• PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk
    0·
    9 days ago

    i installed linux mint on my sisters household PC last week.

    my dad did his usual grumblings about “it should be windows” and i just said “i’ve been out of the windows ecosystem completely for the last 5 years and partially for another 3 years beyond that. i no longer provide support for windows, if you want them to have windows you need to support it”

    he went quiet after that.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      0·
      9 days ago

      Honestly that sounds like a jerk move. Why would you force someone to use Linux? It isn’t your computer and if you are helping them you should do what they want. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bought a new machine and then ghosted you.

      • Hanrahan@slrpnk.netEnglish
        0·
        8 days ago

        Honestly that sounds like a jerk move.

        Quite the opposite,

        Why would you force someone to use Linux?

        In what world is that force ? He wasnt holding a gun to her head, the opposite, he’s freeing her from stupidity.

        Decent people help others, they don’t go along with their stupid ideas before at least trying to convince them its a stupid idea. An allegory perhaps, your friend comes over, they have a 1/2 dozen beers, they’re going to drive home… In your world it seems it’s force to ask them not to and to stay over.

        It isn’t your computer and if you are helping them you should do what they want

        Helping them is the phrase you seem to be confused about. It’s his sister, not his boss at the office.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
          0·
          8 days ago

          Some people actually want Windows. That’s not a “stupid idea” and it definitely shouldn’t be compared to drunk driving. I’ve lost people to drunk driving but last time I checked no one died or was fired because they use Windows. The evangelical rhetoric around Linux is harmful to Linux. Don’t go around promoting Linux like it is somehow going to be worlds ahead of Windows.

          If someone is looking for a Windows alternative it might be worth a mention. Don’t turn into some sort of Linux sales person. Linux can be good but it isn’t a Windows alternative. It requires some getting used to.

      • PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk
        0·
        8 days ago

        It’s not hers. it’s one of my computers that i am deploying to her house for her and her family to use.

        It’s technichally for my neice but the rest of the family all also have access.

        no one in that household has expressed a specific preference of operating system. other than my brother in law texting me to tell me one of the old games he tried to install doesnt work (i did promptly offer to “make it work” but he declined).

        I have no problem with them installing windows on it if thats what they want. they wont be coming to me for technical support if they do though.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
          0·
          8 days ago

          Maybe I’m just reading into it but I read it as they wiped the drive and installed Linux without asking for explicit permission.

          • schematic@lemm.eeEnglish
            0·
            8 days ago

            Well, based on the rest of their comment, they were “providing support”, so the implication is that the sister asked for help and received it.

            I would assume that they informed their sister as to what would be installed. I don’t think it’s fair to assume the worst without context.

  • HStone32@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 days ago

    Solution: install windows for them, but complain and evangelize at every opportunity. You’ll be so insufferable they’ll never ask you again.

  • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    9 days ago

    If you’re incapable of figuring out how to install Windows then you’re probably incapable of most things in life.

      • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        9 days ago

        Just saying that it’s brain dead easy to install. You don’t need any technical skill at all.

        There are no tricks. Just mouse through a couple of prompts and it’s done.

        I’ve installed Linux just as many times as windows and these days Linux is more complicated to set up and install than windows.

        Like I get it. Yall have a deep bias for Linux but Jesus Christ can you at least be accurate?

        • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
          0·
          9 days ago

          I find you still have to fuss with partitions. There isn’t a simple wipe everything and install option. You have to manually select the partitions on the disk, delete them and create a new one which somehow triggers it to create several partitions.

          There is an upgrade option.

          And then they tell you they don’t want a Microsoft account and you have to look up what’s the current hack to get around that if possible.

          • boonhet@lemm.ee
            0·
            9 days ago

            You had it right until the “create a new one” bit.

            You can choose empty space instead of a partition and the setup will create the partitions for you. I mean even if you were to choose a partition, I believe it’ll delete it and create new ones because it needs more than just one partition. So on a clean disk, you can pretty much just hit next at that bit.

            • Shanmugha@lemmy.world
              0·
              9 days ago

              Lolwat. Last time I installed windows it literally created 3 partitions exactly when I told it “this clean disk - here ya go”

              • boonhet@lemm.ee
                0·
                9 days ago

                That’s exactly what I said, it creates its own partitions if you make free space or already have a clean disk. No need to manually make a partition.

                • Shanmugha@lemmy.world
                  0·
                  9 days ago

                  Aand why the hell does it do that? And why the hell count is more than one? And while we are at it, what is so deadly and frightening with Linux installer creating a partition?

        • Affidavit@lemm.ee
          0·
          9 days ago

          Jesus Christ can you at least be accurate?

          Speaking of accuracy, your comment seems to identify the wrong issue. Navigating the install menus in a non-Arch linux distro is pretty much analogous to Windows. The biggest difference is that Linux distros don’t have 3-4 pages where they sneakily try to include privacy-breaching clauses during the installation.

          The real issue is starting the installation in the first place. Windows is easy, because hardware manufacturer’s have en masse bent over to willingly present themselves to Microsoft, Linux doesn’t have this advantage and users must figure out how to get around the 7,000 different Secure Boot UEFI configurations before they can even start the installation process.

        • quack@lemmy.zip
          0·
          9 days ago

          You are vastly overestimating the technical ability of the average computer user. I don’t even mean that in an elitist/disparaging way, they just don’t care about this stuff because they don’t need to.

    • boreengreen@lemm.ee
      0·
      9 days ago

      Most people would rather go to the store and get a new computer, than go to a webpage and download an iso. They can figure it out. They are just lazy and have little motivation to try it. They also want what they already know, with as little change as possible.

    • Ziglin (it/they)@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      9 days ago

      I think without instructions most people would need help due to not knowing what a partition is. So depending on your interpretation of incapable this seems like a huge exaggeration. The Linux installers with GUIs I’ve seen at least explained how to set them up.

  • Synapse@lemmy.world
    0·
    8 days ago

    Got my parents a new computer for Christmas. I didn’t feel like acting as their 24/7 tech support so I let it with the Windows 11 that it came with. Yesterday they couldn’t get their webcam and microphone to work at all for our weekly family videocall. We ended up having the videocall on Signal. I believe they would face less troubles with Debian at this point.