All I would need it for is web browsing, maybe watching some Amazon instant video, and games. I can live with running a Windows 7 VM for some games if needed. Not really worried about productivity software, can always (hopefully) fire up my old laptop I still have lying around somewhere.
Then by all means, give it a try, nothing is stopping you...
Just keep in mind that if you're angry with Microsoft over Windows 10, that doesn't make Linux a good solution. It just means you're angry with MS.
Some of the Linux users here sound like religious zealots... ANYTHING BUT WINDOWS is their entire game plan, and they'll accept any amount of headaches and workarounds to avoid using Windows.
"Just change your software to something else" is such a stupid response, but it shows the mindset of the Linux faithful.
You buy a computer to run your software, you don't buy software to run a computer.
The OS is not the important part, it is the programs you want to run. You run the OS that your programs need, not hunt down the programs that will support your OS.
Because iTunes Store dropped FairPlay digital restrictions management for music in 2009, your existing iTunes music library works in any AAC player for X11/Linux.
Yes, because THAT is the solution... So take your music, import it into another player, set it up... then what happens when you buy more music on iTunes, do it again?
When you buy music on your iPhone, the idea is that it automatically shows up on your computer too. That really doesn't work for your solution.
Individual tax returns can be prepared on HRBlock.com, and you have to re-buy the software annually anyway to account for annual changes to the tax code, so you can just buy the one that works best in Wine.
Some of us prefer to locally install our software. Some of us need a more complex solution than a web site.
Having to change our ways so we can change our OS... to end up, what, doing the same thing a different way, is not an improvement...
A GPS application for a phone can be updated within the phone, and a standalone GPS ought to be able to be updated by copying a file to it through USB mass storage or MTP.
You have a very narrow worldview if you think it is a GPS application for a phone.
Try a Garmin... they do still have uses you know...
Don't ask "how do I run [brand name of software] on Linux?" Instead I ask, "How do I [accomplish task] on Linux?"
"How do I do my accounting on Linux so that I can send my file to my CPA, who uses Quickbooks, so he can have his bookkeeper do edits and changes, and send it back to me and have me open/import it into my file?"
"How do I open Word 2013 files (DOCX) on Linux, make changes and edits, and have them open on a Windows machine in Word 2013 and show up exactly the same as they do on the Linux machine?"
"How do I stream my Amazon Prime music on Linux without a web browser open?"
As an example, it's much easier to do basic and moderate photo editing in Gimp than it is to buy Photoshop and get it running on Linux.
Not if you're already a Photoshop user it isn't... I've tried Gimp, it has major limitations compared to Photoshop. If you do such work on a serious basis, there is really no substitute for Photoshop, which is why for all the moaning and groaning of their move to the cloud and sub based services, more or less everyone went along.
You might be surprised at how healthy gaming is becoming on Linux.
No, I'm aware there are a number of games that support Linux to one extent or another...
The problem is... What games are Linux ONLY?
I can think of a long list of Windows only games, but what games do I need to install Linux to run?
The answer is, none... (or at least none that 99% of the people would really care about, there might be one somewhere).
Slashdot is not reflective of the general marketplace, people here love to talk about Linux, but the reality is that it is a very small market with a very small userbase.
Valve has business reasons for trying to support it, they are trying to hold back Windows and the Windows store, which is now their competition. (or might be in the future, I don't see many AAA games in the Windows store right now).
Keep in mind that if Linux ever became a thing due to Value, then it would lose a lot of what you currently like it for, since it can't remain 52 different versions and still be consumer friendly.
I would suggest that for initial setup you get some help from a friend who uses Linux
If I need help from a friend who uses Linux, then what the frack am I moving to Linux for?
Windows is easy to install and use, no help required. Clean installing? Stick the USB stick or DVD in the drive, boot up, it installs.
That's it.
Windows finds all the drivers, even sets the screen resolution correctly. Sign in with a MS account and it offers to set itself up as another computer you have already used.
As for ideology, most of the Linux users I know switched because they were sick of putting up with Window's B.S. (malware, instability, etc)
If your friends are having problems with malware or instability, then the problem is the person sitting behind the keyboard, not Windows...
