Why moving to Linux to avoid Microsoft spying is impossible for most people

I think we collectively should become more knowledgeable about windows alternatives which is linux by default. Minimizing surveillance by surgically dissecting windows and having an idea of what you're doing requires a lot of meticulous work, no more work than learning linux. I think it's a cop-out to say it's too hard. We deserve no less than to use free as in "not the windows kind of" free software in conjunction with windows using both at the right time. Is rebooting really that much of a dealbreaker? A hardware problem? We have the same problems in windows. And it's harder to fix because you don't know how because you haven't put in the time to learn. Look, we need, I need my, privacy. A paradigm shift has just occurred and we're responsible for making things better. I happen to be typing this in linux but I could just as easily be in Windows 10. I can pick either one right now just by rebooting. I'm not a genius and it ain't that f***ing hard. Help yourself. Help ourselves. We are the people who will define what the internet will be like in 10 years. The more people start taking their internet security seriously now, the sooner we know what to do and what not to do. You don't have to be paranoid to be aware of what's going on.

 

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Unix/Linux is the DIY tool kit for computer enthusiast's. It's not meant to be for "mr joe" it take's a lot of configuring and self diagnostic's for everything you do.

 

I feel you have a mix being stated here. There are different mindsets indeed but for people having full control over every step of the OS. It is possible for Windows users to have full control over the OS but hellaciously difficult to accomplish. Linux is more of an extension o the mindset of the do-it yourselfer where you just do everything from scratch. However to do everything from scratch is rather pointless because it implies your reinventing something. When in fact the work has already been done by the linux community most of the time. I find that from the perspective of the average joe (though I cringe using the word because no one in the same) they want to be able to do work without taking the time to learn. I'm more of a mix I need Microsoft Office for School use but I also have a large knowledge of how Windows works. You can have both its just in a tiny percentage that such things occur.

 

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My Linux distro of choice is Mint 17.2 Rafaela. I currently have it installed on two desktops and two netbooks. On those machines it does very well. I had it installed on my main (home business) computer and its mirrow for a couple of weeks but went back to Windows 7 on both for the following reasons:

I've used TurboTax since 1997 and there is no acceptable (to me) Linux alternative. After the last tax season and TT's online fiasco I'll never use the online process.

I cannot get Netflix streaming to work in Mint.

LibreOffice is not 100% compatible with Microsoft Office.

Assorted little annoyances I find intolerable in my operation.

Wine and other emulators are marginal at best. Wine just doesn't seem to like versions after office 2003.

Mint boots very, very slowly. Too slow for anything other than a play machine.

Games I like are not available in any Linux format.

Help is pretty much non existent. Getting help on a Linux forum is NOTHING like getting help here. Unless you already have a certain set of basic Linux skills, you're often ignored if not ridiculed.

There is still way too much "programming" required, i.e. the use of Terminal commands is still an integral part of daily operation.

I'm sure there will be those who say my comments are typical noob comments and I just need to spend more time with Linux. I don't have time for that beyond a simple surf and email situation. I've heard a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into and Linux is a hole in your life you throw time into. I've done the boat thing; I have no intention in doing the Linux thing when I've been with Windows since the 3.1 days. As is the usual case, even with Linux, your mileage may vary.

 

@zahnoo: You're right. Linux has it's uses. And it has its' place. I am using Linux Mint Raphaela, and it's installed alongside Windows 7.
It does boot slowly. But it works for what I need it to do.

I like having the best of both worlds. I'm learning, and I'm having fun.

@MysTikAL3, odie, et.al.: The Privacy thread has been reopened by Ancestor(V) and Yen. It is now in the Serious Discussion forum.

I look forward to seeing all of You over there.

 

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And You can always watch Netflix under Windows.

 

If you use Chrome, Netflix works wonderfully on Linux.

 

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@vebuntu: That's hilarious.

 

xD indeed and also i am not bashing on arch users too,arch distro is very good and you're fully control on your OS but it's some people think they are superior while using arch and anyone using Ubuntu or Opensuse or any other mainstream distro are just noobs

 

@vebuntu: I have seen -exactly- what You're talking about, in both Windows and Linux forums. It's wrong to treat people with disrespect, but I wouldn't allow it to stop Me from accomplishing My goals.

 

"It is that we are like GOD in that we help those who help themselves."
Oh geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I think I see the problem.

 

I personally use arch... It isn't too hard to install. If I needed an installer to get linux working I would use Manjaro... Which is arch with an installer and some gui package management tools. The first distro that I used was gentoo. They are so like the arch portrayed in the comic above. Gentoo is truly a power user's distro and the only downfall that I found in it was the need to compile EVERYTHING! That was a massive waste of time. Ubuntu is very much a noob distro although some powerusers are using it now just because it is so quick and easy to setup.

If you want to learn linux I would recommend gentoo or slackware or LFS, If you just want to be up and running quickly and easily I would recommend Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, or Fedora, but if you want the best of both worlds I would recommend arch.

 

Are just people who want to eat some wursts w/o asking whats inside.

Install an arch distro takes less than one hour of your time. Just read and try to understand the incredibly well written how to.

Be sure, that's I'ts your time better spent since you got your first IT device.

If you install an ubuntu and yuo limit yourself to click a button like any dumb iphone user, you can do it in 10 minutes, but are 10 minutes wasted. Just use windows then.

 

Nvidia has packages for Solaris, Linux, Free BSD, as everyone posts maybe you can post which you think has the best performance for gaming after your post.