8 tips to help non-techies move to Linux

OpenSource.com ^ | 17 December 2018 | Scott Nesbitt

[ShadowAce]

[neverevergiveup]

Linux, isn’t that Lucy’s brother - the kid who always has his blanket?

[Carpe Cerevisi]

How can you tell when someone is using Linux?

Don’t worry...they’ll let know.

[FrogMom]

May I be added to the tech ping list, please?

[cuban leaf]

The main point is missing: WHY should I move to Linux?

I’m not being contrarian. I’m being serious. Most non-techies honestly wonder why anyone thinks they should do it.

And a second one: “Will it change the way I use all of my microsoft office software?”

And a third one: What about all my other windows based software? Will this make using it easier, or will it make it more complicated?

If you are going to sell someone a new car, or stereo, or toaster, you have to first show them why they want to make the change from what they already have.

[ShadowAce]

You’ve been added. Welcome Aboard!

[Dahoser]

This isn’t bad, but it’s still too techie. There is no way I’m going to teach people to make their own bootable flash drives as part of moving them to Linux unless it comes up in conversation as in, “Hey! How do you do that?” Otherwise, my goal in moving non-techies over to Linux is so they can surf the web and use Libre Office to write a letter or work with a spreadsheet on a system they cannot afford to replace or something I have lying about.

[2ndDivisionVet]

On a different subject, my keyboard no work.

[a fool in paradise]

have you tried using voice to text on your phone?

[ShadowAce]

The main point is missing: WHY should I move to Linux?

1. I don't like paying a company to maintain control over my computer.
2. I don't like not having control over updates to my computer
3. I don't like having to run anti-virus, anti-malware, etc just to use my computer
4. I don't like having to pay subscription fees (Office) for software I (supposedly) bought
5. I don't like contributing money to Leftist causes that MS supports
6. I don't like my operating system to "call home" because the company who sold me the operating system refuses to trust me
7. I don't like a company that refuses to trust me, but I cannot trust them, even with something as simple as a monthly update (see October 2018 update).

And a second one: “Will it change the way I use all of my microsoft office software?”

Yes--no more subscription fees for Office 365. Download the packages and just use it--including all your past documents and current ones. My co-workers don't see any differences between my documents/e-mail than anyone else.

And a third one: What about all my other windows based software? Will this make using it easier, or will it make it more complicated?

That depends on which software you are talking about. The answer is very specific to the application.

[Vaquero]

I’m eventually switching everything to Apple products.
I like to use technology, not diagnose technology.

[ShadowAce]

See post #11, points 1,2,5

[2ndDivisionVet]

U mean ce11 phone? Don’t own one.

[marajade]

I still use Office 97 and it is free.

[ShadowAce]

I recommend trying out Libre Office. It's free, it runs on Windows and Linux, and it's current.

[ThunderSleeps]

It can be perplexing and sometimes frustrating for newany users.

There, fixed it. I've been using Unix of one form or another since the late 1980s (work). I've been running Linux at home and at work for the last 14 years. Yet a few weeks back, the SSD in my home system started acting up (nearing end of life). I should mention that the SSD is used for the OS, and /home is mounted on a regular spinning drive... Simple swap for a new SSD and re-install, right?

Wrong. The same distro I've been using on my personal laptop and desktop, the one I've installed probably 6 or 8 times fooling around with it... Decided it didn't want to see the new SSD as a boot device. No amount of jacking around on the command line, nor fooling with GParted could make it do a simple install of bootable / on the SSD, and /home on the spinner...

I finally had to just do a "fresh" install of Linux onto the SSD - ignoring the spinning drive entirely. I felt stupid using all the beginner defaults... Then I went in and manually edited /etc/fstab to mount the spinner as /home.

I'm still a borederline Linux fanboy, but I will be the first to admit sometimes I just don't get it...

[marktwain]

The biggest thing I like about Linux is that you have control over your computer and software.

I really dislike the idea of allowing some company to alter my computing systems at will, without any idea of what they are doing, and why.

ShadowAce gave a pretty good list of the advantages.

[daniel1212]

I do not currently have a need for Linux, but thought posting the following stats on hits to our web site during last Nov. would be interesting. According to this, we get more hits from Windows XP than Windows 10, while Google Android outdoes both, if not Windows 7 and Windows OS combined. But there are also those using Unknown systems.

Versions		Pages	Percent	Hits	Percent
Windows		8,172	44.9 %	8,629	45 %
	Windows XP	1,324	7.2 %	1,334	6.9 %
	Windows Phone	21	0.1 %	21	0.1 %
	Windows NT	39	0.2 %	39	0.2 %
	Windows ME	5	0 %	5	0 %
	Windows Vista (LongHorn)	82	0.4 %	86	0.4 %
	Windows Mobile	6	0 %	6	0 %
	Windows 98	6	0 %	6	0 %
	Windows 95	2	0 %	2	0 %
	Windows 8.1	140	0.7 %	156	0.8 %
	Windows 8	67	0.3 %	72	0.3 %
	Windows 7	5,326	29.3 %	5,471	28.5 %
	Windows 2003	30	0.1 %	30	0.1 %
	Windows 2000	30	0.1 %	31	0.1 %
	Windows 10	1,094	6 %	1,370	7.1 %
BSD		12	0 %	12	0 %
	OpenBSD	11	0 %	11	0 %
	FreeBSD	1	0 %	1	0 %
Linux		2,846	15.6 %	2,979	15.5 %
	Ubuntu	9	0 %	10	0 %
	Centos	1	0 %	1	0 %
	Google Android	1,852	10.1 %	1,978	10.3 %
	GNU Linux (Unknown or unspecified distribution)	984	5.4 %	990	5.1 %
Macintosh		1,539	8.4 %	1,623	8.4 %
	Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks	11	0 %	15	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion	1	0 %	5	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.7 Lion	7	0 %	7	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard	13	0 %	16	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard	1	0 %	1	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger	1	0 %	1	0 %
	Mac OS X 10.12 Sierra	119	0.6 %	133	0.6 %
	Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan	112	0.6 %	117	0.6 %
	Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite	149	0.8 %	160	0.8 %
	Mac OS X others	1,124	6.1 %	1,167	6 %
	Mac OS	1	0 %	1	0 %
iOS		2,178	11.9 %	2,394	12.4 %
	iOS (iPhone)	1,968	10.8 %	2,149	11.2 %
	iOS (iPad)	210	1.1 %	245	1.2 %
Others		3,419	18.8 %	3,519	18.3 %
	Unknown	3,222	17.7 %	3,289	17.1 %
	Unknown Unix system	159	0.8 %	192	1 %
	Sony PlayStation	19	0.1 %	19	0 %
	BlackBerry	7	0 %	7	0 %
	Nintendo Wii	6	0 %	6	0 %
	Java Mobile	6	0 %	6	0 %

Advanced Web Statistics 7.6 (build 20161204) - Created by awstats (plugins: hostinfo, geoipfree, tooltips)

[C210N]

I use both.

Linux for work, in embedded systems and for embedded systems. I do not try to do powerpoint, excel, word, email, web.

Windoze for when I do try to do powerpoint, excel, word, email, web.