Tag this under linux any mod that reads this. Please and thx.
Glass shatters. At different thicknesses and at different strengths. Linux always breaks. That is basically the first rule of linux. Linux, like glass, is clear. It has many shapes, sizes, colors, thicknesses, like glass, and it can all break quite easily if you go at it at the right angle. What I can't seem to get is why people would rather have a giant rock in the bottom of the ocean like Windows or OSX.
I'm just thinking lately about the giant turd linux it. But its a polished turd. A turd that I love too much to be honest. Installed Ubuntu on my new gaming laptop and just thinking about my normal setup process. Do mate, utility bar, all that crap, fix the UI bug that is left over from unity that they haven't fixed since 13.08, update, fix the bug again, install steam, fuck around... The usual thing. But why? Do I enjoy the idea of seeing everything? If that were the case I would go back to Unix and build it myself...
No I think the fun thing about it to me is the challenge of learning a system. I think I would enjoy a job simply installing OS' all day and tuning them to their pecific hardware. A bit odd, yes, but nothing all too odd comparatively. Some people enjoy pentests, building computers... People enjoy puzzles. Ever do an 800 piece puzzle? Boring as fuck and i takes 3 days to do it.
Point is if I break the glass its more fun to me, I think, to put it all back together and make it even stronger than it is to just loosely tape it into a form. I hate to think what will happen when Torvalds dies. Thats still another 40 or 45 years basing on his age, but it won't be too much fun anymore after that, I think. On the other hand then my little metaphor of glass having any shape will be kind of whole at that point. It shape now is based on Torvalds' ideals. Then its anyone' fair game at that point I guess.
You know its a bit weird I really do think Linux is just about the most user friendly OS there is. When you realize each part of the system is its own little fiefdom, it's pretty easy to work through what quirks there are. The UX quirks are really just around the interactions of those little pieces.
I kind of want to make a video series "its 2017 why is windos still so crappy from a user experience perspective" -- on the surface book I use for work, I run at 100% display scaling with a custom 3:2 resolution less than the native display scaling. Literally every time windows updates, my preferences are reset. So the resolution was native 3000x2000 @ 100% scaling (ouch, tiny font). While changing it, the system was starting up, many programs were trying to steal focus. Windows does prevent that now BUT if you have a drop-down menu active it will close the drop down menu when a background program tries to steal focus.
Just so many crazy bugs like that still in windows. There is no UX Architect that is detail-oriented enough to make it a good experience.
Gnome, especially since 3.20, has much more polish and is simpler. I have no doubt windowsis many more lines of code and that beast is tough to wrangle, but c'mon guys.. c'mon
Not to mention the drivers don't know how to organize themselves. Tried windows 10 and Window 8 on this laptop and my GPU cannot be used correctly it jut goes to the iGPU. It reverts the AC wifi drivers to lower N or G drivers that work with the card (I was watching the device manager freak out). But in linux everytihng is fine and its even cooler.
This is an issue because the drivers to have the switchable graphics working are only available through the manufacturer or through Windows Update. If you install the drivers from the GPU manufacturer you're screwed and nothing will work. Also the AMD switchable graphics on notebooks are the most difficult to make work. I have to issue on my notebook with Nvidia Optimus (or however is called now) either on Windows and Linux.
I'm the same way @FaunCB any opportunity I have to make sure that my boxes are running Unix/Linux is my highest priority. I have a Toshiba E45 that needs to have Linux put back onto it, but I'm currently waiting until I have some extra time at work to get it done. Linux is my go-to operating system when I rebuild computers/laptops for friends & family so that they can have a system that doesn't have these issues you know?
That hasn't worked too well for me in the past, when I've put Linux on other peoples computers they complain all the time that it isn't Windows and its not "working" but still refuse to buy a Windows license, plus I'm not pirating Windows for them, if they want to they can do it themselves.
True, I guess in my experience I more or less tell them that it's not worth running Vista anymore (older laptops), or that in order to have Windows they need to go the illegal route and download it themselves and install it. Usually that gets them to drop it, and I can slowly move them over, and typically once I introduce them to WPS Office (most of the time that's the only software they need) they're good. The hardest part for me is when they're running an iPhone/iPad and want to transfer music/videos/pictures, etc. and then I usually end up grabbing the license key from the system's old drive.
Its a shame because Linux is pretty much the perfect OS for their use case, its lightweight and runs faster on older hardware, doesn't cost them anything, and for web browsing/desktop work you can't beat Linux but "muh Windows" always comes up.
Right, every time I put Linux on something they always get frustrated, but then realize that most of their work/computer use is through the internet so most things haven't changed. "Muh Windows", is the largest complaint I get when using the word Linux, so typically I'll just install the OS, install WPS, Google Chrome, VLC, and a handful of other software depending on what they're doing, and they normally don't even catch on for about a week, sometimes as long as a month. (Normally it's when they download an executable and it doesn't run haha)
Exactly how I do it, normally it's a Vista machine that I use for an opportunity to introduce them to a faster computer, and if they call/bring it into me in a month to take a look at it, and there's no software whatsoever I'll switch them over to a Chrome OS type system, and eventually a Chromebook/box.
That's true, but the issue I am having isn't for myself, it's making it user-friendly for them. Since I don't own an iPhone or the like it's hard for me to test out that software for them and ensure they can get used to it.
All you have to do is goog iphone connection ubuntu, though, I would go the even easier route and tell them to install VLC on their phone or ipad and they can drag n drop music and photos over the network.