Posted on 12/19/2018 4:28:57 AM PST by ShadowAce
Back in 2016, I took down the shingle for my technology coaching business. Permanently. Or so I thought.
Over the last 10 months, a handful of friends and acquaintances have pulled me back into that realm. How? With their desire to dump That Other Operating System™ and move to Linux.
This has been an interesting experience, in no small part because most of the people aren't at all technical. They know how to use a computer to do what they need to do. Beyond that, they're not interested in delving deeper. That said, they were (and are) attracted to Linux for a number of reasons—probably because I constantly prattle on about it.
While bringing them to the Linux side of the computing world, I learned a few things about helping non-techies move to Linux. If someone asks you to help them make the jump to Linux, these eight tips can help you.
Linux is great. It's not perfect, though. It can be perplexing and sometimes frustrating for new users. It's best to prepare the person you're helping with a short pep talk.
What should you talk about? Briefly explain what Linux is and how it differs from other operating systems. Explain what you can and can't do with it. Let them know some of the pain points they might encounter when using Linux daily.
If you take a bit of time to ease them into Linux and open source, the switch won't be as jarring.
It's easy to fall into what I call the power user fallacy: the idea that everyone uses technology the same way you do. That's rarely, if ever, the case.
This isn't about you. It's not about your needs or how you use a computer. It's about the person you're helping's needs and intentions. Their needs, especially if they're not particularly technical, will be different from yours.
It doesn't matter if Ubuntu or Elementary or Manjaro aren't your distros of choice. It doesn't matter if you turn your nose up at window managers like GNOME, KDE, or Pantheon in favor of i3 or Ratpoison. The person you're helping might think otherwise.
Put your needs and prejudices aside and help them find the right Linux distribution for them. Find out what they use their computer for and tailor your recommendations for a distribution or three based on that.
And not everyone wants to be. Everyone I've helped move to Linux in the last 10 months has no interest in compiling kernels or code nor in editing and tweaking configuration files. Most of them will never crack open a terminal window. I don't expect them to be interested in doing any of that in the future, either.
Guess what? There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe they won't get the most out of Linux (whatever that means) by not embracing their inner geeks. Not everyone will want to take on challenges of, say, installing and configuring Slackware or Arch. They need something that will work out of the box.
In an ideal world, we'd all have tricked-out, high-powered laptops or desktops with everything maxed out. Sadly, that world doesn't exist.
That probably includes the person you're helping move to Linux. They may have slightly (maybe more than slightly) older hardware that they're comfortable with and that works for them. Hardware that they might not be able to afford to upgrade or replace.
Also, remember that not everyone needs a system for heavy-duty development or gaming or audio and video production. They just need a computer for browsing the web, editing photos, running personal productivity software, and the like.
One person I recently helped adopt Linux had an Acer Aspire 1 laptop with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD. That helped inform my recommendations, which revolved around a few lightweight Linux distributions.
The DistroWatch database contains close to 900 Linux distributions. You should be able to find three to five Linux distributions to recommend. Make a short list of the distributions you think would be a good fit for them. Also, point them to reviews so they can get other perspectives on those distributions.
When it comes time to take those Linux distributions for a spin, don't just hand someone a bunch of flash drives and walk away. You might be surprised to learn that most people have never run a live Linux distribution or installed an operating system. Any operating system. Beyond plugging the flash drives in, they probably won't know what to do.
Instead, show them how to create bootable flash drives and set up their computer's BIOS to start from those drives. Then, let them spend some time running the distros off the flash drives. That will give them a rudimentary feel for the distros and their window managers' quirks.
Running a live session with a flash drive tells someone only so much. They need to work with a Linux distribution for a couple or three weeks to really form an opinion of it and to understand its quirks and strengths.
There's a myth that Linux is difficult to install. That might have been true back in the mid-1990s, but today most Linux distributions are easy to install. You follow a few graphical prompts and let the software do the rest.
