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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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They try this every 5 years or so. Microsoft gives them some short term discounts and they come running back back.
It's different this time around.
The previous attempts were about freeing themselves from an abusive unprincipled data-hungry big data monopoly,
This attempt is about freeing themselves from an abusive unprincipled data-hungry big data monopoly operating in a fascist country and in cahoots with the regime.
I reckon it's serious this time.
People are serious, I've never seen so many new users in the Linux groups I'm in
That might not be so much down to how serious people are but rather just how good Linux has gotten lately (especially for games). Although I do think people are more serious now.
Speaking personally, it's just as much about Windows getting worse as it is about Linux getting better.
Life long windows user. I switched to Arch a few months ago and I'm not looking back. Will only be using windows in a sandboxed VM if absolutely necessary. Which, I haven't needed to yet.
Life long windows user. I switched to Arch
Fuck. That's like going straight from English breakfast tea to hash oil.
I've been using Linux almost exclusively both in my personal and professional life for a decade and a half. I only installed Arch a month or two ago.
Installing Arch might be a hassle, I tried it once and couldn’t figure it out so a kept on using Ubuntu and its derivatives. But when I got a Steam Deck I found Steam OS to be easy and the Arch documentation to be thorough and useful.
I mean, considering how many bluescreens Windows is giving these days, you'll probably have a more stable experience in Arch lol.
Hell, I'm in Silicon Valley here in California, and some of my friends are also jumping off the proprietary ship because those large firms are willing to work hand in hand with federal agencies.
If you've read the NSA document disclosures by Edward Snowden, it's apparent that there is an open door for data requests. The current administration isn't a huge fan of California's diversity, so we might as well minimize our chances of being targetted...
I wouldn't be so sure this time around.
The world is a big uncertainly and the force in Europe for digital sovereignty is something I never seen before.
The initiative to protect Europes boarders and data information is justified.
Did you see the NATO conference? The EU is grovelling for the US. If Microsoft tells them to jump they will say how high
Talk is cheap. They may say anything to buy time as they make deals between the EU, Canada, and Japan that exclude the US.
They didn't just give them a discount, and it was only a very small part of Europe you are talking about. It was Munich, and MS also moved a lot of workplaces to the city, to bribe it...
And at the same time we have the Jugendmedienstaatsvertrag in Germany (and with Germany as a strong force in the EU most likely everywhere in the EU soon) that will make all operating systems without fully integrated age restrictions illegal https://www.heise.de/en/news/Minors-protection-State-leaders-mandate-filters-for-operating-systems-10199455.html
Manufacturers of operating systems must then ensure that "only apps that correspond to the age specification or that have been individually and securely activated can be used". The installation of programs should only be possible via distribution platforms such as app stores that take the age rating into account and have an automated rating system recognized by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM).
This part of the law alone is impossible to implement on a open platform like Linux.
Instrumenting a fascist society while pretending to protect children...
Yeah, as it is so often
these types of laws usually come from the most technically illiterate people ever
Unfortunately yes!
Since it is impossible to implement on Linux, it may just be flagged as adult-only software.
But, there is still hope. What if Snaps and Flatpaks get properly flagged, allowing Ubuntu and/or Fedora to be legal?
I mean it's impossible on all computers.
Windows should ensure you can only use app-store and make it impossible to install an exe from online as example
MacOS even funnier. If I save a bash script I found online mac is supposed to refuse, unless I am using a vpn that is!
I don't think they will prohibit side loading. This will cause serious issues to developers, and other professionals.
Like, I cannot use the X tool from Github, just because the Y developer refuses to publish it in an organized store?
The law doesn't say that the option has to be active for everyone and all the time, but it has to be fully integrated into the OS so it can be activated fast and easy when children/teenagers want to use the PC.
Any bit of user base growth helps get the ball rolling for future MS/USA missteps. Linux has just been getting better and easier year after year. It's been a 30 year marathon ready for another 30+ years of development
Hopefully this helps increase adoption. Maybe in a few years GNU+Linux will have 10% of the desktop operating systems market. Maybe even Wine won’t be necessary anymore except for legacy software.
It can't fail, unless MS pulls a monopoly stunt or bribe politicians... There's only a win, by ditching MS...
The German state of Bavaria once did something in the direction of moving away from MS. When Microsoft put their German headquarters into Munich the idea was scraped.
One alternative is that it only applies to companies that are listed as gatekeepers in the EU make it only hit megacorps
Good F#$%^ riddance.
I think that if Linux is to be more widely adopted a more easily used distro needs to become mainstream. Let's face it, the average computer user barely knows how to use Windows, just because you find Linux easy doesn't mean they will.
Do you think you could teach Linux to your grandmother?
Do you think you could teach Linux to your grandmother?
Yes. Set automatic package updates, Install firefox with ublock and put it on the taskbar, and bookmark Facebook and Youtube for her. It is the same thing as under Windows.
I would argue that for the most "tech illiterate" users the Linux experience can be made even easier than the windows experience, because you have to set up everything for them anyways.
Completely "tech illiterate" broser-only users are fine. It gets difficult once they happen to actually want to do something.
I have an older relative in that boat, and she was doing fine until she wanted to install some VPN to access foreign Netflix libraries. That was more difficult. Especially because she already paid for the service and that service didn't support her distro, thus there was no guide on how to use it.
Do you think you could teach Linux to your grandmother?
My 50+ yo mother uses Linux Mint daily with fewer problems that when she used Windows. Her crowning achievement in IT is learning how to use email.
I helped my 93 yo friend switch from Windows 10 to Linux 2 years ago. He called me 3 times in the first 2 weeks to ask how to do something, but hasn't had a single problem since that's related to the OS.
Linux Mint, Bazzite, Fedora, and several other Linux distros are already easier to use than Windows. The only thing holding most people back is fear of change.
There are some people who have specific setups in Windows or a large number of "Windows only" apps, but these people are in the minority. The average person can't even tell you which operating system they're currently using, and wouldn't notice the difference if you swapped the OS but kept the same web browser.
Teaching people without computing skills to use linux is actually easier than teaching windows. Most trouble people have with linux comes from being used to windows and having difficulty to adapt.
Both of my grandmothers are dead, but I did teach my aunt to use Linux. She had a laptop that "ran" Windows 10. It would take 30 seconds to open the Start menu. One SSD, one RAM upgrade and one install of Mint later it's a whole new machine. She can Firefox and Mahjongg just fine.
My mother, 80 years old, uses Linux Mint.
It is a myth that Windows is easier to use than Windows. It is just what you know and it came with your computer.
Actually, my mother knew how to use Debian before she could use Windows. Her first pc came with Windows XP, switched that for Debian as its been my main OS since 2000.
Yes, you can teach your grandmother to use Linux.
I can't wait until Lemmy's Peertube integration is released ^[1]^. Then, iiuc, this comment section should be able to happen directly on The Linux Experiment's videos within Lemmy.
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