this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Why not? Windows is an utter shit. Migrating masses isn’t that complicated as it seems. I forced a friend to install Fedora, basically refusing to help him with Windows. I wasn’t even lying to him, I have no idea how to deal with Windows, haven’t used it for like fifteen years or more. He did a lot of unnecessary things, like selling his laptop, buying a new one, selling it, buying another one, facing some similar issues. I kept telling him ‘just fucking just Fedora and see if it’ll work better with your issue’ (he had some weird sleep issues). Turned out Fedora was flawless for him. And his favourite game — Dota 2 — works even better.
Now, he said he would probably just use Linux, if he’d manage to understand some basics. I think he will. He’s not in tech, a handyman, or like that. He can do basic computer stuff, but no more than that. He says it’s like operating a tablet. (I suggested him Atomic Fedora Silverblue.)
I can see Apple getting huge market share, thanks to its new MacBook Neo. Linux is similar, as I keep telling people that it’s very similar to macOS, but cheaper. That very friend said he’d probably buy a Neo to himself, as he doesn’t need more compute power for his needs. But I don’t see him buying anything more powerful than Mac mini. I keep selling him Linux, telling that for his needs (basically light browsing and very light Steam gaming), any similar mini computer with Fedora is plenty.
I see him proposing Linux to his close ones. At least his close circle of computer illiterate people, like mom, wife, brother, and so on. So, one relatively skilled person can help convert many others. He’s capable of installing (but not maintaining) Linux, but if it’s good enough out of the box, he can install it for others too. When he needs help, I happily help him. A GPT makes it trivial for me to combine a quick simple tutorial for him. He could ask a GPT himself, but it’s not as safe as with me, since I understand very well whether the bot is hallucinating or not. So, me alone, I can help migrate many people. Me, I migrated from macOS, I think that adds to the story either.
Nice!
Also I love me some fedora, I run bluefin myself.
My friends likewise contact me with computer problems, usually I help them, Windows stuff I still know well enough.
One guy though, he's been getting more savvy over time. So when he asked me about Windows ten EOL, I was honest with him. I gave him options. I told him about LTSC, and about forcing win11 to run on "older" hardware. And about Linux. And I explained the risks and challenges of each.
I didn't want to force him because I worried that if he didn't choose it, then when it got hard, he would blame me.
Since it was his secondary computer, and it only runs web, text docs, and Minecraft.. He chose to learn Linux. So far he's only ran into a couple issues, one of which was his display not scaling correctly because the default and available resolutions were too high. And when set to the correct resolution, things didn't fit on the screen.
Well it was only half Linux' fault, while it shouldn't have given him 4k options when he didn't have the ability to use it, he shouldn't have been using a 720p TV as a monitor. We had a chuckle, and he found a better monitor with a modern resolution, and he's been happy for months now. No questions asked to me, either it's working or he's solving his own problems.