Cethin

I’m hoping for something similar to what The Colbert Report used to be.

One of the few good uses for generative AI I’ve seen.

I somewhat agree, but it’s not going to happen. If Bluesky wins this battle, they’re just going to be the dominant platform. It’s not going to spread out. It’s just going to migrate. A federated alternative would at least be spread out by design, though connected still.

There is not a GUI for everything on Windows. There is for a lot of it though, for better or worse. There usually a GUI on most Linux DEs as well, but the answer you’ll see online often involves the console because it’s easily shared and you can just copy/paste it and it’s universal usually. The GUI option requires long tutorials with images telling you where to click. It’s not an improvement. You’re just following a guide not understanding it either way, but the console option is much faster. A GUI is good for applications you understand, but just solving a problem you don’t understand a GUI is cumbersome.

And yeah, having people split has its issues, but that’s what happens when people get a choice. There’s a similar problem between Windows versions too, but Windows 10 has been dominant for a while now so all answers are for that.

You will run into issues, but you have to learn where to look for answers. You’ve had this with Windows too (like the OP here). You just view the issues you’ve had with Windows differently. You’ve learned to deal with it gradually over time, where switching to Linux you’ll have it largely all at once at first as you set things up for the first time and get used to the change. It’s a big change, but you can handle it. You’ve dealt with worse already.

Also, don’t be afraid of the console. It isn’t particularly scary, except you just haven’t used something like it before I guess. It just requires using a keyboard. You use “man [package name]” for the manual. There’s also a fantastic package called TLDR that is similar to man but much shorter and only contains the things you’ll frequently be looking for. I highly recommend it if you try Linux again. It may help.

I don’t know what went wrong for you, but personally when I last used Windows my taskbar (still called that on Linux BTW), crashed probably at least once a month, and I’d have to restart my computer to do anything because so much was connected together for no reason.

No operating system is perfect. I will always argue that Windows isn’t easier though, you’re just used to dealing with it’s horrible issues. If you could learn to deal with Windows you can learn to deal with Linux. It’s annoying having to learn something new, but I promise you it’s worth it once you get settled. You can’t go into it expecting it to be Windows, because it isn’t, but if you go in with an open mind and a willingness to learn, it’ll treat you better than Windows does.

As others have mentioned, it’s incredibly easy to install yourself. You just need a flash drive and another device with internet access.

If you’re gaming, I’m using Garuda Dragonized, which is set up for gaming. I’ve liked it and seen many others like it too. Regardless, KDE is probably the DE you want if you’re coming from Windows, but there are plenty of others you may prefer.

You probably can’t get it pre-installed, which I think is probably monopolistic if the only OS choice presented to customers is Windows. That’s how it’s spread so far, not because it’s easier. The issue with pre-installing is they’d either have to let you choose from a ton of options or just limit your choices. It’s easier to let the customer handle it.

Just a heads up, it’s not out of your skill set if you can operate Windows. If anything, it’s usually easier if you don’t want to do anything particularly technical. It requires relearning things (which you had to do for Windows too, and will again in the future), but if you don’t understand something you search online or ask for help, like you’re doing here. It turns out, you can’t do everything you want with Windows, but you’ve grown accustomed to it. That’s the difference. You have to grow to get used to anything new, even if it’s “better” or “easier.”

Turning off updates likely requires editing registries, which is far more technical than anything you’ll need to do on Linux.

That probably ideal, but it should still be spread out so the “less important” projects still get something.

Donations add up. If everyone did what you’re proposing, many projects would likely get no donations. Ideally everyone would donate a small amount to every project they use, which would all add together to be a sizable amount for all projects that are frequently used.

We aren’t all one person. We don’t need to all act as if we’re one. We should act as if we’re a community, because we are. Support all projects, and they’ll all get support.