Saying Good-bye to Windows
So, my Mom called me the other day and said she wanted me to clear out her computer and get rid of Windows to put GNU/Linux on it. She said she was tired of all the pop-ups and things asking her to get Windows 10 and what-not.
Awesome! One benefit of Windows 10 being so draconian is that it's pushing people into using alternatives. If we can people into trying out GNU/Linux instead of Apple we might have a shot at dramatically increasing the number of GNU/Linux users and spreading free software. :)
Agreed. Also, since a switch from Win7 to Win10 is a complete change in user interface there really isn't as much excuse for people not to try it.
The main reason they put out Win 10 is because people wanted to have a familiar (Win 95/7) interface with a traditional start menu. As a sidekick, they shoved down their throats a complete surveillance system. The users will pick up a 'free copy'* of Win 10 happily because it is preinstalled on practically every new computer.
In a time of practically costless operating systems Microsoft must breach privacy on a 'service as a software substitute' basis because now the customer is the product, that's where the lucrativeness comes from. Let's face it, most people are happy products. It's very hard to tell them otherwise. It takes a lot of courage to step out of confirmity and fear the risk of losing some functionality or face inconvenience. It doesn't help if the progenitor of the Linux kernel gives out statements that he always picks the best software to do a task at hand, no matter if it's free libre or proprietary.
I'm happy your mom is not one of those happy products anymore. You have gained yourself a significant victory.
*Free as in beer, not freedom.
"In a time of practically costless operating systems Microsoft must breach privacy on a 'service as a software substitute' basis because now the customer is the product"
Software as a service substitute is only one means of exploiting the users and actually a rather specific one.
Facebook, for instance, is massively making money without being service as a substitute;
the term is only referring to jobs that you could theoretically do on your own computer, but instead let a server do for you, for conveniance's sake.
It always causes a lot of confusion and misunderstanding.
I know. I deliberately chose not to use their parlance "Windows as a service".
Well, if you look well at Windows´ (specially 7) interface, is literally a copy of KDE. Widgets (Gadgets in windows), simple settings, beautiful themes and icons, and people think that is original. I would had like to change inmediately to GNU/Linux-Libre, but I went form windows to Xubuntu, then to ubuntu and then to Trisquel.
Well, it's ultimately derived from the kind of interface Windows 95 had, and KDE does not predate Windows 95. So I wouldn't be so sure that Windows is copying KDE. On the other hand, originality is overrated, anyway.
Congratulations on your mother migrating to free software! In school, I have to use Windoze and Macins***. Don't worry, I use GNU/Linux at home too. Good Luck!
If people have to use Windows 10, there's always ShutUp10 to lessen the blow.
Remove that biggest BLOATWARE. The most bloated Windows ever made. +User monitoring spyware AI.
With GNU, you have full freedom to customize what you want and what desktop enviroment to use.
UPDATE: So I finally got her computer installed with Trisquel, and it runs beautifully. It's a Dell Optiplex 380 for anyone interested.
Can't wait to see what she thinks!
UPDATE: I plugged it in and set it up but was having trouble with getting her printer to work because the version of HPLIP was too old for it. I tried updating HPLIP but there was a dependency that the Trisquel repositories did not have pertaining to SMTP... To make a long story short, I ran a system update before I left, and Mom sent me a message saying that she got the printer working... lol. So she is up and running and good to go and seems to like it so far.
:-)
Oh and she says it's so much faster than Microsloth ;)
I relate very much with the annoyance of Microsoft further alienating its users by forcing them to update or else. Shame on them! GNU/Linux land welcomes you.
Recently I also made the switch, thanks to someone I met on a DIaspora pod. There's a lot of GNU people on those pods, they link to FSF, on one pod I saw Richard Stallman. My name was different there. I read a lot about FSF and linked up with someone who offered to help me convert an old HP Windows computer to Trisquel.
I was using a Mac at the time, so first he showed me how to make a virtual machine, then load Trisquel so I could check it out. I spent a month or so with it, and wanted to convert my Mac. We were using Telegram messenger for our tech sessions. He was wonderful, and though he wasnn't sure how to convert the Mac, we did get the old HP transformed to Trisquel. Because it's a converted machine, I can't get all the features the help system refers to, but that's another issue I'll reserve for another post.
I'm very happy with Trisquel and the peace of mind it gives me. My Mac hardly gets used anymore. Someday I'd like to get another computer to convert, or better yet, one that has Trisquel installed.:)
Glad to hear such a happy story, congrats! Also, please do open another thread on any issues, let's see what we can do about them.