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Microsoft is driving users away

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Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#241

Post by bee_rider »

whatshisface wrote: post #138
tux1968 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hope that more people switch It's reached a point where it no longer really matters. Linux is good enough, usable enough, and supported enough, that getting more users won't change much. It might actually be worse if a lot more users, with a lot of wide-ranging needs and demands, switch to Linux. At least, I am happy with the current state of Linux usability, and no longer care to evangelize the benefits of being…

I have a hard time imagining a world where Linux is used in a more diverse set of operating environments than it already is.

The answer is stuff like ChromeBooks and Steam Decks.

The classic desktop open source/free software ecosystem that people are thinking of when they say “Linux” is driven by a technical community, so the types of problems that will be solved are the ones that bother technical people, not non-technical ones. There’s some overlap of course, (everyone wants the fonts and colors in their terminals to look nice, right?) but it is just a side effect of the fact that technical people are also people.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#242

Post by josephcsible »

lostmsu wrote: post #181
Animats wrote: post #40

"To Access the old devices and printer use the run prompt and type the following: shell:::{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}" And people complain about Linux.

But why would you want to? There's a "new" (Windows 8? so 10 years?) area in Settings.

As explained in the article, the "new" area lacks critical functionality that's needed to fix certain kinds of problems.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#243

Post by bee_rider »

datagrimx wrote: post #124

For full Disclosure, I once upon was a software engineer at Microsoft. I witnessed first hand the evil decisions around Windows. I left Microsoft in 2006 but I am still part of the Alumni Network. IMO Microsoft can gain users back by: * Not requiring a Microsoft Account * Ending all data/telemetry collection * Not forcing Edge on its users * Stop releasing improved UI updates every week * Make bash, zsh, ... native f…

Most of the Linux ecosystem is not really interested in selling Linux, they are interested in solving their problems using Linux and then sharing. This leaves space open for groups like Valve or Google to create a nice UI on top of Linux and sell that. How can they compete with free? It turns out free is not actually interested in competing with them…

I still give it, like, less than 50% chance of occurring, but it wouldn’t be totally mind blowing to see MS selling a Linux distro, IMO. Why not, right?

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#244

Post by josephcsible »

forinti wrote: post #57
probably_satan wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've converted a handful of some of the least computer tech heavy people to Linux. This was years ago. The final few nails of Microsoft's coffin are being nailed as we speak. Not only because they are just fundamentally bad at innovation, but because they also sold out the United States to China. Billy boy is scared, and he should be.

I managed to convince my mother-in-law to use Linux and drop Windows. But it seems that convincing the network guys at work is harder than convincing a retiree. Apparently it's easier to administer a Windows network than a Linux one.

> Apparently it's easier to administer a Windows network than a Linux one.

Not really. I suspect that there's a fallacy similar to the one in https://thedailywtf.com/articles/an-obvious-requirement> going on. (The most relevant comment: 'Ah, so the user is using "obvious" to mean "familiar."').

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#245

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

"I've been a lifelong Windows user since the 90s and even MS-DOS back in the 80s, but things are changing. I've been using other operating systems more and more."

OK, that's one user. But clearly he is still using Windows. Microsoft has not "lost" him. He is just complaining. He even provides a solution re: printing for other Windows users that implies his readers are still using it, too.

"Microsoft is in a panic from the continued loss of it's user base."

Is there no need to present any evidence of this statement's veracity.

Perhaps some evidence has been published of which I am unaware.

Where can we view the data.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#246

Post by Nition »

makeitdouble wrote: post #191
overgard wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every Windows user I know hates the new control panels. (I use plural because they've been trying to replace the actual good control panel basically every version of Windows since 7 and it's an incredible mess). Enterprise users put up with Windows because it's better to administrate than anything else, so taking away that stuff really is murdering windows.

TBF I don't think there's any control panels people are in love with. Apart from the issue of needing control panels mostly to solve problems, they're just not great. Windows legendarily keeps multiple versions of them, while for ios/macos it's a game of finding which image is actually a clickable button or understanding that wi-fi hotspot is under sharing and not networks. The FA was about command line incantation t…

> I don't think there's any control panels people are in love with.

Not in the modern era, but I do love this one from Mac OS 1: https://i.imgur.com/XKfnGMl.png

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#247

Post by throwaway3563 »

Falmarri wrote: post #163
TheLoafOfBread wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Make bash, zsh, ... native for Windows Why? There is PowerShell, able to run on Linux and MacOS. And compared to Bash it is actually readable language.

I can't believe there are people that actually like powershell

The main issue with powershell is its name. It would have been better named powerscript. It’s not really a shell but a much more powerful script language along the lines of Perl or PHP.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#248

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

pierat wrote: post #225
whiplash451 wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you could turn off auto-update I would not mess with that bit these days

There is a difference between: 1. Updates have been applied (in the middle of your crucial thing). Reboot in 60 seconds. Fuck you if you think you can cancel haha. 2. Updates for the following packages are available. Apply: Now or later. Windows is #1. Linux is #2. Linux does it right. Sometimes, you're in the middle of something, and delaying makes sense. But shutting down on a 3d print job, or in the middle of a ga…

To point out the obvious: run auto-update before doing the "crucial thing" and that won't occur. Or pay for the non-consumer oriented editions of Windows that allow full administrative control; they exist.

Anybody who could not figure that out is probably not capable of managing Linux properly either.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#249

Post by jacknews »

The opening rant in the video is familiar, I've been inspired to colorful language on many occasions too.

I use linux and, reluctantly, macos (and will switch as soon as feasible). But my kids still use windows sometimes though, to play Roblox and Minecraft redstone edition, etc.

I dread any time I'm asked to help with microsoft accounts, or OS re-installations because windows update borked the system (happens at least every 6 months or so), etc. Microsoft's user experience seems to suck in absolutely everything they do.

Re: Microsoft is driving users away

#250

Post by philistine »

bee_rider wrote: post #131
iforgotpassword wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess because the majority of Linux folks don't really care about making it a solid user experience for normies, and those that do so might have strong opinions on things that might not roll with everyone, especially coming from Windows (read: gnome). I've maintained an in-house distro for a couple years so I know the ins and outs of systemd, dbus, polkit, xorg and whatever crap is needed to run a desktop session,…

The Free Software and Open Source ecosystems are, at their best, about communities putting together projects to serve their own needs and then generously sharing those solutions out. I think an easily discoverable UI for non-technical people is not a problem that many technical communities have. Anyone who does try to start that project is signing themselves up for a lot of complaints from outside the project, almost…

macOS !!
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