On 6/21/15, 3:25 PM, in article , "Jason C.
McDonald" wrote:

....
Specifically why did you hate Windows.
Did you hate Microsoft?
Viruses?
Security?
Cost?
Poor UI?
?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, as well as the fact that Linux gives far more
control over the system to techs like me. As Eric Raymond says, you
cannot learn how to become a hacker (as in the programmer, not the
criminal) on a proprietary operating system.

OK, so it is a good techie playground... a good place to learn about
computers and offers great command line shells. That and it can be had at no
cost and, like OS X, the risk of malware is far lower than on Windows.

Anything where it handles tasks better: things where you can show it
benefitting productivity, efficiency, or error-reduction?

I have more videos in my .sig, but here are some of the reasons why I prefer
the competition on the desktop:

* Easy on OS X / Hard on Linux: http://youtu.be/D3BPWANQoIk

I would love to see "responses" to that where you or others show (or at
least describe - but many times showing is much better) where Linux also has
great benefits.

There are other videos I have made which were not long enough to be worth
putting on YouTube. I can point you to some of those. Hmmm, I will show you
this one:

http://tmp.gallopinginsanity.com/os-x-merge-copy-move

I made that in response to a question in COLA... showing where OS X is
broken.

That said, I install Linux for people who cannot figure
out Window - as in total computer illiterate. I always give them my card
and full permission to call me if they can't figure something out.

So if they can't figure out Windows, what makes Linux different
enough that they can figure out Linux?

Unity's interface works better for them. It's pretty straight forward
for your average computer use. You can find software and install it
quickly with Ubuntu Software Center, without worrying about price.
Settings are obvious, programs are easily within reach.

For some, Unity is a nightmare. They prefer Windows. Great, that works
for them. I am not one of those people. It's all personal preference,
psychology, and the unique way people are wired mentally. Humans are by
no means predictable. There is no "Universal Serial User".

As I say: Use what you like. No argument here.

So far, I've only ever had three calls, and they were always "Oh!
Nevermind, I figured it out myself" when I call back.

But they can't figure out Windows?
Doesn't make sense.
Linux is far more complex and far less supported.
For example, you have never had a call asking how to connect an iPod
to Linux, sync, tag etc like iTunes does?

I find that incredible.

For what they are doing, everything is right there. Music? RhythmBox or
Banshee. Their Android devices just plugged in and worked out of the
box. No driver installation weirdness. Printer? Settings, add printer,
there it is!

Same with the competition. I actually have some videos on "setting up" my
then-new networked OfficeJet:

http://tmp.gallopinginsanity.com/PrintFirstTime.mp4
http://tmp.gallopinginsanity.com/FirstScan.mov

Sadly in COLA the norm is for Linux "advocates" to just lie about the
competition. Shortly after I posted those, Peter Köhlmann made this claim:

-----
Scanning [on OS X] is not supported *at* *all* without jumping
through several hoops. This includes hunting down 3 different
software packages (libusb, sane-backend and sane) *and* installing
them. Out of the box no scanning is supported at all. This is in
stark contrast to linux where scanning is supported right from the
start after setting up the printer

The same is true about *all* OfficeJet Pro printers under OSX.
-----

Just insane.

Print. Web? There's Firefox! Email? There's Thunderbird.
Documents? LibreOffice, New Document. Where'd I put my Christmas
shopping list? Dash, "Christmas shopping", oh, there it is.

Can you find examples of where those do things better than the competition.
Here is an example of LibreOffice being far behind the competition:

* OS / Word Processor Comparison: http://youtu.be/w6Qcl-w7s5c

Also, without the learning curve of anti-virus, defrag, scan disk, etc,
etc, they were less confused.

The lower need for anti-malware is a plus, though AVG is free and works well
with little "fiddling". As far as the rest, not really an issue on modern
Windows.

Plus, askubuntu.com actually has a lot of tutorials that are easy to
follow for most things non-obvious.

Maybe you can point to some of those which show benefits of Linux (hey, see
this URL - it shows how easy it is to do task A!)

....
No operating system is everything to everyone, nor ever will be. But for
me and many people, tech and total-non tech, Linux is a heckovalot
better than Windows for our use. (And, by the way, I do some pretty
heavy-duty production stuff on this tux box.)

I write code for a living. We deal with audio editing, video editing,
animation, repository management, vector graphics, webmastering, and
business administration stuff at my company.

Excellent... this means you likely would not find it at all challenging to
make a few minute video to show the type things I show. Cool.

We also don't feel like spending several thousand dollars to do what can be
done for free at the exact same quality level. Plus, we like the UI, UNIX
Bash, and the software that runs on Linux.

Which software and what does it do for you better than what can be done on
OS X or Windows.

And example I can give is many of the DEs on Linux have windows snap to each
other. A small thing, perhaps, but for those using many windows it makes a
difference. Another: while Photoshop is far "above" GIMP, for some bizarre
reason Adobe has never added the ability to work with favicons. Even using
third party plugins it is not as good. Sure, you can get GIMP for Windows
and OS X, but why would Adobe leave this out of an image editing program
they sell as a part of a web suite. Just silly (that is really an advantage
of GIMP over Photoshop, not Linux over Windows or OS X... but you get the
idea).

....
All in all, it comes down to a personal decision. If you like Windows or
Mac, good for you. Enjoy it. I won't stop you. But, as the old Indian
saying goes, "You don't know a man until you've walked a mile in his
moccasins." You can only speak for your own experience, and for the
experiences others have shared with you. That's all I can do, too.

And even with the same experience different people will prefer different
things. I am right with you on the use what you like train. Absolutely. My
questions are more about the reasons why... I am not likely to change my
mind and certainly am not trying to change yours, just like to learn.

So, why do I advocate Linux? Because it is right for SOME PEOPLE, and I
believe in showing everyone what Linux honestly is capable of.

Excellent... THAT is what I would love to see: someone "showing everyone
what Linux honestly is capable of." If you get a chance watch the videos I
reference above and the ones in my .sig (some overlap there).

People are able to make up their own minds, without us trying to convince them
of the evils of the opposition.



--
* Mint MATE Trash, Panel, Menu: http://youtu.be/C0y74FIf7uE
* Mint KDE bugs or Easter eggs? http://youtu.be/CU-whJQvtfA
* Mint KDE working with folders: http://youtu.be/7C9nvniOoE0
* Mint KDE creating files: http://youtu.be/N7-fZJaJUv8
* Mint KDE help: http://youtu.be/3ikizUd3sa8
* Mint KDE general navigation: http://youtu.be/t9y14yZtQuI
* Easy on OS X / Hard on Linux: http://youtu.be/D3BPWANQoIk
* OS / Word Processor Comparison: http://youtu.be/w6Qcl-w7s5c