How to help Windows Refugees

darry1966

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Hi everyone,
With more and more people coming here after finding they can't upgrade to win11 - how would you explain the virtues of Linux to them.

Remember you will have to keep it simple and help them to understand how Linux can benefit them. A better scenario than buying a new machine every time Windows releases a new version requiring a TPM chip or some other fancy doodah.
 


I'll provide some examples tomorrow - I look forward to reading what others provide. :)

Wiz
 
The way i would explain is this ; when you drive a car ,you don't need to know the details of the four stroke comustion engine or precise engineering on the V8 engine. You use the same steering wheel. brakes and clutch whether the car is a petrol or a diesel engine . There is a minor learning curve in that you need to know which fuel for vehicle needs.

So whether your on Windows or Linux you can have firefox as a browser and they work much the same on both.
Linux advantages show themselves when you want to do a little more than just browsing the web. Linux and open source community have and affinity and there is an ocean of "free" as in "source" and "free" as in "beer" software to use for development or your own use
 
To me Windows has always been an inter conglomerate con, every 6 to 8 years they bring out a new version, that won't effectively run on older equipment, forcing those who are blinded by Microsoft in conjunction with manufacturers and other product designed for windows are the best, and anything else is second rate, Then either throw away a good machine, some will trade them in for a pittance, others may give them to charity, all at an expense many people just can't afford, Soon we, the Linux/BDS users will be able to choose from a glut of 3-5 yr old W10 machines which won't run W11 but will run Linux/BDS faster and safer than Windows ever did, So in one respect we must thank Microsoft for their forethought in making good spec used equipment available to us at reasonable prices.
 
Windows costs money and will continue to require it as time goes by, one way or another.

Linux is free (as in free beer) but will cost the user some time to learn.

Which do you have more of? Money or time?
 
Hey, Darren.

Well, you know MY views on Whinedoze - no further comments needed there! - but for the benefit of others, I'll elucidate.

IMHO, Windows biggest failing is the old saw:-

From the late 90s - “32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that can't stand 1 bit of competition.”

That last bit is still as true today as it's ever been. Viz their buyout of Github; I can't be the only one that feels a degree of unease at the world's biggest monopolistic corporation of con-men buying out the web's biggest repository of free/open-source code. What's next?

-----------------------------------

That said, Linux's biggest plus points, to me, are the fact that you, the user, have complete control over how your computing experience goes. There's so many different distros out there that it would be really surprising if ANY user couldn't find something they could live with, sooner or later.

Most just want to switch their machine on and get with doing whatever they need/want to do. The OS should keep out of your way, yet enable you to do whatever you want with the minimum of fuss. Windows, unfortunately, likes to make itself front & center all the time.....as though MyCrudSoft feel they constantly have summat to prove.

The only thing that bemuses me is the way that many Linux geeks have made the OS/distro itself the entire reason for having a computer in the first place. Actually doing anything useful with it seems to be of distinctly secondary importance.......if it even figures in the equation in the first place.

They "distro-hop" for ever.....never really "settling-down" to anything. Ever.


Mike. ;)
 
From the late 90s - “32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that can't stand 1 bit of competition.”

As my signature says...

The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he, by peddling second-rate technology, who led them into it in the first place
Douglas Adams [1995]
 
I can't be the only one that feels a degree of unease at the Wisdows machineworld's biggest monopolistic corporation of con-men buying out the web's biggest repository of free/open-source code. What's next?
Telling us we cannot load GNU/Linux on any hardware that come with Windows pre-installed; taking away Freedom of Choice (powers that be are already working on eliminating Freedom of Speech), etc.
 
This is being written from the perspective of someone who just moved from Windows 7 Pro 64 to Zorin Pro.

What Windows tools and features am I using now and what are the equivalent in a Linux distro? That is it, that is what it really boils down to.

This leads to which distro? For me it was Zorin Pro; I confess I did pay their $39 USD for the product but that was only after evaluating their Zorin Core product. Zorin Pro gets pretty close to the Windows look and feel that soothes the anxiety load that comes with a switch to a new OS. I wanted pretty much a turn key transition to a Linux OS that mimicked to some degree the Windows world that I am leaving. Some day in the future I will install other Linux versions to learn more about Linux but at present I need to be functional for the most part within a two week period. I don't need to fight or struggle with installation issues.

I am 66 and retired this year, I come from a high tech (fiber optics communications, switching communications) background. My world for years has been steeped in Windows. I stayed on Win2K until I was forced to Win 7 Pro. I stayed on that until I picked up Zorin a few days ago. There was no way I would move to Win 10 or Win 11. I had to evaluate with a clear mind what my hardware needs and software needs were for a person my age and I think that is the most important approach for a new person to Linux. What are your needs now and which Linux distro can fill that need?
 
@Lufo :-

I run Puppy for one main reason; I'm a born tinkerer.....and Puppy positively encourages such behaviour!

