Just install Linux Mint, they’ll never find out.
Don’t actually do this as it is problematic. You should respect there wishes instead of trying to force Linux apron them. They don’t really need to know that Linux exists at all.
The other issue is that you instantly become the sole source of tech support.
I’ve done it to my family and friends over a decade ago.
Free tech support is for foss!
Yeah we are very different. I do IT for a living so I’m not exactly excited to do tech support outside of work.
If it works for everyone i involved that’s great but the problem with Linux is that there are far fewer people who use it which means that suddenly I’m the central point of support. I want something totally hands off for me which means something friends and family know and can help with.
I’ve worked in IT my whole career and if someone wants me yo install Linux on their machine, or has questions about bash scripting, I’m dropping whatever I’m doing to help them.
How else are my friends and family supposed to teach each other it nobody teaches them? Not everyone was as lucky as I was to be encouraged to pursue tech, that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same privacy and options that I benefit from.
I’m down helping once and I often will point people in the right direction
The problem is that help isn’t needed once. It can turn into a full time job very quickly if you don’t draw the line.
Since I’ve installed openSUSE Tumbleweed to everyone about 5 years ago I’ve actually done literally 0 tech support on that front so I’m superbly happy about that.
With Windows (albeit 7) there was always shit going wrong (not to mention XP before that which I basically regularly reinstalled). With various distros (Ubuntu & Debian mostly, but others too) there were frequent fuckeries of various flavours when upgrading.
I’m not totally against Linux. I just think that people here are so evangelical about Linux that they start installing it everywhere even when it isn’t a great fit. People don’t like change and installing Linux on there machine is a great way to piss people off.
Honestly I think iPads are the best for those who want a simple experience. The alternative to that is Android tablets.
People don’t say “install Windows”, they just want their PC to work. And if that PC isn’t for Adobe or kernel-level intrusive anti-cheat money-sucking games, there is no difference (except the spying).
Also the amount of maintenance with Windows after each update isn’t small (software like Shut Up Windows helps with regedits tho).
And most people don’t know what their OS even is.
But no, I’m not giving an iPad to people that want Windows :P.
or something with plasma
As a fresh convert not having my .exes work would be sus. But with MS locking more and more stuff in their app store, we’re not too far from a full-on windows troll distro.
Should mostly work through WINE and Proton?
It will obviously look different, but with binfmt, wine, and a sane initial setup, you could get a lot of .exe works from a click in the UI (or the CLI, after all, CLI apps exists on windows too).
Windows? Not heard of that distro before, sorry.
They must’ve meant Lindows, very common mistake.
Lindows is deprecated. Must’ve meant Wubuntu.
Tough love is the realest love
My 77 year old mother-in-law runs Pop cause of me and loves it.
Good for her
Just make sure you respect the wishes of the people around you. It is not ok to force someone to use Linux because you think its a good idea. You don’t get to take advantage of people to push your own agenda. Windows is going to be ideal for most people simply because it is widely supported.
How is me “forcing” somehow worse than Microsoft actually forcing people to use their ad-pushing, data mining spyware of an operating system? My “agenda” is simplifying an elderly person’s computing experience, protecting her from phishing/scams and allowing her the freedom of not having to worry about one other thing.
Weird take, bud.
Most sane people wouldn’t bring their some brand car to another brand car mechanic and expect service though, unfortunately most people are not that sane when it comes to it.
No linux? No free support from your frienfly neighborhood technician.
Oh Windows? Yeah that’ll cost…
For me personally I’m not supporting anyone if I can avoid it especially users running Linux. I don’t want to have to manage a custom system when I could instead get them either a plain Windows install or better yet an IPad.
Best I can do is 60 year old dad on Mint XFCE on a massive Phenom II x4 955. Salvaged from my first PC build.
Hey of it works for your pop and you keep stuff out of a landfill I say that’s a solid win.
My parents love Bazzite.
Is Pop as good and generally user friendly for those less familiar with Linux? Never heard of Pop before!
PopOS is great, the installation process is like 5minutes, with 4 minutes being the download and boot from USB. From there on you click “next” 5 times and are rebooting into a working system.
