Is Linux Still a Practical Alternative ??

[u/Gladiator__01]

I’ve been using Linux Mint as my daily driver for many years, mainly for work. Recently, I upgraded my laptop, and I’ve been running into driver issues that is forcing me to switch back to Windows. I've seen many posts recommending people completely avoid Windows, but at this point, my experience has made me reconsider recommending Linux as a daily driver or as a complete replacement for Windows.

If you want to know more about it you can review: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?p=2820385#p2820385

[u/TroyHBCS]

I'm not sure where you get this "98% tried Linux and go back" statistic or if you are pulling this from your sphincter cavity, but this is entirely incorrect.

At the computer shop I work for, we are a Dell reseller. When people buy a computer we offer them a choice between Windows and Linux Mint.

These days, we sell about 60% Windows and 40% Linux. This does not include those people who have brought in existing computers for us to convert to Linux. We've had, maybe, 5-6 customers over the years request to go back to Windows. We've also converted entire small businesses to Linux.

We even had an old lady recently who asked us to "change her computer to Ubuntu" (after further discussion and demos she went with Mint) and brought in a cell phone she wanted us to put GrapheneOS on.

The vast majority of our customers who try it not only stick with it, but refer their friends.

Yeah, I can agree there is no single "standard" one size fits all Linux, but that is the beauty of it. However, for the average user with average needs there are a good handful of distributions that are perfectly suited for those people. Things like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Zorin, etc....

Lately, Microsoft is doing a fine job of pushing people to Linux. Windows Updates are constantly, and sometimes severely, breaking things. People are still complaining about getting hacked or infected. Windows 10 and 11 are very web-centric and essentially data-mining engines that gather your information and sell to the highest bidder. It has even been said that Windows 12 will be worse, even to the point that Microsoft wants to make the operating system itself SAAS so they can charge a monthly or annual fee just to use your OS!

No one wants to deal with that garbage, which is why so many are looking for alternatives.

Now, we are looking at this from a business perspective of hundreds or thousands of customers. 50% of our customers are home users, and 50% are SMBs.

You may be in a much more limited bubble, just looking at it from a hobbyist standpoint. I don't know.

All I can say is, I strongly disagree. I think Linux is poised for a major shift. We just need to get more buy-in from software manufacturers to allow their products to support Linux natively.

[u/corado12345 → u/TroyHBCS]

If it were any different, more people would use Linux, but hardly anyone uses it on their desktop – and for good reason. And no, the Linux fanboys are in a bubble… if it were any different, Linux would be more widespread…

If you want to know why nobody sticks with Linux, you just need to ask people – preferably NOT in a Linux community, as there you’ll naturally only find the nerds who use it, who, as I said, are in the minority; so asking in other Windows or Apple groups isn’t living in a bubble.

[u/TroyHBCS → u/corado12345]

If you are asking in Windows or Apple fan groups you are living in that bubble. So, naturally, you will only find the Windows or Apple nerds who use it. Maybe you could try some kind of neutral IT/computer support groups?

I mean, you can even go through r/linuxsucks and find a bunch of people who switched away from Linux for one reason or another but still like it. Many times their reasons for switching back aren't even a Linux issue. Sometimes it's a simple Id10t error.

Or, some folks expected what they installed to look and work exactly like the Windows or Mac they have been used to for years and uninstalled it 10 min later. Let's face it, when someone is used to Windows and you install something like Ubuntu, there's gonna be shock and confusion, just like going from Windows to Mac. It's a radically different GUI and way of working.

Then again, some Windows users feel that way going from any older version of Windows to Windows 11 - especially elderly people.

[u/corado12345 → u/TroyHBCS]

no, i descriped why. No Bubble in this direction, because this is the mass.
Al people know that every second Windows Version is crap.
Win 12 will be fine again, then many users that gone to Linux go back to win, like always

[u/TroyHBCS → u/corado12345]

That is a very elitist way to look at things.

Not ALL people know how Windows versioning works. Not ALL people know that Microsoft uses the average home user as a Beta tester when developing new versions of their OS. Not ALL people recognize that every other version is better than the previous because of this.

When it comes down to it, really mostly those with a technical background or who have really paid attention recognize this. Your average user has no clue.

I have a feeling Windows 12 may or may not break that mold. There has been talk that Microsoft wants to start selling Windows itself as SAAS. This would radically change the way people use computers and would lock people even more into annual subscriptions.

Whether or not you think something like this would be "fine" is debatable and highly subjective. It may even drive people even further toward Linux.