Posted on 06/22/2015 6:33:19 AM PDT by ShadowAce
Every once in a while, I find myself in a situation where I'm being asked by someone who wants to migrate from a Microsoft Windows operating system if Linux is indeed a new home for Windows refugees.
Migrating from an operating system to a different one is not for everyone, no matter if you're switching from Windows to Linux, or from Linux to Mac, or from Mac to Windows, as it involves special hardware (in some cases) and a lot of time learning how the new OS works, something that we are short of these days.
It just happens that I’ve had the opportunity to work in environments with many Windows PCs, where I could monitor the activity of people of different ages and genres using the Windows operating system, over the course of a couple of years.
What I've noticed during all these years is the fact that people tend to make a mess when using computers. Accessing all sorts of links on various websites without even reading carefully before clicking or installing programs without even looking at the screens of the installation wizard, and for these two reasons only malware, spyware, and phishing exist.
Clicking multiple times on the shortcut of a program because it did not open in a certain time frame is also something I've noticed with people using Microsoft Windows operating systems, which will make the OS open several instances of the same program, something that is not allowed on GNU/Linux and Mac OS X that easily.
Some of you out there, including myself, would ask that person why they want to move to an entirely different operating system on their personal computers, especially if they've used that OS for a few good years now.
The regular answer is that they heard about Linux being secure and immune to viruses, which is very true. OK, but just hearing about an OS that's like Windows but more secure does not mean that you are capable of making the switch overnight.
After getting to know a little about a GNU/Linux operating system, many Windows refugees have second thoughts about making the switch, especially because of the fragmentation, as there are so many Linux distributions with different desktop environments to choose from, each one with its custom set of applications.
Sooner or later, they end up on forums asking questions about the best Linux distro for their needs. The short answer to that question is that there's no easy Linux OS out there. If you're asking me, Ubuntu is the closest one to being very user-friendly, but even that one needs some work done in that department.
When they finally decide to try a Linux distribution, various problems arise, starting with the installation of the respective operating system and ending with desktop applications. Everyone has their special needs when working on a PC, from a simple text editor to a more complex office suite.
Linux has a wide variety of apps, and most of them are open source, but there are some that either are not mature enough (e.g. Twitter clients) or they're not compatible with certain file types that the respective person who wants to migrate used on Windows (e.g. LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office).
On Linux, there's no iTunes client, so you won't be able to import your music from iTunes on Windows/Mac. However, there are some great apps for playing music, and Linux has some of the best video players, but on many distributions, you will have to install multimedia codecs to enjoy movies and music.
If you're using a computer operating system just for browsing the Internet, talking with friends online, watching movies, listening to your favorite artists, if you don't care much about complex applications like Photoshop or Premiere, you don't have some special requirements/hardware that you want to attach to your PC, and you truly want to switch OSes, you can do it!
The truth is that, at first, it will be hard, and you will encounter many issues. Prepare to search the Internet for many tutorials, join forums of the Linux distribution you're migrating to and ask questions on how to do various things. My suggestion is to install Linux on a different computer, or use a dual-boot setup - though many will encounter issues with that - and access it from time to time, 1-2 hours per day, and after a few months, you will know if you can really make the switch.
bkmrk
PCLinuxOS is Ubuntu based and made to look like Windows.
Switching was no problem, Gimp, Firefox, an a full Office Suite is included.
Put it on a system, and in less than a day, anyone will be up and running, and never need MS or Mac again.
I put Ubuntu on a small PC and love it.
It was a cheap little name brand desktop and windows just slugged it out.
It’s a spare PC that I keep in my studio and it runs great.
Ubuntu is user friendly, free and has a great app store (a LOT of free stuff)
While I’ve never used it, I’ve heard good things about PCLinuxOS.
Been a ubuntu convert for 12 years. Will never go back. No viruses...no hacks...no ID theft.
And more CPU cycles to use, since you're not running AV.
I have several hard drives for my laptop. Ubuntu on one, PCLinuxOS on another . PCLinux is much more stable, and that is with both systems kept up to date.
Ubuntu has memory leaks and tends to overheat the video card, PC does not.
Most PC users couldn’t use the command line if that had to, so no point in fearing it.
In my experience, the vast majority of people have no idea whatsoever of how their computer works, and really understand no more than rote incantations to accomplish certain tasks.
I've got a fellow who I set up on Fedora 12 several years ago. He's happy, in that his computer is stable, it does what he wants and is relatively pain free. He won't let me upgrade him to a more recent version though. At the moment I'm pretty much OK with that. As long as everything is working for him, it really doesn't matter how far back he is.
I’d love to stop supporting Microsoft but Linux still isn’t there yet. I’ve tried to run Linux about 3 times over the past decade. Two things consistently happen for me:
1. With no changes to the hardware or software, it (Ubuntu) can one day just refuse to fully boot. It goes to a purple screen and I have to find instructions to modify some config file to boot it up.
2. It still doesn’t work well with any video card I’ve ever owned. With some cards, it didn’t use the full resolution. With others, it runs the fan 100% of the time.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
It is getting easier, but yes it is hard. The biggest thing is you'll hear..."Oh did you install this program it's wonderful for doing XYX".
So you run off to get said program. Oh wait it's not available on your build of Linux. So now you have to either change your build of Linux or compile the program youself.
While working at IBM, I have used Linux as my laptop OS (Red Hat Enterprise) for the better part of 3 years. My duties had me traveling globally, and generally speaking, I performed my own pc support. In those three years, I never had a problem. I did have 2 apps that I had to run in a VMware player instance for Windows - Visio and Project. Other than those two apps, everything ran in Linux.
I am now back on Windows due to both role changes and policy changes. I have had 5 instances of a total lock up requiring a forced power cycle in 3 months. I also have countless other little Windows “features” that have caused me no end of hassles.
I would love to go back to Linux.
That's kind of a scary place to put yourself in. I see this a lot with the Apple folks too. Honestly, how to do know you have no viruses, malware, sniffers, etc if you have nothing watching for it? It's like taking all locks, alarms, and cameras off your home and then proudly stating that you know it has never been broken into. How do you know that no one has walked into your home, made some toast, cleaned up after themselves and left?
I watch Apple users take this same approach, get a malicious add-in on their browser, and then wonder why their system runs slow. Granted, the majority of the bad stuff is focused towards Microsoft, but that doesn't mean it can't happen on other systems. At all the hacker conventions, EVERY OS gets hacked. On Linux, you are safer than being on Windows, but you are kidding yourself by doing nothing.
Browser get hacked but the Unix OS’s don’t get hacked unless you have a really easy root passwd.
As along time veteran, compiled Linux systems manually, just for fun, had a Mac at work for a while, I simply have no need to use anything other than Windows. It works fine for what I do.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
compile the program youself
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