For someone who's never installed any operating system, installing Linux can be a bit daunting. They might not know what to choose when, say, they're asked which filesystem to use or whether or not to encrypt their hard disk.
Guide them through at least one installation. While you should let them do most of the work, be there to answer questions.
As I mentioned a paragraph or two ago, using a Linux distribution for two weeks gives someone ample time to regularly interact with it and see if it can be their daily driver. It often works out. Sometimes, though, it doesn't.
Remember the person with the Acer Aspire 1 laptop? She thought Xubuntu was the right distribution for her. After a few weeks of working with it, that wasn't the case. There wasn't a technical reason—Xubuntu ran smoothly on her laptop. It was just a matter of feel. Instead, she switched back to the first distro she test drove: MX Linux. She's been happily using MX ever since.
You can't always be there to be the guiding hand. Or to be the mechanic or plumber who can fix any problems the person encounters. You have a life, too.
Once they've settled on a Linux distribution, explain that you'll offer a helping hand for two or three weeks. After that, they're on their own. Don't completely abandon them. Be around to help with big problems, but let them know they'll have to learn to do things for themselves.
Introduce them to websites that can help them solve their problems. Point them to useful articles and books. Doing that will help make them more confident and competent users of Linux—and of computers and technology in general.
Helping someone move to Linux from another, more familiar operating system can be a challenge—a challenge for them and for you. If you take it slowly and follow the advice in this article, you can make the process smoother.
Linux, isn’t that Lucy’s brother - the kid who always has his blanket?
May I be added to the tech ping list, please?
The main point is missing: WHY should I move to Linux?
I’m not being contrarian. I’m being serious. Most non-techies honestly wonder why anyone thinks they should do it.
And a second one: “Will it change the way I use all of my microsoft office software?”
And a third one: What about all my other windows based software? Will this make using it easier, or will it make it more complicated?
If you are going to sell someone a new car, or stereo, or toaster, you have to first show them why they want to make the change from what they already have.
You’ve been added. Welcome Aboard!
This isn’t bad, but it’s still too techie. There is no way I’m going to teach people to make their own bootable flash drives as part of moving them to Linux unless it comes up in conversation as in, “Hey! How do you do that?” Otherwise, my goal in moving non-techies over to Linux is so they can surf the web and use Libre Office to write a letter or work with a spreadsheet on a system they cannot afford to replace or something I have lying about.
On a different subject, my keyboard no work.
have you tried using voice to text on your phone?
Yes--no more subscription fees for Office 365. Download the packages and just use it--including all your past documents and current ones. My co-workers don't see any differences between my documents/e-mail than anyone else.
And a third one: What about all my other windows based software? Will this make using it easier, or will it make it more complicated?
That depends on which software you are talking about. The answer is very specific to the application.
I’m eventually switching everything to Apple products.
I like to use technology, not diagnose technology.
See post #11, points 1,2,5
U mean ce11 phone? Don’t own one.
I still use Office 97 and it is free.
There, fixed it. I've been using Unix of one form or another since the late 1980s (work). I've been running Linux at home and at work for the last 14 years. Yet a few weeks back, the SSD in my home system started acting up (nearing end of life). I should mention that the SSD is used for the OS, and /home is mounted on a regular spinning drive... Simple swap for a new SSD and re-install, right?
Wrong. The same distro I've been using on my personal laptop and desktop, the one I've installed probably 6 or 8 times fooling around with it... Decided it didn't want to see the new SSD as a boot device. No amount of jacking around on the command line, nor fooling with GParted could make it do a simple install of bootable / on the SSD, and /home on the spinner...
I finally had to just do a "fresh" install of Linux onto the SSD - ignoring the spinning drive entirely. I felt stupid using all the beginner defaults... Then I went in and manually edited /etc/fstab to mount the spinner as /home.
I'm still a borederline Linux fanboy, but I will be the first to admit sometimes I just don't get it...
I really dislike the idea of allowing some company to alter my computing systems at will, without any idea of what they are doing, and why.
