I thought the same way until people came to me with virus-ridden Windows computers and I helped install Linux for them.

I thought the same way until people came to me with virus-ridden Windows computers and I helped install Linux for them. They never had a problem and they never came back to me for help. They even thanked me for introducing them to Linux. These were not technical people. They were middle-aged and mainly used their computers for checking email or occasionally using office productivity software. At the time I was using Ubuntu so that's what I gave them. Now I use Arch Linux and I'm not as willing to introduce Ubuntu. Arch requires more patience than Ubuntu so I only introduce it to people like my wife whom I can help regularly. So while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Linux over Windows, I regret that there's not a more beginner-friendly distro. Ubuntu is broken in my opinion. Partly it's due to its success. There are too many beginners using it and if you search the web for answers you get lots of cargo-cult advice and copy/paste solutions. Arch Linux has the best documentation[1] I've seen, not just for it's own parts, but for tons of Linux-related software. It's technical but concise. It helps you gain understanding instead of simply grabbing an easy solution. Macs are the polar opposite. Everything is "easy" but it'll cost you $30 to buy an app to fix your mouse and you gain no useful knowledge through the experience. 1. http://wiki.archlinux.org/

Posted by reedlaw on Jul 31, 2015, 1:32 AM

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