...google or mac? GNU here.

https://www.ted.com/talks/pam_warhur...s?language=en#

I have proprietary needs and means but enforce my own, if I must, anti monopoly law!.edu

I think it will but not a whole lot. Most pc users, I think, will just learn to accept it and run with it. Anyway more and more people are going mobile, ipads or android tablets, and getting away from the desktop. I have a couple of friends that don't have any computers at home, just their iPhones, and an iPad, and a printer. I guess more and more people don't need a desktop or laptop. I tried to get my family to switch to Linux but they always say no because it's too different or some program they need wont run on it. ah well... what am I to do..

I'm not so sure - in the last month or two* I've gone from harmless free software zealot ("he's OK, just keep the conversation away from computers") to the first port of call for Linux information ("I've read a lot of worrying things about windows 10 - just how hard is Linux? Can it be used for getting stuff done?")

*Anecdotal survey, sample size of 1.

The question is always interesting. But when I scroll through the thread, as expected, many different technical and sociological points are raised. Can we compare the intelligence, as we live in different societies?

My observation is that,
* Yes. People are in general to dumb and servile, don't think but look out for slogans to repeat endlessly. Not many are “hole” personalities and take decisions based on their own reflection and many do not know what we are talking about. Anything they might change in their behavior is either induced by external influences or just a sign of errantry in view of “too many” troubles to cope with.

* Those who *do* install a Linux system after years of exposure to Microsoft-OSs are the same who demonstrate in Paris, the same who claim against a polluting enterprise, the same who install wind power plants (higher than the authorized 12m) in their garden and the same who get harassed by certifying agencies while they serve customers on the weekly markets.

Those few have been ready for the change for a long time, you just had to talk to them. Windows 10 has no influence whatsoever. Here.

Win10 will do nothing significant to increase the 1.5%-2% of users who use a Linux desktop.

For a desktop / enterprise ecosystem of workstation/file/print Microsoft does it a whole lot better (and "out the box") than Linux.

Regarding a per-user enterprise licencing, that's standard for a lot of support and ~$90/user/year for support is good value.

I personally do not care what Windows users are doing. Why should I?

The OP's question does not imply you should.
Your response, in contrast, implies that you are not developing software, nor supporting neighbors, friends and family who have “computer-trouble”.
It is still not on-topic, but I could respond that I do not care why Windows allows misbehavior that makes my programs fail, while an equally dumb configuration error will make Linux complain before the (dumb) user can. Still, it is me who must modify code to make it Windows-BS-compatible.

I do help everybody who comes to me, I let them know I can salvage their files (presuming the hard drive is alive), but I will not install Windows. IMHO this topic does not belong to Linux forums at all. Besides, turning to Linux because Windows is bad is not a valid reason to run Linux. Linux is not a Windows replacement.

Agreed. And the fascination with what Redmond is doing, sup with dat?
How long the updates take? I mean. Who cares?
Who cares what Windows 10 is "doing"?
Dixie cups.

Will Windows 10 Help Increase Linux Usage? No.
It will increase curiosity about Linux, but not it's usage.
</opinion>

Okay. I admit that I have no idea what this means. Something that I do not see, not know, never encountered, certainly. But now, could someone enlighten me, please? I could tell you that I use Linux to do this and that and other things and that I know people who use Windows for exactly the same purpose. They might have reasons to prefer Windows over Linux or not. But how can Linux not be a Windows replacement? Several answers are possible, PSE do not restrict yourself and be verbose, I am dumb.

PSE tell me once.

It's not a free version of Windows, but it absolutely is a Windows alternative. And if the user's requirements line up with Linux's offerings, it most certainly can be a Windows replacement. All it takes is the right motivation for somebody to give it a shot and see if it will work for them and their tasks, and Windows 10 and all of its associated BS is that motivation for many people.

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But remember: to most people, the operating system is like the engine in your car. It is absolutely essential for driving down the road, but most people never raise the hood or (sometimes, for 100,000 miles ...) change the oil.

I'm still seeing a lot of Windows-XP out there, and, for those who have "made the 64-bit jump," they're parked firmly on Windows-7. Although Windows-10 obviously works, it doesn't work better than what they're already running, and it does increase technical-support cost if only because it is "noticeably different, and for what?"

Still: people don't "install Linux" just for the satisfaction of doing so. Millions of people with Android phones have no idea that it's Linux under there. Macintosh and iPhone users don't care that it's (Mach) Unix. To them, "the computer, all of it, is a tool." They plug it in, turn it on, and then go chasing after Pokemons.

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Because how many people do or do not use Linux and other systems than Windows makes a difference to things like web standards, game and other commercial program availability and even things like the possibility of the majority of hardware being locked down to Microsoft boot keys and the like.
Personally, I'm happy that people can run their OS of choice and I don't care which one that it. However, I am interested in whether I'm likely to be able to access some mainstream entertainment and buy new hardware easily in the coming years. Of course, it's highly unlikely that desktop Linux is going to disappear but when it's in the single-digit percentages of desktop OSs it could be locked out if numbers of users fall.