How to help Windows Refugees

[KGIII]

Linux developers aren't on a nine-to-five salary like the Redmond and Cupertino crews.

At least for the kernel, this is no longer true - and hasn't been true for quite a while. Most *kernel* contributions come from people who are paid to contribute, including many who are paid by a business such as IBM or even Microsoft. The whole 'it's volunteers' isn't true for the kernel and quite a few of the more popular projects.

(This is a good thing.)

Now, I'm on the Ubuntu and, more specifically, Lubuntu teams. Sure, I get a fancy email address and the ability to speak on their behalf or other things, I'm absolutely unpaid. So, that end of things is still very much a labor of love. It'd probably be pretty easy to parlay my position with Lubuntu into a paid gig, however. I'm happily retired and not even remotely interested in turning it into a job.

 

[Brickwizard]

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

i posted a reply to another thread, so deleted it

 

[wizardfromoz]

Easy enough to just press Delete on your Post, Brian - I have done that.

Well, Darren, the place is hopping

January 10 coming is when EOL takes effect for Windows 8.1, and at that time we can expect some boatloads of Refugees headed our way ... be prepared to wear your best hat for advocating Linux, then, won't you all?

I travel on a "Linux to Go" principle, as follows

SCREENSHOT 1

...is a 16 GB usb stick with my car keys, so it goes where I go.

SCREENSHOT 2

... is the contents - 6 x Linux isos - a Mint, a Lite, an MX, an Ubuntu, a Manjaro and a Fedora

SCREENSHOT 3

... is the contents, under Ventoy.

You can have as many as the size of the stick permits, perhaps showing the different DEs (Desktop Environments), and of course a Zorin might be handy, for a Windows-like look.

Wiz

 

[Deleted member 137406]

Post # 5 from this thread.

Which Linux Distros Best for Laptop. i used Many Linux Distros they're all consume a lot of charge on laptop battery.

give me a proper suggestion

linux.org

ok thanks. then im going to leave linux forever. bye

Just one reason I no longer suggest Linux to users who claim to want to leave Windows and start using Linux.

With the first hint of what they don't like or want to hear then they jump ship and go back to Windows might as well stick with Windows.

Only a small minority of Windows refugees will cut the mustard and become successful Linux users.

 

[bob466]

You simply tell them...when you switch to Linux all your worries just disappear just like mine.

My 10 year old Laptop now runs Linux Mint Cinnamon 20.1 works great...Mint didn't tell me to buy a new Laptop.

 

[darry1966]

Thanks so far for all your answers so far including those who have found Windows users sticking with or going back to Windows.

Linux is not for everyone it seems, which is a pity because - you get to keep your machine longer etc.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Linux is not for everyone it seems, which is a pity because - you get to keep your machine longer etc.

GNU/Linux is for everyone, except for those who can't accept there is a small learning curve when it comes to learning something new which includes learning a new os. People tend to think they came out of the womb knowing how Windows works.

 

[MikeWalsh]

At least for the kernel, this is no longer true - and hasn't been true for quite a while. Most *kernel* contributions come from people who are paid to contribute, including many who are paid by a business such as IBM or even Microsoft. The whole 'it's volunteers' isn't true for the kernel and quite a few of the more popular projects.

(This is a good thing.)

Now, I'm on the Ubuntu and, more specifically, Lubuntu teams. Sure, I get a fancy email address and the ability to speak on their behalf or other things, I'm absolutely unpaid. So, that end of things is still very much a labor of love. It'd probably be pretty easy to parlay my position with Lubuntu into a paid gig, however. I'm happily retired and not even remotely interested in turning it into a job.

@KGIII :-

Aye, you're right. I didn't take the kernel development team into consideration when making that statement. Many of them are indeed either directly employed - or at least 'sponsored' (read backed) - by some of those afore-mentioned big organisations.

Of course, where it used to be RedHat, it IS now IBM.

The statement still holds true for the vast majority of independent developers.

Mike.

 

[KGIII]

I didn't take the kernel development team into consideration when making that statement.

Some large projects are maintained by people paid to do so, as well. I think it's a good thing.

But, yeah, that's definitely not true for the overwhelming majority of projects. Even some of the people who work on Lubuntu have employers who know and allow them to work on Lubuntu stuff during work hours (or so it appears, I've not directly asked as it's none of my business) - but I'm not sure I'd call them truly paid contributors.

I can say with complete certainty that I am unpaid. I haven't even scored any decent swag. I guess there's sometimes events they'd send me to, to learn or to speak, but I'm pretty sure I've gotta pay for anything like that out of my own pocket. I have no plans to do any of that, so I may never know the specifics. I've long since given up speaking at conferences.

Heck, I pay for a Linux site that I spend many hours on... The ads kinda cover the hosting sometimes. My time will forever be donated, 'cause the ads aren't ever gonna cover that.

And you know what? I really don't mind.

Like you, I'm sure, I don't mind giving back to Linux. Linux has given me so much that I feel compelled, kinda obligated, to give back to it. It's a sense of duty, but one I willingly undertake.

I suspect that's something you (and many others) have in common. It's what we do.

 

[MikeWalsh]

@KGIII :-

Oh, I couldn't agree more. The Puppy community made me so welcome 8 years ago, and helped me with so much in such a short space of time, that I had no problems in contributing back in whatever way I could.

My primary 'occupation' is packaging.....necessary with Puppy, since she uses her own unique package formats (.pets and SFSs, primarily). Something I discovered, quite by accident, that I seemed to have a knack for. Over the last couple of years, with the initial assistance of several other Puppians, I've developed a range of self-contained, 'portable' apps.....along the same lines as the Windows PortableApps. They'll run from anywhere, and in Puppy's case fit so well with its unique method of operation.....because you can run them from outside "Puppy-space" (the save-file/folder).

This also permits 'sharing' a single portable-app between multiple Puppies (I currently have eleven on the go). I never see the point in installing the same range of software into every one of maybe dozens of distros; the duplication & waste of disk space is horrendous. A properly built 'portable' keeps its config files/settings within its own directory.......and this is what mine attempt to do.

This includes browsers/internet apps, office stuff, multimedia apps, graphics stuff.....everything initially built because I wanted it for my own use, but where successful, then I'm always more than happy to share.


Mike.