I'm semi-retired myself, and a full-time carer into the bargain. Computing, for me, has only ever been a hobby; I count myself fortunate to have never been in a job where using one was necessary. The only person who used one at our place of work was the guv'nor's secretary, and SHE handled it with kid gloves as though it might explode at any moment. The poor lass was absolutely terrified of the thing!

I stuck with XP till EOL because I've only really got into the 'techie' side of things over the last decade or so. That said, I used the thing for its entire life-span, and was fed-up to the back teeth with it by the end. No way was I shelling out for more of the same, especially after a quick Google search revealed just how many viable alternatives were out there.

Mainstream distros have never really done it for me, but Zorin is one of the very few I've ever had any real time for. I like the fresh approach that Kyrill & Artyom - the brothers Zorin - have brought to the whole paradigm. To this end, I've had an install of Zorin (usually 'Core') on an external HDD almost since I switched to Linux, and occasionally have a play with it.


Mike. ;)
 
@Lufo :-

I run Puppy for one main reason; I'm a born tinkerer.....and Puppy positively encourages such behaviour!

I'm semi-retired myself, and a full-time carer into the bargain. Computing, for me, has only ever been a hobby; I count myself fortunate to have never been in a job where using one was necessary. The only person who used one at our place of work was the guv'nor's secretary, and SHE handled it with kid gloves as though it might explode at any moment. The poor lass was absolutely terrified of the thing!

I stuck with XP till EOL because I've only really got into the 'techie' side of things over the last decade or so. That said, I used the thing for its entire life-span, and was fed-up to the back teeth with it by the end. No way was I shelling out for more of the same, especially after a quick Google search revealed just how many viable alternatives were out there.

Mainstream distros have never really done it for me, but Zorin is one of the very few I've ever had any real time for. I like the fresh approach that Kyrill & Artyom - the brothers Zorin - have brought to the whole paradigm. To this end, I've had an install of Zorin (usually 'Core') on an external HDD almost since I switched to Linux, and occasionally have a play with it.


Mike. ;)

I remember XP all too well. I started in Windows with Win 3.1 and stopped at Win 7. Had the MS advanced books on them so I could customize what I wanted. Had to spend too much money on MS to keep it sane and sensible...and even then Windows was always dodgy. Once I get squared up on moving from Win 7 to Zorin I will put Puppy on and play with it.

Before I chose Zorin as my base OS, I did install Mint and Ubuntu. Both were nice but I simply liked the look and feel of Zorin better. I will one day dig back into Mint and Ubuntu and others but for now I need to get my sails squarely set. Before I redo Mint / Ubuntu I will take a look at Puppy.

Lufo
 
I'd be lazy - and that's kinda why I started this in the first place...





One or more of those would save me some time!
 
Long live Puppy!

Zorin Pro users -- why Zorin over Feren OS? One costs, one is free. What made you choose to pay?
Just curious . . .

@Brickwizard -- what means 'dissmiss?' new word to me!
 
@forester

I paid for Zorin Pro generally to support the creators, but also in part there are a few additional features with the GUI. I am the guy that will send a few dollars to the guys and gals that develop software that I use. Having several small business owners in my family and friends that own small business I am a little more keen on supporting the small enterprise or those whose free products I use. :)
 
It's a difficult question that hasn't a single and "best" answer. It depends on what worries the particular Windows 10 user.

If the only thing they're worried about is the inability of install Windows 11 smoothly, they won't stay. They may try a couple of friendly distributions for a while, and then go back to Windows, either buying a newer machine or installing Windows 11 unsuportedly. Because whatever they install with our support and help won't be Windows.

If there are other things that worry them, e.g.: the inability of customising their experience to a large degree, the evergrowing hunger for personal data from Microsoft and their partners (specially after Windows 10's "Web Experience Package"), the lack of control over telemetry,... and all the way up to the inability of check, play with, modify and redistribute Windows and its source code,... every refugee will be different.

The good thing is that we're a forum built to talk about things, and I believe we all can get past the flamewars. I guess the answer is to read and ask for their concerns and then elaborate how Linux can help in that regard, whatever it is.

PS -- I love the term Windows 10 refugee, good one!
 
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@forester

I paid for Zorin Pro generally to support the creators, but also in part there are a few additional features with the GUI. I am the guy that will send a few dollars to the guys and gals that develop software that I use. Having several small business owners in my family and friends that own small business I am a little more keen on supporting the small enterprise or those whose free products I use. :)
That's a perfectly valid reason, and one that holds water for me. After all, most of the day-to-day expenses commensurate with developing open-source software & code tends to come from donations.

Linux developers aren't on a nine-to-five salary like the Redmond and Cupertino crews. Most do what they do in their spare time, on top of holding down a paying job and all the other 1001 things that make up 'life'. Someone's got to pay the bills, and keep a roof over theirs (and their family's) heads.....

More power to them, I say. They deserve some little appreciation of their efforts.....

Mike. :)
 

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