ShadowAce gave a pretty good list of the advantages.
| Versions | Pages | Percent | Hits | Percent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | 8,172 | 44.9 % | 8,629 | 45 % | ||
 |
Windows XP | 1,324 | 7.2 % | 1,334 | 6.9 % |   |
 |
Windows Phone | 21 | 0.1 % | 21 | 0.1 % | |
 |
Windows NT | 39 | 0.2 % | 39 | 0.2 % | |
 |
Windows ME | 5 | 0 % | 5 | 0 % | |
 |
Windows Vista (LongHorn) | 82 | 0.4 % | 86 | 0.4 % | |
 |
Windows Mobile | 6 | 0 % | 6 | 0 % | |
 |
Windows 98 | 6 | 0 % | 6 | 0 % | |
 |
Windows 95 | 2 | 0 % | 2 | 0 % | |
 |
Windows 8.1 | 140 | 0.7 % | 156 | 0.8 % | |
 |
Windows 8 | 67 | 0.3 % | 72 | 0.3 % | |
 |
Windows 7 | 5,326 | 29.3 % | 5,471 | 28.5 % | |
 |
Windows 2003 | 30 | 0.1 % | 30 | 0.1 % | |
 |
Windows 2000 | 30 | 0.1 % | 31 | 0.1 % | |
 |
Windows 10 | 1,094 | 6 % | 1,370 | 7.1 % | |
| BSD | 12 | 0 % | 12 | 0 % | ||
 |
OpenBSD | 11 | 0 % | 11 | 0 % | |
 |
FreeBSD | 1 | 0 % | 1 | 0 % | |
| Linux | 2,846 | 15.6 % | 2,979 | 15.5 % | ||
 |
Ubuntu | 9 | 0 % | 10 | 0 % | |
 |
Centos | 1 | 0 % | 1 | 0 % | |
 |
Google Android | 1,852 | 10.1 % | 1,978 | 10.3 % | |
 |
GNU Linux (Unknown or unspecified distribution) | 984 | 5.4 % | 990 | 5.1 % | |
| Macintosh | 1,539 | 8.4 % | 1,623 | 8.4 % | ||
 |
Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks | 11 | 0 % | 15 | 0 % | |
 |
Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion | 1 | 0 % | 5 | 0 % | |
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Mac OS X 10.7 Lion | 7 | 0 % | 7 | 0 % | |
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Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard | 13 | 0 % | 16 | 0 % | |
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Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard | 1 | 0 % | 1 | 0 % | |
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Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger | 1 | 0 % | 1 | 0 % | |
 |
Mac OS X 10.12 Sierra | 119 | 0.6 % | 133 | 0.6 % | |
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Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan | 112 | 0.6 % | 117 | 0.6 % | |
 |
Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite | 149 | 0.8 % | 160 | 0.8 % | |
 |
Mac OS X others | 1,124 | 6.1 % | 1,167 | 6 % | |
 |
Mac OS | 1 | 0 % | 1 | 0 % | |
| iOS | 2,178 | 11.9 % | 2,394 | 12.4 % | ||
 |
iOS (iPhone) | 1,968 | 10.8 % | 2,149 | 11.2 % | |
 |
iOS (iPad) | 210 | 1.1 % | 245 | 1.2 % | |
| Others | 3,419 | 18.8 % | 3,519 | 18.3 % | ||
 |
Unknown | 3,222 | 17.7 % | 3,289 | 17.1 % | |
 |
Unknown Unix system | 159 | 0.8 % | 192 | 1 % | |
 |
Sony PlayStation | 19 | 0.1 % | 19 | 0 % | |
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BlackBerry | 7 | 0 % | 7 | 0 % | |
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Nintendo Wii | 6 | 0 % | 6 | 0 % | |
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Java Mobile | 6 | 0 % | 6 | 0 % | |
I use both.
Linux for work, in embedded systems and for embedded systems. I do not try to do powerpoint, excel, word, email, web.
Windoze for when I do try to do powerpoint, excel, word, email, web.
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