To be absolutely honest, I had to do some googling and command line stuff to get my fingerprint reader in the laptop working but that was the only thing that needed any attention. But I never did a Windows install where I didnt have to configure at least 2-3 drivers, so I consider it a draw.
From there one it is the typical stuff: You need one proprietary software? You have to figure it out for hours how to get it to work. You are fine with open source options? Go enjoy a blazing fast ad-free non intrusive non annoying OS. For me the trade of is worth it. Been using Linux since I was 14, if I could do it from my kids room with parents switching of WLAN after 22:00 you can do it too.
Why Bazzite for a non-gaming setup? Or are your parents gamers?
My brother set it up for my parents even though they don’t game. I just think he installed it because it as intuitive as Windows for lay people.
Instead of Bazzite, Aurora or Bluefin great options. They’re from the same people, but more general purpose. I use Aurora dx (developer) and my non technical wife uses Aurora.
There’s a game dev version they’re working on that I’m kinda hyped for.
Shoutout to Medicat toolkit. Takes ventoy to next level.
Meanwhile me with a CD book that has 17 bootable DVDs and CDs plus a separate DVD+RW for more random, less permanent crap and a portable USB DVD drive (the drive is sourced from e-waste and fails to write both DVD+/-RW and CD-RW at 4x, only 2.4x and 10x respectively work).
I like spinny media.
I mean, I also have a Ventoy disk, but I haven’t used it for a looooong time because it’s no fun, but discs are.
I just need a bigger backpack. The WRT54GL is taking up quite some space too.
Much cooler than ventoy, no?
Just be sure you’ve got those backed up. CDR bitrot is real and it can hurt you.
Not to mention iso booting from a disc…just works. Too many times I’ve tried booting various USB images only to have it fail for unknown reasons, the host machine has this weird quirk of not able to boot from a 3.0 port or…idk
Oh boy, you haven’t met some Dell Optiplexes.
That shit, for whatever reason, can’t boot from internal DVD drive. I tried with 2 of them. Both had functional drives, I tried disabling secure boot, enabling legacy boot and some other settings which seemed related, but nothing worked. Then for shits and giggles I tried a USB DVD drive and that worked just fine.
Ya…some devices are seemingly straight hostile for doing this. Combined with Dells insistence on shipping PCs with a wonky “raid” mode for it’s single drive. Just mess. UEFI/secure boot etc…
You have all that up your ass!? ( ; ﾟДﾟ)
I mean, they have a hole in the middle, so if I stack them they let stuff pass.
I- I didn’t think of that…
Disks are fun, lol are you a masochist?
I bet you never heard its cool sound.
brrrrRRRRR PS PS bRRR PS PS, PS PS, zzzzZZZZZMMMMMMMMM
best thing ever
As someone who loves collecting/hoarding things, major jealous.
I have several dvd drives. Pretty sure none of them works. They have been sitting unused too long. At least one has a permanently deformed rubber band, that drives the spinny thing. They dry out with time and sitting still.
I prefer solid state stuff.
Ventoy is completely insane in terms of how it works fwiw: https://discourse.nixos.org/t/custom-nixos-installer-plug-install-play-how-to-achieve-this/61710/13
Thanks for the extra info and thanks for this useful nixos discourse post!
NixOS ftw (I use NixOS btw)
Me with 40$ 1tb external ssd with ventoy be like
I tried that too, it wouldn’t reliably boot on things it should have. I remade it on a mechanical drive, same settings, and that one will boot on anything I’ve thrown it on so far.
I can’t fit an SSD up my ass. :(
Not with that attitude
Don’t threaten me with a good time
Its one of the many trials set by SPACE KING
I’m just going to start pretending I know nothing about computers
A computer? Ahh yes, a person performing mathematical calculations! Likewise. (-)/
That’s a good idea as that’s how you avoid being tech support for family
I just pretend I can’t speak English.
“Sorry I got rid of windows 10 years ago. I can help you install win 7 but nothing newer than that”
Please at least (or, well, at most) make it 8.1…
the only ones i know how to install are vista and 8. sorry
Sorry I’m not tech savvy
“Don’t you work in IT?”
