Posted on 01/03/2013 6:52:26 AM PST by ShadowAce
For many PC users, the prospect of switching away from Mac or Windows and onto Linux can be a nerve-wracking one.
After all, Linux holds only a minority share of the desktop market, and not all of us know people who are already using it. The idea of making the switch can often feel like taking a blind leap into the unknown.
On the other hand, those of us on Windows are now facing the prospect of Windows 8, which by most accounts is not a happy one. Will it be more painful to jump into Modern UI, with all its attendant quirks and learning curve, or to move to a Linux distribution and at least have a choice of desktop interfaces and experiences?
I'd like to make the case for the latter.
Linux today has at least caught up with Windows for most purposes; in many areas, it's actually overtaken it. And now, with the transition required by Windows 8, it can be a whole lot less painful getting used to a Linux distribution that's at least based on conventions you're used to.
Need more convincing? Here are five reasons why I think there's never been a better time to switch to Linux.
1. Windows 8
For years Windows users have been able to coast along contentedly in a familiar paradigm, but with Windows 8 that's all changed. A mobile-style interface without a Start button is now the reality facing Windows users who upgrade, and it's not necessarily an easy transition.
<snip>
2. Flavors for every taste
<snip>
3. Superior security
<snip>
4. Modest requirements
<snip>
5. Open and free
Last but certainly not least is that Linux is totally free and unencumbered by license restrictions.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
For me 2012 was the year when I cut the cord. So 2013 won’t be. :)
However, it really does take an investment of time, a passion for doing it, and a certain amount of knowledge or willingness to use Google and try different things.
It does take some time, but I'd rather spend the time than the cash.
This has come along like clockwork. Every year since 1999: “This is the year of Linux on the desktop!!”
No, its not. Linux is a server OS. On the desktop, it appeals to hobbyists. Without real software developers like Adobe and Microsoft, it has no appeal to ordinary users. (Don’t tell me that there are Linux substitutes for popular mainstream applications, because they are junk.”
I’ve been using Windows 8 full time since the RTM came out in the summer. Windows 8 leapfrogs over Apple and Linux offerings in terms of innovation, functionality, and beauty. Its the best OS I’ve ever used.
Let me know when I can play games like Skyrim and others on Linux. Pardon me if I don’t hold my breath.
If you are suggesting Windows 8 is superior to OSX, then I suggest that you have never used the latter.
You actually like that mess of a Start Screen?
I do all of my “real” work on Linux, but I have to keep Windows around because:
1. Some games I want to play don’t run on Linux.
2. Multi-media support on Linux is fragmented and unstable.
In a world where media is starting to be ruled by streaming content that Linux can’t play, it’s just not going to be an end-user OS.
Can you provide an example?
“Windows 8 leapfrogs over Apple and Linux offerings in terms of innovation, functionality, and beauty. Its the best OS I’ve ever used.”
You obviously don’t work in a business or technical environment.
For someone who has never used Linux, how difficult is the switch over from a windows platform? My wife is having all kinds of problems with Windows 7. She has the original Windows 7 installation disk and her computer keeps telling her that she is not licensed to use Windows 7. She has an HP Desktop computer. She has called Windows support and they said they would charge her $100 to fix her system. They waved the fee after she complained that she can’t use their licensed product. They did a remote fix which took a couple of hours. Her computer worked for awhile (Days) and now it is doing the same thing over again - says she is not licensed to use 7!
Except for a few games and Windows 7 itself, there is nothing running on my PC which requires any user payment or licensing agreement.
How about Microsoft Flight Simulator X, using all features of an Nvidia GTX 670 card which are supported by the game?
Linux: by geeks, for geeks.
It’s improving, but still has a core requirement that the user be able to deal with “oops, oh, just type this obscure incantation...”
I keep trying to like it, and keep giving up. As a programmer for 35 years, this does not bode well for the average user. I can make it work, but the unrelenting brokenness and tinkering just means its not ready for the general public.
I’ve used Debian as my primary OS on my desktop machine for many years. My desktop is KDE, and has been since the 90s.
For the last couple of years, my laptop that I take out in the field has been an 11” Mac Book Air. I’ve ordered a new 13” one, but have decided that it will be dual boot (Mac OS X/Debian).
For Windows stuff, I use a virtual machine.
I guess I am one that never fully transferred to Windows. I use Linux for many reasons the #1 reason is I can take a raw kernel and custom compile a system for a computer, strip out what I don’t need and add what I do thus I have a system custom made for that computer.
Example, I have an old Compaq Armada Titanium 3 gig hard drive 512 ram I custom compiled a kernel that runs like a dream on this old machine.
I have one old desktop that has 25 partitions and 25 different OS on it reading thru the grub list is like reading a book! This one was my old bug machine’s I installed different distro’s to try out and search for bugs never had a problem with it lmao!
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