An HOA (home owners associations) can say what color you can paint your house, What you can plant in your yard, What you can have in your driveway, and some even say what color your blinds can be.
Microsoft controls your computer, they say what info is sent back to Microsoft, and they say when you must upgrade. They can shut down your computer when they want whether you like it or not.
That’s a really cool story about the Athlon still kickin in 2024! I love the spreading awareness of using existing equipment instead of mindless consumption! :D
You’re right, like with any system, the user needs to want to understand it. I think the install will always be a hurdle for anyone as long as “computers with Linux pre-installed” stays a niche thing.
Although, I’d also argue that a pre-formatted install media with a little “How to start” card would do wonders. For something like Mint and many other distros there’s just “Install this distro only” or “Alongside Windows” if no fancy partitioning needs to be done.
That’s pretty snazzy for a fresh start!
As far as initial hand-holding though, Mint/Cinnamon or KDE are especially friendly for Windows users. With people being used to smartphones now, the repository being an “app store” makes a boatload more sense too.
Those beginner-aimed OSs also have that little “Welcome” window to familiarize users with what to use for office apps, how to get more software, how to update, and where to ask for help.
In my experience, I had to do barely if any support that couldn’t be gained by the user just poking around a bit, and nothing that required any “fixing” under normal use. Two people I helped was in a position at my local library, so being bugged with simple questions was part of the job haha.
But my sister’s experience with Mint was really smooth. She was nervous at first because it was different, but quickly got the hang of things. I don’t get any questions, really. She uses the apps, gets online, plays Steam occasionally, and keeps it updated.
And to be fair, an install of Windows I think is way more intimidating these days LOL. (Had to do that for her, too for a dual boot…it was a huge headache, especially with their “Microsoft account” shenanigans and a million dubious opt-outs.)
Minus really specialized niche software that depends on Windows, I’ve noticed the beauty of these distros are that they can grow with the user, and if the user wants to get more advanced, the OS won’t stop them.
I don’t necessarily think a learning curve is a bad thing as long as it’s a smooth ramp. I think if there’s a learning curve, it means you’re using a tool rather than an appliance. :)
(Example: Mobile OSs tend to be super intuitive…but they’re mostly aimed at consuming content over any other purpose.)