Published at LXer:

When someone want to switch from Windows to Linux, he or she has a tendency to only think about the advantages of Linux and not think about the disadvantages. Most people have very good reasons to switch from Windows to Linux, but before actually switching it is important to review the disadvantages of Linux as well as the advantages.

[I am going to let you all have at this one, why spoil all the fun. - Scott]

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Nothing new, here- Just the same old "Linux is not Windows" BS.

Sheesh....

These are BS reasons, obviously.

Linux does not run most commercial software -> Linux DOES run most commercial software

Less off-line help is available for Linux -> More online help is available for Linux

Some re-training can be required -> obviously

Linux does currently not play Blu-ray discs -> that's because they are DRM'd up the @$$, and you shouldn't be buying them anyway.

Not all hardware is supported -> ~ 90 % of all hardware IS supported, 100 % if you choose a bit more carefully.

A lot of distros have manuals or other documentation available offline.

Lots of commercial software works with linux.

Training? Better to learn how to use a system than to have to worry about all the malware and crashes using windows entails.

If you just have to play blu-ray crap it is possible.
http://www.recipester.org/Recipe:Pla..._(**19689877**) though why anyone would that DRM crap that costs almost twice as much as a DVD is beyond me.

I have close to 30,000 packages available that I can install running Debian and that's not even counting all the linux software sites.

Very true, indeed. But then again, that line really grabs my a$$! I have two friends who work for (different) corporate offices, and their respective companies have to send them back to school to be re-trained every time they upgrade Windows or Office.

Give me a freakin break, already.

IMHO...

The biggest disadvantage is no support for iTunes...

And, yes I know there is Amarok, Songbird, gtkpod, etc. But that's irrelivent....the "average user" is going to want to use iTunes...plain and simple...even if the other software is "better"...

-C

Time to get a new definition of "average user". This average user doesn't give a rat's ass about iTunes.

Same here. If I cared about iTunes, I'd get a Mac and iPod. Problem solved.

Get your head straight:

- Linux does not run most commercial software.
The problem is not Linux - the problems is developers writing their commercial software only for Windows. Not even Mac or Linux; only for Windows. I love it when they write a good program to run on all three. For example, Gimp, OpenOffice, Firefox. The problem is not the operating system itself but the lack of developers. Also developers favor the masses; hence, Windows.

- Less off-line help is available for Linux.
I don't know what planet you come but getting good off-line Windows help is also very difficult. Unless you can find someone who can reinstall Windows (any dumb person can do that). I don't know how many times I've heard of techies reinstalling after they saw the blue screen of death - that's not off-line help - that's just reinstalling.

- Some re-training can be required.
If you really want an easy to use GUI give recommend a Mac. What I like about Mac is that if anything breaks you can take it to any Mac store and it will be fixed or replaced - no questions asked.

- Not all hardware is supported.
Linux supports more hardware than Windows hands down. Linux runs on every popular architecture, on every chip. It runs on IBM mainframes to a cell phones, even on mini devices the size of an orio cookie. It can be tweaked to run on any device that releases their specifications. The Mars Rovers - guess what they run? A Linux microkernel. They thought they where going to run for a few days and they've been running for years.

Hmmm...a Slack user and a Gentoo user...I don't think "average user" applies to you two

-C

iTunes sucks anyway, why do people even use it, I tried it once when I was using Window$ and it was terrible, even worse than musicmatch.

Agreed.

But irrelevant...people want to use what's familiar...even if it's crap...which explains why so many people use Windows

-C

Not really; some folks do have iPods and even Macs, and since iTunes does something that other (Linux) software does not do, it's a dead end. Trying to make the new iPods work without iTunes is like rubbing a lamp hoping a genie would suddenly pop up..it just might, but probably it won't. And it's just plain stupid that you should throw an expensive piece of hardware away just because there isn't software supporting it on one operating system..Apple is of course to be blamed for this, especially because it has made iTunes for Windows, but not for anything else.

If somebody wants to have full iTunes functionality, it's not her/his fault.