It was always why did You switch from there or that.

I wonder are there (or better yet here actually) Linux users, that where never 'tainted' with the proprietary infamous operating system?

I mean those who never *switched*, but had either both or saw Linux first (before MS Windows).

How do they perceive Linux?

We , the ones coming from <put whatever You come from here> , are inevitably biased, carry a background noise and a "whistle" fading in our ears.

I know computers from the days they came without operating system (just mere interpreters upon a BIOS stack) and really do appreciate the ways of *NIX.

But I see my kids growing and exploring all kinds of "solutions" and OS-es and they have mixed feelings:

1. They are not bothered if software "looks" alike if it is functional

2. They like certain features on either sides and miss where they lack

3. They, above all, appreciate functionality

4. They miss gaming support on Linux a lot (big names hesitating)

They seem to perceive Linux way different than I.

So, what makes?

The chances of a person never using a Windows machine is, frankly, nearly impossible. Even if you don't have a Windows machine at home, you probably do at work. Or if you don't have them at work, you probably will end up using some Windows-based kiosk for information or something along those lines eventually.

I suppose in some situations a person could go right into Linux as their first OS, like in a developing country where Linux machines were donated, or perhaps if you are a child who's parents are regulars on LQ.

I believe the next generation of computer users, will be the one where such people as the OP asks about, will be more prevalent.
That is to say, the offspring of (for example) those LQ members who are already Linux users, and use Linux exclusively in their homes, will be the generation that experiences Linux before <other OS>.
I'm not saying that these offspring will not still experience <other OS> elsewhere outside the home; only that their FIRST experience, when they are young and programmable, will be Linux in the home.
This will be the beginning of a society of people where those that the OP asks about, will be more in number.

EDIT: P.S., maybe in 10 or 15 years, there'll be young people asking each other, "Hey, have you ever tried Windows? Ever heard of it? Is it any good?"

Love it.

probably not, but I would gladly erase the memories of said OS from my memory

ironically enough posting from windows haha. work, gotta love it

Thank You (all) for considerations,


But i feel there might be quite some already (Mandrake 2003 on)


My cousin has a Fedora station he swears on :^)

And I can't think of a PC i own without Linux on it )

And the OP was form wok office ::blush::

I can proudly say my 3 year old son has only used Linux at home, but he has used Windows at his Oma's house. I think I'm giving him a matter-of-fact understanding of computers, and won't be surprised if he's coding applications in Ruby or Python by the time he's 5!

Well, some of us who are more, erm, mature, used Linux prior to Windows because Windows wasn't very widespread. Remember, Slackware came out in 1993, Windows 3.1 in 1992, so it was more a case of going from Unix or VMS in school to DOS and from there to Linux.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to avoid using Windows now because its ubiquity in the workplace and in business software.

I actually had a lot more exposure to Apples (AppleII then Mac) before any M$-OS. But it was buying an old 486 with Windows-95 and thinking what a piece of crap it was (the OS more than the PC) that helped lead me to Linux.

How do You perceive Linux accessibility and ergonomy?
Is it user friendly (compared to Mac)?

My 4 year old has never used a proprietary OS. He uses Ubuntu daily. That kid is CRAZY for GCompris!

I know this goes in the face of everything, but I find OSX to be the least user friendly OS I have any regular contact with. That may be because I have the least regular contact with it, but my job is to make things work, and when OSX doesn't "just work" I find it to be a royal PITA to search around for the settings I need. I'm sure there is probably a better way than the way I know though.

OSX just seems to be too "in-the-way" and I also find it (at least out of the box, the way customers always seem to have it) unattractive and bland in general.

My son is 7 now. He has never used anything but Linux at home. Sometimes when he is with family or friend he uses Windows. I never heard him make any comments on one or the other. He thinks it is normal to run Linux on a computer.

BTW, we call him GREP but he is registered officially as Gabriel Rodger Eduard Paulo.

jlinkels

I would think that with all the major players e.g. KDE, Gnome, Windows, OSX, iP[o|a]d, Android, Chrome OS, people are going to become interface experts. They will know nothing of the underlying operating system but will have excellent ability to use any interface that is given to them. I suppose this is a good thing. The only people that really need to know what the OS is doing is the SysAdmin and Hobbyists.

Interesting question. It's been many years since I've used a Mac regularly. I never saw a big ergonomic difference between the Mac, Win, or Linux. As long as there are keyboard options I tend to gravitate toward those, especially for repetitive tasks. Then it makes less difference how the desktop is layed out (e.g. menu bar on top of the screen instead of top of window, filesystem navigation, etc.).

User-friendly is, of course, dependent on the user. Macs were--I say "were" because I don't have much experience with newer macs--extremely user-friendly as long as you used it the right way. Kind of like options for the Model T Ford: any color you want as long as it's beige!

The nice thing with Linux is that with KDE or GNOME you can have it behave in a more Mac-like way, or a more Windows-like way, or combining the best of all possible ways. Or you can strip it down to the bare essentials. That's user-friendliness to me. The default is comparable to other OS's, but with some time and effort and usually a learning curve I can get something tailored to my needs.