If you’re already with Linux, this is not for you. This is for people who’re indecisive or been contemplating for long about whether to make that jump.
For me, it’s a matter of a few things. I’m on a Windows 10 version that guarantees me until 2032 of support. That means I would effectively skip Windows 11, like I already mostly have and potentially skip Windows 12 if that turns out to be a shitty choice. I’d be coming in right in time for whatever Microslop shits out for Win13.
Should Windows 13 suck, I think that’s a consideration. Another consideration is when Valve keeps dropping support for certain Windows versions of Steam. Because I know for a fact they will drop Windows 10 support entirely one day and then Windows 11. I believe it is really stupid that they do this.
By the time my Windows 10 version expires, I’d be getting older, which means I’ll probably care less and less about computer-related things. Going to Linux wouldn’t be a problem since I’d be doing barebones things like browsing and checking e-mail.
And I’d also hope that by 2032, Linux would have better development like easier access to proprietary drivers and software among other things.
Having the time to dick around and get a linux distro up to my current speed with windows. Or someone else making a distro that mirrors windows 10 capabilities, and utilities (even mundane things like control panel and it’s branches to other settings) and verbose explanations of functionality in the onboard help docs or subtext of options. Or an onboard llm asshole like clippy that can be conversed with om how to accomplish something the linux way.
I think what the linux community misses or forgets is that windows became popular partly because it held people’s hands so much. If linux users want to see the year of linux come to fruition they need to make the distros walk people through a task instead of pointing at the wall and saying “up”.
Conversely I think the linux world says they want everyone to use it but I wonder if they actually want that: everyone using linux means the computing and advertising world pivots and makes linux equivalents of everything, including all the gate keeping, scummy business, malware/adware/tracking…
Some distros’ discord servers and sites have actually set up AI assistants to handle that clippy concept of being able to ask questions without judgmental users responding.
I stayed with Windows largely because their guidance to those actions was generally good, and left when it started sucking - when a Start search for some normal desktop action instead gave a website article that got an automated “Try restarting” answer from an MS volunteer.
I still don’t think Linux guides people all that well (better or worse depending on the distro). These days, I think it does get better than Windows if only because Microsoft got so lazy with their own product.
The “suckyness carryover” isn’t as natural as you think when people can fork distros so easily.
And how would the advertising world even get their shitty software onto your computer? Unlike windows, there isn’t some monolithic corporate entity making decisions about your computer for you.
The same way they got their shitty software into everything: deals with producers. Your mom/aunt isn’t going to build her own pc/phone, theyre going to buy what they can at the store, which would be something sold by dell or HP or whomever, who cut a deal to discount some price by including McAfee or printer-easy-setup-utilities that advertise new ink or printers.
Your last paragraph nails it. I’m not trying to get the whole world to switch, but I’d be happy to get the like minded peopleout who haven’t switched.
When it stops being a tool that works for me and starts working for corpos, well, then I will be in the minority again.
This topic used to come up all the time on Reddit subs, but this is the first time I can remember seeing it on Lemmy.