to have a CLI like DOS! GUIs were for desktop publishing and not good for any real work. Times change.

When I needed to learn the original NextStep based OS X server I had to learn some terminal stuff. Unlike DOS, the terminal made more sense to me. To this day I overwhelmingly use the GUI to interact with the computer. However, having learned some terminal basics, I discovered that there are some things that I actually like to do on the CLI. I choose to use the terminal when it makes sense and makes my life easier.

Perhaps it would be good to point out that we have a terminal that most people won't need to touch but if you have an open mind you can use the terminal to make some things just easier and more productive.

[AZgl1800]

2) There is no software on Linux, only Microsoft has software you can use. Software stores are fragmented, with Mint and Gnome actually having decent ones, but they are confusing to newbies since there are SO MANY choices.

yeah, that is a problem with Linux, no software available for it.
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and you can't do anything without Grub, ??
oh?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Too many people try Linux with unrealistic expectations and wind up leaving due to the disappointment they encounter. Or they think learning how to use Linux is too hard because they are too used to their previous OS or have forgotten how long it took them to learn how to use their previous OS.

And, unfortunately, we get the occasional win user (usually claiming to be a "power user") but linux newbie coming here and demanding that we fix feature "xyz" because it doesn't work exactly like win and therefore linux is inferior. They usually don't last long, either on linux or here on the forum. Attitude is important.

Attitude is everything. BTW, I used be a Windows "power user" but, even after four years of using Linux Mint, I'm still pretty much a Linux newbie. It is rather humbling. I successfully survived the transition because I came in with the understanding that Linux is not Windows and I was pretty much going to have to go back to square one.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

2) There is no software on Linux, only Microsoft has software you can use. Software stores are fragmented, with Mint and Gnome actually having decent ones, but they are confusing to newbies since there are SO MANY choices.

yeah, that is a problem with Linux, no software available for it.
:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:
and you can't do anything without Grub, ??
oh?

WOW! And here I thought I was a program whore.

[coffee412]

I have a son-in-law who is in IT, think he maybe a software dev, or at least seems to spend his days in powershell. He has a closed mind to linux and I've given up having any discussions with him on that subject.

That is like my Brother. He is totally closed to linux and says "I do not want to have to learn <insert language here> to use the computer". Which he is referring to the command line. He is so close minded that I really feel sorry for him. Some people just cannot be reached no matter what. On the other hand, My 90 year old Dad says "Gee, I like this. Its great. Does everything I need it to do. How do they make money with this though???". lol..

My S.O. (girlfriend) I just made her do it. I took her windows away and put linux on. Now when she see's me having to do something in windows to repair a clients computer she says "Thats just retarded". lol..