I honestly can't recall the last time Windows crashed on me, it is solid as a rock.
Malware? Well, I don't get that. Besides running security software, I also practice safe browsing habits, I don't click on everything on my screen, I have ad-block installed, etc.
Keep in mind that if Linux had 90%+ marketshare, it would also have a ton of viruses and malware as well. It doesn't today largely because it isn't being targeted.
TL;DR - sometimes it's drop-easy to convert (especially for ordinary users who don't do much with a computer), sometimes it takes time (for us crazy people who do a lot of stuff on one.)
And most of the time it is more or less impossible...
OS X and Linux on the desktop are trying to solve problems that people don't have...
That they are "not Windows" is not enough reason to switch to them...
You might... but the number of people who will do that is a small, small fraction of those who will accept the free upgrade...
Give Linux a try now, if you haven't already... it sounds nice, but it comes with a lot of little limitations that have to be worked around or lived with...
Amazon had a special a few days ago for a 1TB SSD for $279... If I didn't already have 1TB SSDs in all our gaming machines, I'd have picked up a few...
My office machines have 256GB SSDs in them, but all they run is Windows, Office, and a few other programs, they are less than half full.
Yeah, I upgraded my HDD in my PS4 to a 2TB drive on day one. 500GB just didn't sound impressive considering that everything does a full install. Heck, my PS3 even has a 1TB drive.
:)
Did the exact same thing, with both consoles... Our PS3 upstairs has a 1TB drive in it and the PS4 got a 2TB drive before it was ever turned on for the first time.
I just knew it would be a PITA to swap the drive out later, moving data between them, so I figured I'd just do it on day one.
It was a smart move, we passed 500GB on that drive within a month, it is past 1TB now.... sadly, the space likely will run out by the end of this year...
We used to have a pair of Roku 3, we replaced them with the Amazon Fire TV...
Roku 3 is a wonderful device, when it came out there was nothing that could touch it in terms of speed, performance, or selection.
That being said, if you live in the Amazon ecosystem, as we do, the Amazon Fire TV is a superior device. If you use multiple streaming services, then I'd have kept the Roku devices.
Still, Roku is in such demand, that I sold those pair of Roku for nearly what I paid for them and so the cost to upgrade was pretty minor. The benefits over time of having a device that works best with your ecosystem are worth it.
For example, if you're a heavy iTunes family and really don't do much else, then Apple TV makes a lot of sense.
Slashdot Mirror
All I would need it for is web browsing, maybe watching some Amazon instant video, and games. I can live with running a Windows 7 VM for some games if needed. Not really worried about productivity software, can always (hopefully) fire up my old laptop I still have lying around somewhere.
Then by all means, give it a try, nothing is stopping you...
Just keep in mind that if you're angry with Microsoft over Windows 10, that doesn't make Linux a good solution. It just means you're angry with MS.
Once you have switched to Linux, you won't "buy more music on iTunes" anymore. Use Amazon.
And that, right there, shows the backwards thinking of Linux users...
Change your life to cater to the OS, rather than the OS cater to your life.
Perhaps the user doesn't want to leave iTunes, perhaps they are happy with their iPhone/iPad/iPod.
I used to do that many years ago, my house is wired with Cat 6, I had a server in a closet with many hard drives and streamed throughout the house...
Until one day I realized that the energy, time, money, and space were better used for other things...
You are, of course, correct...
Some of the Linux users here sound like religious zealots... ANYTHING BUT WINDOWS is their entire game plan, and they'll accept any amount of headaches and workarounds to avoid using Windows.
"Just change your software to something else" is such a stupid response, but it shows the mindset of the Linux faithful.
You buy a computer to run your software, you don't buy software to run a computer.
The OS is not the important part, it is the programs you want to run. You run the OS that your programs need, not hunt down the programs that will support your OS.
The Linux people have it completely backwards.
Because iTunes Store dropped FairPlay digital restrictions management for music in 2009, your existing iTunes music library works in any AAC player for X11/Linux.
