Comment by extraisland
1 month ago
> The typical user doesn't know how Windows works, and they can run that.
That is because Windows for the most part manages itself and there are enough IT professionals, repairs shops and other third support options (including someone that is good with computers that lives down the road) where people can problems sorted.
This is not the case with Linux.
> These days, users can run a friendly GNU/Linux distribution not knowing how it works. So, disagree with you here.
Sooner or later there will be an issue that will need to be solved with opening up a terminal and entering a set of esoteric commands. I've been using Linux on and off since 2002. I have done a Linux from Scratch build. I have tried most of the distros over the years, everything from Ubuntu to Gentoo.
When people claim that you will never have to know how it works. That is simply incorrect and gives a false impression to new users.
I would rather that other Linux users tell potential users the truth. There is trade off. You get a lot more control over your own computer, but you will need to peek under the hood sooner or later and you maybe be on your own solving problems yourself a lot of the time.
> That is because Windows for the most part manages itself
Windows is the least "manage itself" OS out of all OS available today. It needs pretty constant maintenance and esoteric enchantments to keep trucking.
That’s not my experience with it. I have 2 windows installations at home and they both seem fine.
I must admit - I spent about an hour figuring out how to turn off telemetry and other junk after installation. But since then, windows has been trucking along just fine.
I use Windows at work, this is just not my experience. It needs to be rebooted every couple days or things just don't work.
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No it doesn't. I barely do anything to manage my Windows Installation. I install loads of garbage (I mostly still run the same programs as I did 15 years ago).
I don't understand why people propagate these falsehoods.
Because we actually use the operating system?
Windows rots. Even a few days without a reboot and things will just stop working or be really slow. No idea why.
But if you don't clean install once every few years you'll just have a ton of shit everywhere. Programs don't clean themselves up.
Also every program has its own update mechanism. Great... now I don't just have to manage windows update, but also a few dozen other esoteric update mechanisms.
iOS and Android are self managing. Windows? Can we be for real? Why get on the internet and lie to people?
Anybody who is good with computers should be able to install linux, it's easier than to install windows, because you don't need to jump through capitalist dark patterns.
>Sooner or later there will be an issue that will need to be solved with opening up a terminal and entering a set of esoteric commands.
That's what I did to export drivers from previous windows installation in suspicion of regression.
> Anybody who is good with computers should be able to install linux
Installation is not the same as support and isn't the same as trouble shooting.
That why people distro hop. They keep on installing thinking that distro X will solve there problem. It may do, but it frequently has it own problems.
> That's what I did to export drivers from previous windows installation in suspicion of regression.
Which is unusual situation. It isn't unusual situation in Linux.
>Installation is not the same as support and isn't the same as trouble shooting.
The meme is still alive that windows accumulates garbage and becomes slower with time, so you need to reinstall it periodically. Reinstallation is also how you fix regressions, because ms is busy with cloud services.
>It isn't unusual situation in Linux.
As I remember, on linux I have an ample choice of kernel versions, but I didn't encounter regressions. For windows intel provides only the latest drivers.
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