• Mechanismatic@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    “Okay, I switched to Linux, now I’m getting this error message: _______.”

    “Install ______.”

    “It gives me this error now: ______.”

    “You have to update the _____ library first.”

    “It won’t let me.”

    “You have to use sudo.”

    “It tells me to clone the git via the command line, but git says verifying login from command line isn’t supported any more.”

    “You’re following seven year old instructions.”

    “They’re the only instructions I can find.”

    “You should switch to this other flavor of Linux.”

    • I do not prefer apt-based systems, but I’ve installed variations of Ubuntu (e.g. Mint) on systems for geriatric (grand)parents in the past 5 years and have not yet needed to drop into shell to fix something.

      If the needs are basic (browsing, email, printing, documents), Linux hasn’t needed wizardry for years. This is mostly thanks to Gnome and KDE’s hard work on GUI admin tools, but if someone is going directly from Windows to i3, they’ve chosen a steep hill to climb.

  • AnonymousLlama@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    About the same when you ask for a good GUI replacement for X and someone replies “just use the command line”, like cheers for that men, not what I’m asking for.

    • littlecolt@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      AMEN! I asked recently if there was a good Linux alternative to this program I used in Windows called “Bulk Rename Utility” and i was flooded by people telling me how easy it was to set up a script to do what I want.

      Turns out the best alternative is running BRU in Wine.

      • moomoomoo309@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        I’d have recommended KRename personally. It uses some programming-esque stuff (format specifiers for stuff), but it’s not exactly difficult to do advanced stuff with it.

      • oatscoop@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        There almost always powerful existing utilities that can do what you want in linux.

        But you have to find them and they have a learning curve. Sometimes that “curve” is a cliff.

        • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          Tbh though, as a person going through this learning right now, the single most essential thing I did was youtube “basic bash tutorial” and watch a few videos/follow along with them. Gave me the first foothold to start climbing the cliff, made it much less foreboding.

          Now I’m struggling with for loops, but that is not exactly basic and I’m blaming that on my ADHD, I haven’t tried to learn in months, I’ll get around to it!

  • Holyginz@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Switch to Linux and spend way more time making sure everything is updated and having to jump through hoops installing things.

    • Dnn@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      No idea what you mean. I just quickly wanted to update before calling it a night, got a grub update and now it neither boots the default nor the fallback image. I use Arch BTW.

      • Holyginz@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Lol, I’m not hating. I’ve had Linux before but it took more time then I had at that point learning and I mainly use my personal computers for gaming. Which is less of a headache on windows. That’s just me though.

        • Digester@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I’m on windows 10, use my PC for work and gaming. The thing with windows is that it works right out of the box, all major softwares are developed for windows in mind. When shit stops working is when you start messing with stuff that isn’t your typical “start the PC -> download program -> install -> run the program -> shut off” which is what most users do. Updating the os, softwares and GPU drivers are easy tasks.

          It’s when you start messing with python or softwares that aren’t too mainstream and require a bit more effort that things have the potential to break. Even then, the os itself won’t break on you unless you really try. I broke windows a few times in 15 years but it’s worth mentioning that I was manually and willingly changing registry keys and messing with a lot of other stuff. Even then most of the time I was able to fix it.

          With Linux is different. If you just use the OS for basic stuff like browsing the internet and editing documents you should be fine for the most part (if you choose a user friendly and stable distro like Ubuntu or Mint). The moment you try getting to run niche softwares or something that requires you to manually open the command prompt to change things in order to accomodate what you’re trying to achieve, that’s where it gets tough for most people. That’s how Linux works, it’s the user’s fault though not the machine’s.

          • Holyginz@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I never claimed it wasn’t user error. This was almost 15 years ago and I was just a dumb impatient kid messing around with CentOS.

            • phar@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Might want to try again if you haven’t updated your opinion for 15 years. Updating is so much easier and faster on Linux than windows nowadays. You don’t really need the terminal unless you want to on the easier distros. Everytime I see that Windows update screen at work I remember one of the main reasons I abandoned it at home. The software centers make life so much easier than windows. The software updates on its own so you don’t click on a program and then have to update it. Life, imo, is just better with Linux.

  • RCKLSSBNDN@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I remember I had a date with a girl back in the’10s. We hit it off and got back to her place. Wanted to show her a funny Internet video.

    She brought out an ancient laptop that refused to boot and said her Ex had tried to fix it with Linux.

    I got it pointed at the right dependencies, she fellated me as it updated.

    I think this is my only sexy story that includes Linux.

    Well, I guess there was this one time I loaned a lonely neighbor DOS 6 disks.

    But, that does not include Linux.

  • dustyData@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The ones that make me laugh uncontrollably are those Windows disk encryption issues for which the solution is…wait for it… run Linux from a LiveISO, fix the disk with Linux, then reinstall Windows. Because Windows is incapable of fixing its own issues that it itself caused.

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      As a former computer service technician, we used Ubuntu Live USB and DVDs (yes it was a long ago) a lot.

  • Rentlar@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    50% of the time the Microsoft forum help solution for any Windows problem is “Have you tried Re-installing Windows?”

    • source, my ass
  • ColPanic@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    No, you don’t say “switch to Linux”. This is an opportunity to be free from the shackles of being the go-to IT support person! If they say they are having computer problems, ask “Is it Linux? No? Sorry, can’t help you”

  • Wahots@pawb.social
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    1 year ago

    Every time I try Linux on my own, it’s fine. But God forbid I ever use any device that comes with Linux pre-installed, and I’m cursed. I’m on my third steam deck after it software bricked itself, and our university Linux server is so unstable that it disconnects my session with vim every 30 minutes or so. Pain. At least there’s a method to the madness: trust nobody but myself :P

    • NOPper@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Holy hell, three Decks? How did they get bricked? I’ve had mine since the second shipment batch and beyond some very early software issues it’s been pretty solid.

    • ojmcelderry@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Screen and tmux are your friends in this situation. They can keep your vim session alive when your SSH connection drops, so you can reconnect and continue where you left off.

  • Stillhart@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Okay, I’ll bite. I’ve been trying Linux every few years for the last few decades and it’s never been anywhere close to replacing Windows for me. I’m not a luddite; I was in tech for many years (MCSE certified) but there just… ALWAYS something that doesn’t work right. And there’s NEVER a simple fix. Linux for me ends up being more of a hobby than a tool and I haven’t had the time or patience to deal with it in the past.

    But I’m willing to try again,

    Anyone have any resources to get me pointed in the right direction? Which distro to try, how to install as a dual-boot on an exiting Windows machine without breaking it, how to get Steam/Nvidia drivers/games going, etc?

    EDIT - Apparently trying to dual boot with Windows on a machine with two physical drives is too much to ask (unless you have a CS degree). Maybe next time, Linux.

  • nyternic@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    As someone who has had been around Linux-based people and whenever I have had a single gripe about Windows - it’s this.

    I don’t have a hate boner with Linux, I just feel like Linux is a little too much for the average casual user. Everything is fine until they run into a single issue with Linux, if the bewilderment of not having their familiar easy to run programs that they had on Windows wasn’t a turn off for them from the get-go.

  • samsy@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    First time I agree with the Raven. Switch to Linux!!! Windows is just a shitshow, we all watch and can’t believe they are doing this. Win 11 will bring us one of the biggest hardware-waste ever in a world where we should spare with resources.

    But hey, throw that 4GB RAM machine in the trash bin everyone wants Win11. So glossy and shiny, so hot right now.