Why are Windows Users so Difficult to Convert to Linux?

Discussion
302

Well said. And why would most Win user want to learn CLI? Do you really need to learn CLI to check their email and browse the internet?

Baby steps.
1 - Ease them over to Linux using GUI as much as possible. Get them comfortable with their emails and browsing.
2 - Once they start browsing and find Foss they can learn the use of some basic CLI commands.
3 - To become a true Linux user they must be able to perform LFS.

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303

That’s how I ease into Linux. I had a solid backup of my Windows PC. With dual boot, I could switch back and forth until I got comfortable with Linux. And if something went terribly wrong, I could restore Windows. Also what help me was I had a technical background in computers.

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304

Surely you dont mean Linux From Scratch?

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305

99% of the users don’t care about what their computer runs, as long as it does its job everything is fine. They view computers as a tool to get the job done, not as something to learn about how exactly things function in an OS.

Microsoft and Apple understand this and bends over backwards to allow users to do things with a nice GUI.

If you want to convert users to Linux, they need to see an end-user benefit that’ll convince them to go through the trouble.

So, that would mean:

  • Most software is free.
  • It is generally more stable.
  • You don’t need to buy a new computer to run it.
  • You can put your /home directory anywhere, so it’s easy to change OSs and make backups of it.

BUT NOT:

  • The fact that it’s FLOSS (the end-user doesn’t care about that).
  • You can do all these cool things on the CLI (the end-user thinks this is complicated and sometimes even scary).
  • Anything involving scripting/programming(-like) activities.

Really, people should consider that when they try to convince end-users to use Linux.

If you wish to convert someone, show them Linux Mint or Ubuntu and how to get the tasks done they do on a daily basis. Don’t show them Arch or even Fedora, those are not aimed at end-users.

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306

How do you suggest we help a new user to get through the installation of Linux?
Maybe it has to be done for them, so they start with something they can handle.

“Every expert was once a beginner”

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307

Linux mint web site does a great tutorials on how to install with each step having a image to refer to.

But also on this site there are several tutorials in a similar direction.

Could not agree more. You did not need to use DOS to use windows, you dont need command line to use android phones or the navigation in your car.

KISS keep it simple stupid !

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308

Yes, I did. It was a bit of sarcasm. I apologize if I went against the rules of this forum.
I was trying to show the extreme user types within the Linux community..

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309

I get it. I am a bit dense sometimes. No problem.

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