Comment by ho_schi
2 years ago
I install everywhere Fedora for the same reasons. As long an the users aren’t Windows-Users and believe they know computers they will be happy with a plain Linux. They update itself, they upgrade it self and they’re happy not forced into updates. GNOME can be criticized for missing options but it features a simple and neat interface and keyboard centric usage makes it a bless.
I myself using Arch which for more than 14 years now and it is a perfect fit for professions and enthusiasts. But in case of an average user, Fedora.
What I mean with Windows-Users? People which believe they need to install “drivers“ themselves. Which argue against Linux anyway because it doesn’t support the weird „Desktop Metapher“ from Windows 95. And usually argue that weird hardware like 3D-Shutterglasses or some kind of HDR-Something (just insert here some hot new stuff) isn’t supported. The broad majority of users don’t want that and don’t need it. What matters is HiDPI-Scaling (good, with exception of the awful thing named Electron) and easy to configure sound-system (Pipewire nailed it). And unification of which we achieved through Linux, LIBC/LIBSTDC++, Coretuils and finally Systemd and Flatpak. The point here is the chain of parts building upon each other.
Recommendations Stay away from Nvidia. Use old ThinkPads if you have not special requirements. Use printers with AirPrint (IPP-Everywhere).
Teaching I would be happy if people start teaching the users to read the interface (like a book or an info grahic), think and then act. Input, Process, Output. TUIs foster that and I think that is why users accustomed to them love them - and dislike most GUIs and nearly all websites.
What computer courses do for decades? Not teaching users using the interface. They just drill them to click on a specific icon (once, or twice or with the wrong mouse button). Just see them happy when the type “Email” and Linux offers Evolution or Thunderbird. And if they don’t find it two months later? Again “Email”.
> Recommendations Stay away from Nvidia
Unless you need to use the GPU for actual work and not gaming then you need CUDA etc.
Nvidia seems fine though as long as you use the installer they provide (as the other comment suggested) for some reason all(?) distro developers can't come up with functional workflows for installing it any other way.
> People which believe they need to install “drivers“ themselves
Do you think that's something people need to do often these days on Windows 10/11?
> support the weird „Desktop Metapher“
What's weird is/was Gnome trying to appeal to mobile users for no reason (at least MS had some justification for the Windows 8). Of course there is KDE if you need a normal desktop.
> with exception of the awful thing named Electron
Perhaps it's awful. But it's something a lot of potential non-power users actually need and care about (unlike LIBC/LIBSTDC++ or Coretuils)
> Use old ThinkPads if you have not special requirements
Like a semi-decent screen? Also why bring up HiDPI-Scaling then?
> teaching the users to read the interface (like a book or an info grahic),
It would be nice if GUI app interfaces were at least semi-consistent on most Linux apps (of course Windows is also terrible at this and Apple are the only ones who managed to get it right).
Honestly, I don't see Linux progressing that much as long as mindsets like this (blaming the users for not using their computers in the right way and telling them what they "actually" need) remain widespread.
For Nvidia users, just install the drivers via the runfile provided by Nvidia. Never had an issue this way.
Granted I install dkms and do an autohook to install the modules on kernel updates, which I wager is a bit much for most.
This exactly the opposite of my recommendation.
I want users are able to execute upgrades and don’t have to care about “details” like the bad/missing support of Wayland in the past by Nvidia, modified APIs or restrictions imposed by EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL. And a game developer probably wants ensure compatibility only with Mesa.
German article about how Nvidia accepted their situation and how the code will be built into Linux: https://www.heise.de/news/Linux-Kernel-Entwickler-druecken-f...
Basically - Linux won. It is not a perfect victory because a lot of code goes now into firmware which creates another set of issues. And it will require long time to get on par with AMD or Intel. Linux and GNU won because they remained stubborn and the consumers and industry supported that. Nobody wants a PlayStation or SteamDeck with closed source modules. Neither machine industry or car manufacturers. Yes, benchmarks attract customers in short term - but in long term it must be reliable for years and decades. Imagination Technologies and ARM recently also changed their minds. It is sad that this all could have happened 15 years ago. Maybe people learn?