Why aren't more people ditching Microsoft and instead running, say, GNU/Linux?

[Cowboy T]

Yes, I'm asking seriously. I see all sorts of problems all over the Internet, including here in the CalGuns "Technology and Internet" section. It's either about Microsoft Windows breaking in some way ("I hosed my laptop, how do I get things back to normal?" and similar). I also see people going, "how do I legit get Microsoft Office, the lifetime version?" Over and over I see these sorts of things.

I have helped quite a few people convert to Kubuntu GNU/Linux over the years. General-purpose desktop GNU/Linux distros already include LibreOffice, which I gotta say, really rocks. I find LibreOffice a total and complete replacement for Microsoft Office, without all the licensing hassle and violations of privacy of Microsoft. Updates are easy and supported for the lifetime of the computer. Drivers are really not an issue. The operating system "just works". The people that I've helped convert do what they need to do without fuss.

Even games have gotten so, so much better, thanks to Steam and such. And for Web games like Hero Wars, that's not a problem, either.

Now, I do understand that people who have, say, Apple iPhones have only a Microsoft Windows app. But far more people have Android phones, which are quite well supported on GNU/Linux (I use my wife's "old" Android phone all the time on my Debian box, via gMTP). Another way to do it is with KDE Connect, which also works very well.

So, given the above, what is it that would keep you from running GNU/Linux on your box?

[67Cuda]

So, given the above, what is it that would keep you from running GNU/Linux on your box?

Gaming and specific programs that run on Windows, like Cad, Cam, MS Office and others.

[toro1]

I've been using office libre for ~5 years now and it works great. As for the operating system, I haven't made the change because I haven't learned enough to know how to do it. If I knew someone that could help me with the change over, it would have been done years ago.

[Big Chudungus]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylin_(operating_system)

[Thrashard340]

Marketing, conditioning and reinforcement.

[ibanezfoo]

Marketing, conditioning and reinforcement.

Pretty much this. Windows is what their Best Buy computers come with. It’s what they use at work. Many things only work in Windows, their crafty Cricut machines or whatever.

Windows 11 is so bad I hope it steers folks away from MS but it probably won’t.

[Cowboy T]

Marketing, conditioning and reinforcement.

Pretty much this. Windows is what their Best Buy computers come with. It’s what they use at work. Many things only work in Windows, their crafty Cricut machines or whatever.

Windows 11 is so bad I hope it steers folks away from MS but it probably won’t.

Indeed, it sounds like a form of Stockholm Syndrome. I used to be an MCSE years ago. Loved Windows NT. Couldn't stand Windows 3.1x, didn't really care for Windows 95, but NT back in the day was actually pretty good. Couldn't run certain games, but I didn't care since I'm not a gamer. When Windows 2000 came out, though, I'd had it. Made the switch.

Gaming and specific programs that run on Windows, like Cad, Cam, MS Office and others.

A lot of people do cite Microsoft Office. For those who do, I find that LibreOffice is a drop-in replacement and in some ways even a bit superior to Microsoft's offering. Other specialty software like like CAD and CAM, doesn't seem to be much getting around that if you use them professionally.

I've been using office libre for ~5 years now and it works great. As for the operating system, I haven't made the change because I haven't learned enough to know how to do it. If I knew someone that could help me with the change over, it would have been done years ago.

This is actually how I got my Dad onto GNU/Linux. He had Microsoft Windows, and he needed to be able to read the newer .doc, .xls, and .ppt proprietary formats (the MS Office 97 and later ones). He had MS Office 95 at the time running on Windows NT 4.0 (yes, it was a while back). He'd recently gotten broadband Internet in his home office, so I built him a firewalling router. Also, I put OpenOffice.org on his Windows NT OS, along with Firefox and Thunderbird, knowing that these applications exist on most GNU/Linux distros. He got used to them and loved 'em. A year or so later, I built him a CentOS box with those same apps on them and taught him how to use CentOS. I used the KDE desktop because it looks closer to what he was used to with the MS Windows desktop. It was a smashing success. And that's how I ended up helping to convert people from MS Windows to GNU/Linux.

Turns out it really isn't hard at all, especially nowadays, if you use something like Ubuntu or Kubuntu. Linux Mint is a favorite for quite a few people, and having tried it myself (it's an Ubuntu derivative), I've got to agree, it's pretty darn good. Fortunately, things have come a looooong way from the old days of Slackware 1.0 when you had just a terminal prompt and you had to be a relative computer expert.

[arrix]

Just run Windows in a VM when you absolutely have to.

[sonofeugene]

I have three computers. My main computer is a 2012 Macintosh tower with 128 GB of RAM. I have a top of the line Mac laptop that neither my wife or I use. And I have a top of the line Lenovo laptop with maxed out RAM and a special nVidia card. I only use it for running Solidworks. I have no need for a different operating system.

[Big Chudungus]

Windows basically "just works" (most of the time). Thats why Bill Gates suddenly became richest man. Support, much less "help" for Linux is FUBAR and SAPFU.

[MyOdessa]

I am a gamer, so Windows was it, but I hate Win 11 and may look at alternatives. Also, I still find WordPerfect Suite to be superior to MS Office.

[Imageview]

I've professionally worked on half a dozen different unix flavors, installed Linux distros on dozens of machines. I would never use Linux as my main "daily driver" machine.

Windows isn't great, but I generally don't want to have to think when using my computer. Windows mostly works without the need for thought. Computers are largely entering the disposable good category, so by the time windows has issues due to accumulated errors it's easier and more effective to replace rather than repair.

Frankly as I get older and less tech inclined I do 90% of my "computer" activity on a phone. Another good option would be a Chromebook style box which has plenty of functionality for 99% of use cases outside heavy media manipulation or gaming.

[BillSmith]

Once upon a time, I had to have a tech head to keep the family computers operational. The advances in plug-and-play technology is overwhelmingly good compared to the previous eras in computing. In my opinion, if you don't have to interface with the rest of the world, pick your flavor of operating system and enjoy. Got a group to support, Microsoft. No going to support them, Apple. YMMV.

[tacticalcity]

Gaming and specific programs that run on Windows, like Cad, Cam, MS Office and others.

This is a big reason. Particularly when it comes to integration with other enterprise systems thanks to Entra AD and Intune. Another is familiarity. Learning the quirks of a new operating system is painfully annoying. Suddenly experts become beginners. No one enjoys that. My new employer runs Macs exclusively. It has been a major annoyance for me. Not only learning my new role but having to do it with a computer and OS that I am not all that comfortable using or familiar with. This has made the transition that much more difficult. Not something I would do by choice. I say that as someone who has been repairing Macs as part of his role for about a decade. Additionally, the "my system is better than yours" is bogus. Macs and, yes, Linux operating systems have just as many problems as Windows. I've seen the failures with Mac in a professional capacity for roughly the past 10 years. No operating system is perfect, and none are any better than the others. In the case of Linux, the sample size is so much smaller by comparison that the complaints just don't bubble up as much. Additionally, users of Linux tend to be much more tech savvy and figure out the solutions to problems they run into without having to broadcast them on as many forums. It is not an OS non-technical people gravitate towards.

[amd64]

I recently installed Ubuntu and Linux Mint on a couple machines to check out and learn.
Will probably replace Windows with Linux on all my machines except for a couple I use for Adobe suite.