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

[remusrm]

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?

I have been using it since 2014... Debian mainly... ubuntu is turning into windows like... One thing that is scary to me is how many use MS accounts, personal or other on computers that are used to business with customers and all the into gets uploaded to be processed for AI and customers do not even know.

[Dan_Eastvale]

It's the world wide industry wide gold standard.
Much more so than MAC OS. And certainly UNIX.

At the commercial and popular non enthusiast level...

[arrix]

Don't forget the BSD distros. They're starting to gain traction as the Linux community goes full retard.

[remusrm]

Don't forget the BSD distros. They're starting to gain traction as the Linux community goes full retard.

naw... they are obscure with no support for major hardware... just in certain commercial environment... like netflix

[Sputnik]

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

Nothing. I’ve been, and still am, a Mac user for decades but I recently built a pc mostly for gaming…the trouble being that the last version of windows I ran (dual booting on a Mac Pro) and didn’t dislike was 7. Enter Linux Mint. It’s different from Mac in some fundamental ways that take getting used to but it’s not microslop spyware and that’s a big upside. If you value privacy at all windows is Not the os to use.

[HecklerNKoch]

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.

Have you tried OpenOffice - a nice clone of MS Office. With lots of free, GREAT QUALITY material.

[HecklerNKoch]

Don't forget the BSD distros. They're starting to gain traction as the Linux community goes full retard.

Not just that, most firewall appliances are BSD-based.

[HecklerNKoch]

Linux 'til I die.

[remusrm]

Have you tried OpenOffice - a nice clone of MS Office. With lots of free, GREAT QUALITY material.

openoffice? thats so 2015... try libre office

[C.G.]

openoffice? thats so 2015... try libre office

This and while you are at it LibreWolf.

[mshill]

I use Linux (debian) exclusively mostly because of work, but my disdain for Windows is deep. At work, about half the engineers use Linux and the other half use Mac. You see windows laptops in marketing, sales, and a lot of customer support roles. When people find out you know a lot about computers they always ask how to do something and it's nice to be able to say "sorry I don't do Windows or Mac OS". Most people that use Linux know how to use and maintain their systems.

[Spyder]

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?

Because none of what you said there makes any sense and I don't have any interest in relearning all new systems and acronyms and names and processes when I have 40 or so years of knowledge already.

[arrix]

naw... they are obscure with no support for major hardware... just in certain commercial environment... like netflix

You can easily run them in a VM if hardware hacking is an issue.

[remusrm]

Because none of what you said there makes any sense and I don't have any interest in relearning all new systems and acronyms and names and processes when I have 40 or so years of knowledge already.

mentality like this is why the democrats are winning...

[remusrm]

You can easily run them in a VM if hardware hacking is an issue.

what does that solve? VM on windows or on linux, cause that defeats the purpose!