Yes, because THAT is the solution... So take your music, import it into another player, set it up... then what happens when you buy more music on iTunes, do it again?
When you buy music on your iPhone, the idea is that it automatically shows up on your computer too. That really doesn't work for your solution.
Individual tax returns can be prepared on HRBlock.com, and you have to re-buy the software annually anyway to account for annual changes to the tax code, so you can just buy the one that works best in Wine.
Some of us prefer to locally install our software. Some of us need a more complex solution than a web site.
Having to change our ways so we can change our OS... to end up, what, doing the same thing a different way, is not an improvement...
A GPS application for a phone can be updated within the phone, and a standalone GPS ought to be able to be updated by copying a file to it through USB mass storage or MTP.
You have a very narrow worldview if you think it is a GPS application for a phone.
Try a Garmin... they do still have uses you know...
Don't ask "how do I run [brand name of software] on Linux?"
Instead I ask, "How do I [accomplish task] on Linux?"
"How do I do my accounting on Linux so that I can send my file to my CPA, who uses Quickbooks, so he can have his bookkeeper do edits and changes, and send it back to me and have me open/import it into my file?"
"How do I open Word 2013 files (DOCX) on Linux, make changes and edits, and have them open on a Windows machine in Word 2013 and show up exactly the same as they do on the Linux machine?"
"How do I stream my Amazon Prime music on Linux without a web browser open?"
As an example, it's much easier to do basic and moderate photo editing in Gimp than it is to buy Photoshop and get it running on Linux.
Not if you're already a Photoshop user it isn't... I've tried Gimp, it has major limitations compared to Photoshop. If you do such work on a serious basis, there is really no substitute for Photoshop, which is why for all the moaning and groaning of their move to the cloud and sub based services, more or less everyone went along.
Yep, they delayed the release of GTA V on the PC until they got it right...
I own it, I've played it... rock solid...
You might be surprised at how healthy gaming is becoming on Linux.
No, I'm aware there are a number of games that support Linux to one extent or another...
The problem is... What games are Linux ONLY?
I can think of a long list of Windows only games, but what games do I need to install Linux to run?
The answer is, none... (or at least none that 99% of the people would really care about, there might be one somewhere).
Slashdot is not reflective of the general marketplace, people here love to talk about Linux, but the reality is that it is a very small market with a very small userbase.
Valve has business reasons for trying to support it, they are trying to hold back Windows and the Windows store, which is now their competition. (or might be in the future, I don't see many AAA games in the Windows store right now).
Keep in mind that if Linux ever became a thing due to Value, then it would lose a lot of what you currently like it for, since it can't remain 52 different versions and still be consumer friendly.
I would suggest that for initial setup you get some help from a friend who uses Linux
If I need help from a friend who uses Linux, then what the frack am I moving to Linux for?
Windows is easy to install and use, no help required. Clean installing? Stick the USB stick or DVD in the drive, boot up, it installs.
That's it.
Windows finds all the drivers, even sets the screen resolution correctly. Sign in with a MS account and it offers to set itself up as another computer you have already used.
It couldn't be any bloody easier.
As for ideology, most of the Linux users I know switched because they were sick of putting up with Window's B.S. (malware, instability, etc)
If your friends are having problems with malware or instability, then the problem is the person sitting behind the keyboard, not Windows...
I honestly can't recall the last time Windows crashed on me, it is solid as a rock.
Malware? Well, I don't get that. Besides running security software, I also practice safe browsing habits, I don't click on everything on my screen, I have ad-block installed, etc.
Keep in mind that if Linux had 90%+ marketshare, it would also have a ton of viruses and malware as well. It doesn't today largely because it isn't being targeted.
So Linux users are willing to pay 40% more than Windows users on a pay what you want scheme.
Boy, that sure sounds good...
So I guess if I release my new AAA game for $60 on Windows, then Linux gamers will be willing to pay $100 for it, right?
Right?
TL;DR - sometimes it's drop-easy to convert (especially for ordinary users who don't do much with a computer), sometimes it takes time (for us crazy people who do a lot of stuff on one.)
And most of the time it is more or less impossible...
