Why Windows Power Users break Linux

Hi,

Why Windows Power Users break Linux

As more people come to Linux, those of us who help the Windows refugees make the switch will need to be very patient with them. The more someone knows about Windows, the more likely it is that they will break Linux. Handing them a Linux laptop and saying, “Here ya go…” is not enough if they are going to succeed. You’re going to have to hold their hand for a while and telling them to “RTFM” will just drive them back to Windows. Understanding why they struggle as much as they do will help you to help them avoid some of the common pitfalls. I specialize in helping people get started with Linux. I’ve helped hundreds of people over the last few years and I can pretty much spot the ones who are going to do well and those who are going to be frustrated. If a client approaches me and they start the conversation with “I’ve been using Windows for 20 years…” I know it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Very interesting article and a good perspective from the author.

EDIT: FreedomPenguin: Why Windows power users struggle with Linux more than casual computer users. The answer might surprise you.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!

Nice, but not exactly a new discovery. It's been known for a long time that Windows power users have a harder time adjusting to Linux.

Remember my friend, the computer virgin? I gave her AntiX. I visit her once a week for a lesson and we always start with a software update, using synaptic. On Wednesday, she told me proudly that we didn't need to do the update because she had already done it herself. I didn't tell her to do that; it was spontaneous. She browses, downloads and plays music, and does her employment timesheets on line. She has begun to send emails to friends, just for fun. And I don't have to worry about her picking up a virus or a worm.

The Windows® operating system has a lot of implied context, which is derived from the fact that it is a tightly vertically-integrated stack of software that is supplied by a single vendor.

"Back in the day," a similar "phase disconnect" was experienced by "IBM®" programmers and sysadmins who moved to ... well ... "anything(!) else." DEC ... Data General ... Honeywell ... CYBER ... none of those cats had the "if it falls off the table, an IBM 'SE' will be there to catch it before it hits the ground" infrastructure that IBM did.

(The point being, of course, that "you didn't have to sacrifice your firstborn son pay through the a*s nose for it, either.")

In the Linux world, there is no "single vendor." And that, of course, is very much the point. But it takes some getting used to. To succeed, you must separate your understanding of underlying concepts from "Microsoft's chosen presentation (and, implementation) of those same concepts." It's a challenge, maybe even a threat, and not everyone takes it well.

However, all that having been said, I kinda-sorta think that this author took more-than-a-few cheap shots(!) at his colleagues. It was perhaps intended as a joke, and I'm sure that its subjects will shrug-it-off, but it's not really that funny. Certainly not gracious.

Good Read. Thanks!

Excellent article.
Been there. Done that.

Giving UNIX to a Windows person is like giving a toddler a gun.

Originally Posted by Laserbeak Giving UNIX to a Windows person is like giving a toddler a gun.

That is a silly and, quite hyperbolic, analogy...

In my casual observation, people who came to computers with Windows 95-XP era have the hardest time adjusting to other operating systems. They've only ever used one vendor's OS where all the variants are similar. Users that came later, having used macs, ipads, chromebooks, etc. have come to expect differences. And, those like me who came before, using either one of the Unixes or various OSes from 8-bit personal computers like Apple Pro-DOS, CBM-DOS, CP/M, etc. already know to expect differences by having experienced different OS flavors before.

I'm still of the opinion that, had the company continued, the best OS out there today would be Amiga Workbench.

[QUOTE=Luridis;5714118]I'm still of the opinion that, had the company continued, the best OS out there today would be Amiga Workbench.

Still got my Amiga 500! Kinda hard to find video for it, though.

But, y'know, it was hard for me to learn Linux – to get used to it. Now, I was already very familiar with "another at-the-time open source operating system," IBM's VM/SP and VM/XA. And, maybe I was a little bit too ambitious plunging into Linux From Scratch after only a few weeks piddling-around with a (very early ...) Red Hat complimentary subscription. I had expected to take a sip from the fire hose, of course, but not to the extent that it actually turned out to be!

i installed fedora on my parents pc. they are from a third-world nation (and plus they are older) and they are able to log into goggle-hangouts ok.

they started with windows-xp but they didnt like windows-8.

My Autistic grandson has not broke his AntiX install yet. So I guess it must be true.