Does anyone here use Linux?

[MikeDunn]

I agree with David ...  If you're coming from an MS environment, Linux is a "strange & exotic beastie" to get on with.

I've been playing with it on my RasPis (both Wheezy and more recently Jessie), and while Wheezy has been straight-forwards (in the main ...), Jessie has proven to be more difficult (typical woman, eh  ), with various bits that work fine in Wheezy just not working at all in Jessie.

So yes, it does depend on how IT literate you are; within a Wintel environment, I'd claim a high level of literacy; in Linux, a far lesser level (albeit I do know how to find the answers to the issues I see).  The fact you disagree says more about your familiarity with Linux than it does about the issues those not having that familiarity face.  The basics on connecting items like SD cards, etc are simple : what is less transparent are things like configuring a right-click on a touch-screen ...

[linuxyeti]

Hi There

Now, for using Raspberry Pi's, you're not really comparing like with like there, they are cool little pieces of kit in there own way, and try running windows on 1, yes I know there is a version of Windows 10, that runs on a Pi, but it's vastly different to what you get on a laptop/pc or even a tablet.

As, I think, somone has already mentioned, there are many forums that can answer practically any question.  I had a quick look for your example, and there are simple solutions going back at least 2 years.

Also, my parents cam to Linux from a windows environment, and had no issues, granted, my mum was more interested in playing space invaders !! ha, and nor has my partner. As, i think has been mentioned before, if you're coming direct from a Windows environment, then Linux Mint is probably a good starting point. Not my distribution of choice, but, it is a popular and well regarded distribution.

[MikeDunn]

yes I know there is a version of Windows 10, that runs on a Pi, but it's vastly different to what you get on a laptop/pc or even a tablet.

Windows 10 IOT - let's just not go there, hmmm ?    I might give it a try later this year ... but ... maybe I won't 

Now, for using Raspberry Pi's, you're not really comparing like with like there

Why do you say that ?  They are full-blown Linux computers.  You connect USB devices (mouse, keyboard), plug in an Ethernet cable (or WiFi dongle), connect to an HDMI monitor & run Linux.  How are we not comparing like with like ?  Sure, it's not an Intel PC, but so what ?  It still runs things like LibreOffice 

I had a quick look for your example, and there are simple solutions going back at least 2 years.

I never said there wasn't; I said it was less transparent.  And as far as Jessie is concerned, that transparency seems quite opaque ... (I already mentioned Wheezy was relatively straight-forwards, which is undoubtedly the answer you found - and doesn't work in Jessie)

Re Mint - on the RasPi it's not (to my knowledge) available or supported; hence Wheezy & Jessie (for those wondering - they are 'flavours' of Debian Linux).  In the GUI, a Windows person will be able to navigate around easily (that's the point of the GUIs looking like Windows, after all ), but if you come from that environment, getting things to function in the underlying Linux OS is a strange adventure.  The OS is distinctly different from DOS (or what passes for DOS these days); even installing a new app is strange ("sudo apt-get install <your-app-here> - what's that all about ?  Why can't I just click the program & have it install automagically ?") if you've not learned any Linux yet.

It's like car mechanics : if you know what you're doing, it's easy.  If you don't - well, there's an expensive repair bill waiting to happen as soon as you delve under the hood.  Linux is not a simple OS to most people ... and especially at the start of their adventure.  This is the point David & I are making.  A pretty GUI only takes you so far ...

[linuxyeti]

Hi

Like for like, I meant hardware that will run both Windows & Linux.

Also, modern Linux distributions, can now be run gui only, whether it's straight forward adding new applications, new users, network setup, to more involved processes, such as vpn setup, nic bonding, firewall configuration and so on, very little indeed needs the command line.

No need for a sudo apt-get install, or yum install or dnf install etc, simply use one of the installed software management tools.

Wheezy & Jessie (for those wondering - they are 'flavours' of Debian Linux)

Debian Linux, not a particularly user friendly Linux, it's good as a base, and built upon, such as Ubuntu did, and Mint do.

Why can't I just click the program & have it install automagically

You can, so long as it's in the correct format, the default software management tool will provide you with the option to install etc, no different to a click and install windows app, so long as it's executable.

The OS is distinctly different from DOS (or what passes for DOS these days)

Actually, dos doesn't really exist on Windows anymore, it's now powershell, much more similar to one the the linux shell programs, there even including ssh !!!! and Microsoft are also aping Linux going forward, with constant updates/upgrades, there won't be a Windows 11 ... etc.

[longbridge]

Have to say that if anyone has never used Linux you don't know what you are missing, I have been using Linux for over 8 years and never had a problem.

Linux is not for geeks its for people to enjoy trouble free computing safe internet surfing at no cost, no need for anti spyware, antivirus, or anti anything, just use a firewall.

Windows users should consider Linux Mint or Zorin , they would have little or no trouble learning how to use these distributions as they are much like Windows XP or 7.

I used Linux Mint for 8 years but it has become so much like Windows that I now use Ubuntu GNOME,

I did get a new laptop last year that had Windows 8 loaded on it, it did my head in for a few hours with all of its updates, anti this and anti thats, after one evening I had Linux up and running fully updated and all of my favourite free software loaded, there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.

Have to say if Linux ceased to exist I would bump computers and return to posting letters or sending Carrier Pigeon's.

[davidinyork]

there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.

Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.

It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.

[longbridge]

there is almost nothing in Windows that cant be done in Linux.

Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.

It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.

I agree 100% that is why I said "almost Nothing" but having said that there are also things that can be done in Linux that cant be done in Windows,

[linuxyeti]

Depends what you need to do - there is actually quite a lot of specialist and semi-specialist software which is only available for Windows.

It might in some cases be possible to run this under emulation or using some software like Wine, but it won't always work, and even if it does then getting it to work is likely to require a good knowledge of computers.

And there is also a whole swathe of software that won't work on Windows, and is only available for Linux. What you do find though, is those 'specialist' sofware are fading towards obsolescence, because the direction of travel in IT is ever greater adoption of platform independant and/or opensource technologies. Also, even Microsoft have finally come to the realisation, that Windows will never be the be all and end all, and to survive that have to have apps that run on other operating systems that aren't Microsoft based, hence, the soon to be ported to Linux Microsoft SQL Server. From a home user perspective, doesn't really mean anything, but in the grand scehme of datacentres etc, that's quite a seismic shift change. Not to mention, Microsoft's own version of Linux for running software network switches.

However, for day to day software, I have been using Linux for a long time now, and don't find myself short of any software I need, whether it be video editing, photo editing, office software, web browsing, accessing Netflix etc.