OS X and Linux on the desktop are trying to solve problems that people don't have...
That they are "not Windows" is not enough reason to switch to them...
this entire thread sounds like a repost from 1998. not much has changed on this topic in 15-20 years
But, but... the "Year of the Linux Desktop" is just around corner, isn't it?
Er... you're right of course, the marketshare of Linux on the desktop hasn't moved much in 20 years, nor will it.
A few people move to it, a few people move away from it, nothing much changes.
You might... but the number of people who will do that is a small, small fraction of those who will accept the free upgrade...
Give Linux a try now, if you haven't already... it sounds nice, but it comes with a lot of little limitations that have to be worked around or lived with...
There is reason the marketshare is what it is...
Yep, 100%...
Lord you'd think Uber would have better lawyers than this...
Actually, a McDonalds franchisee is allowed to set their own prices...
For awhile when the double cheese burger was on the dollar menu, a decent number of franchisees were removing it and moving it to $1.19.
Yes, they are allowed to do that.
240GB SSDs for a gaming machine? Ouch!
Amazon had a special a few days ago for a 1TB SSD for $279... If I didn't already have 1TB SSDs in all our gaming machines, I'd have picked up a few...
My office machines have 256GB SSDs in them, but all they run is Windows, Office, and a few other programs, they are less than half full.
Yeah, I upgraded my HDD in my PS4 to a 2TB drive on day one. 500GB just didn't sound impressive considering that everything does a full install. Heck, my PS3 even has a 1TB drive.
:)
Did the exact same thing, with both consoles... Our PS3 upstairs has a 1TB drive in it and the PS4 got a 2TB drive before it was ever turned on for the first time.
I just knew it would be a PITA to swap the drive out later, moving data between them, so I figured I'd just do it on day one.
It was a smart move, we passed 500GB on that drive within a month, it is past 1TB now.... sadly, the space likely will run out by the end of this year...
Yes, but it is a slippery slope to say, "less speech for people whom we don't like this week".
You don't change the rules of the game after it has been played. If you want to tax oil, coal, and natural gas more in the future, sure go ahead...
I actually do think we could use a tax increase on those items.
But you don't "send a bill" for past events, that is changing the rules after the game has been played.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
We used to have a pair of Roku 3, we replaced them with the Amazon Fire TV...
Roku 3 is a wonderful device, when it came out there was nothing that could touch it in terms of speed, performance, or selection.
That being said, if you live in the Amazon ecosystem, as we do, the Amazon Fire TV is a superior device. If you use multiple streaming services, then I'd have kept the Roku devices.
Still, Roku is in such demand, that I sold those pair of Roku for nearly what I paid for them and so the cost to upgrade was pretty minor. The benefits over time of having a device that works best with your ecosystem are worth it.
For example, if you're a heavy iTunes family and really don't do much else, then Apple TV makes a lot of sense.
Believe me.
Yes, because you are all knowing...
Frankly, you're the type of person I was talking about, afraid the future, afraid of change, and afraid in general...
That's fine, you'll die one day and be replaced by someone who isn't afraid, and life moves on.
Math doesn't work that way.
So sure of yourself, aren't you?
So if I wonder what 10 times 10 is and the answer of 100 instantly comes up, that isn't how it works?
If I wonder what 5,050,248 divided by 3,921 is, and the answer of 1,288, that isn't how it works?
You might want to rethink your entire point.
Or agree that it is and always was a problem, and pay up for your share.
Pay up, to whom? People begging for money?
Its pretty simple really, isnt it.
Yes, people see something they don't like and decide it is a way to try and take someone else's money for nothing.
Yep, simple...
Yep, more or less...
They really just want money... if that money would actually clean and buy back the prior environment, sure... but it won't...
Yes, it is pretty cool that they made that work... but that is for adding additional monitors to a system that already has a video card that works...
If you plug that into a computer with no video card at all, it isn't going to help...
Plus, that has major limits, 1080p video, no motion support (this isn't for watching videos, it has to compress the images to make it work).
So if the video card breaks on your small form factor computer, this is not a solution.
But thanks for playing! :D