Umm… I’m bad at my job
Solution: install windows for them, but complain and evangelize at every opportunity. You’ll be so insufferable they’ll never ask you again.
Or don’t
Use whatever you want to use. You can always say no to support requests.
I charge a consulting fee. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
Another solution - install Windows 2000, which was the first and the last good Windows distro.
Another solution: install a Linux distro in kiosk mode and make the browser home page https://www.windows93.net/
lolll
I do that every time I have to use windows. But I think my boss does not like that…
I don’t need friends that are Windows users.
I don’t care what they use, be it linux, a BSD, OSX, Plan9… but windows?? that is pathetic!!
Constable Odo treatment.
Thanks for reminding me that the DS9 box set is a high priority on my ripping list
Too bad my usb stick can only store one distro at a time.
Got my parents a new computer for Christmas. I didn’t feel like acting as their 24/7 tech support so I let it with the Windows 11 that it came with. Yesterday they couldn’t get their webcam and microphone to work at all for our weekly family videocall. We ended up having the videocall on Signal. I believe they would face less troubles with Debian at this point.
If you’re incapable of figuring out how to install Windows then you’re probably incapable of most things in life.
Most people would rather go to the store and get a new computer, than go to a webpage and download an iso. They can figure it out. They are just lazy and have little motivation to try it. They also want what they already know, with as little change as possible.
I am not incapable, I just don’t want to.
I think without instructions most people would need help due to not knowing what a partition is. So depending on your interpretation of incapable this seems like a huge exaggeration. The Linux installers with GUIs I’ve seen at least explained how to set them up.
To be fair, Windows wasn’t meant to be installed by the end user that often. It comes preinstalled.
Just saying that it’s brain dead easy to install. You don’t need any technical skill at all.
There are no tricks. Just mouse through a couple of prompts and it’s done.
I’ve installed Linux just as many times as windows and these days Linux is more complicated to set up and install than windows.
Like I get it. Yall have a deep bias for Linux but Jesus Christ can you at least be accurate?
Jesus Christ can you at least be accurate?
Speaking of accuracy, your comment seems to identify the wrong issue. Navigating the install menus in a non-Arch linux distro is pretty much analogous to Windows. The biggest difference is that Linux distros don’t have 3-4 pages where they sneakily try to include privacy-breaching clauses during the installation.
The real issue is starting the installation in the first place. Windows is easy, because hardware manufacturer’s have en masse bent over to willingly present themselves to Microsoft, Linux doesn’t have this advantage and users must figure out how to get around the 7,000 different Secure Boot UEFI configurations before they can even start the installation process.
You are vastly overestimating the technical ability of the average computer user. I don’t even mean that in an elitist/disparaging way, they just don’t care about this stuff because they don’t need to.
It was just as easy to install linux, it came with a graphical installer
I find you still have to fuss with partitions. There isn’t a simple wipe everything and install option. You have to manually select the partitions on the disk, delete them and create a new one which somehow triggers it to create several partitions.
There is an upgrade option.
And then they tell you they don’t want a Microsoft account and you have to look up what’s the current hack to get around that if possible.
That said, I think the Linux install experience is very clear about what it’s going to do.
You had it right until the “create a new one” bit.
You can choose empty space instead of a partition and the setup will create the partitions for you. I mean even if you were to choose a partition, I believe it’ll delete it and create new ones because it needs more than just one partition. So on a clean disk, you can pretty much just hit next at that bit.
Lolwat. Last time I installed windows it literally created 3 partitions exactly when I told it “this clean disk - here ya go”
That’s exactly what I said, it creates its own partitions if you make free space or already have a clean disk. No need to manually make a partition.
Aand why the hell does it do that? And why the hell count is more than one? And while we are at it, what is so deadly and frightening with Linux installer creating a partition?
Windows isn’t hard to install but it does require some computer knowledge
Dude: “Damn… I really want to be able to see the inside of my computer. Why won’t anyone help me install windows to the case?”
118 ISOs, and windows ain’t one