JMZ schreef op 10-10-2016 11:58:
The vast majority of consumer boxes run Windows because of Microsoft's bundling deal with the manufacturers. It's nothing really to do with Windows performance or ease of use (both of which are poor). It's just that Mr./Ms. Everyday User doesn't really know much about computers, plugs the box in, and just uses what's presented to him/her.
That's not really true. The vast majority of people would go screaming for a Windows or Mac PC if they had Linux preinstalled.
The level of system maintenance I would have to give to my family for a Linux box is about 95%.
The level of system maintenance for an ordinary Windows machine (provided it worked like Windows XP or Windows 7) would probably be some 20% for Windows XP and some 25% for Windows 7. That would mean that they could do some 75% of maintenance tasks themselves, such as adding a new user, changing power settings, moving their files around, installing Dropbox, and my brother and sister could perfectly handle installing a printer. Setting up OneDrive... those things I would never need to do for any of them.
If you gave people the choice of Windows for pay or Linux for free I bet some would choose to experiment with Linux. Perhaps 25% would be willing to try it at least once, I'm not sure, as long as they could return the thing and get Windows on it at the second chance.
"Just works" is a fantasy. There's plenty of Windows programs which don't "just work" -- I spend my days bouncing from one Windows box to another, trying to iron out small bugs or teach panicky users simple tasks.
This is more said of the Mac than of Windows. Mac users use those terms to differentiate between Windows and their own systems.
-- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
