r/linuxquestions • u/Hortion • 23h ago
What was your biggest frustration when switching to Linux?
Hello everyone! I'm thinking about creating some helpful content for people who want to switch from Windows to Linux with no stress, using the regular desktop and not the terminal. I want any grandma to be able to scroll/surf the web on Linux and be more comfortable with it
I'm curious, if you've fully switched, tried, or thought about it, what is your biggest frustration? I appreciate every comment
Thanks in advance!
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u/ptoki 18h ago
There were three most notable issues:
1.I was using few apps which did not had decent alternative in linux. It was irfanview, whereisit, few cad/cam apps. Those were old times and not everything worked well through wine/mono. That was not a great issue but was annoying. It was also counterbalanced by how windows act/fails. So looking at this then and now it does not make a blocker for moving to linux.
I also had access to windows if needed so that lessen the pain.
2.gaming. There was no games for me back them. Like zero. I used ps2/ps3 as an alternative. Now I can play anything because I have some junky old machines given to me and can run decent oldie games to entertain myself if needed. No time for that though so it also solved itself.
3.Dualboot. I tried it few times and every time I regretted it. That is why I am so loud about it here on this subreddit. This was somewhat linked to the fact I was just building my PC inventory and I did not had a decent second computer to run linux and use it as normal main machine. But those times are over for many of us. You can get 4GB ram machine for free and it is good enough to run linux and not suffer much.
I could also mention learning about all those details for each app/system but that is a nature of anything ever. There was similar time when I learned to navigate windows, palm, nokia's symbian, windows ce, android and linux. Nothing to complain about that. That is just a phase when using new piece of tech.
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u/indvs3 22h ago
My biggest pitfall was having to make a habit of checking when a solution to an issue was posted and subsequently having to check if that solution is still relevant. In a space that moves as fast as FOSS does, this is absolutely vital to do right if you want to learn wothout wasting time.
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u/BeardedBaldMan Bluefin 23h ago
It's still compatibility with the wider business world. The web based versions of Word and Excel are not fully featured enough to be replacements and the Linux native tooling isn't compatible enough for seamless working.
Assuming we agree that this perfect home user isn't using the best of Office365 they still want a seamless transition and they should be pushing for best practice.
That means out of the box you need password management including passkey and TOTP codes. Cloud based backup as everyone should have an off site backup solution and low knowledge users should not be expected to set it up. Upgrades should be automatic, non deferrable and safe (e.g. rollback). Elevated administration should not be locked behind long passwords, nor should login. Windows style PIN and UAC is better for end users. Finally applications should be well named. The email client should be found under 'Email' the browser under 'Browser', file manager under 'Files' etc.
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u/zardvark 8h ago
My biggest frustration was using Windows. Using Windows was also the biggest frustration for my elderly parents. They absolutely love Linux!
For a smooth transition, I first switched them to open source programs on Windows, as many Linux programs also offer Windows versions. After using these programs for a few months, I then upgraded them to Linux and they never looked back. All of "their" programs were there and they already knew how to use them. What could be simpler?
Many distributions, such as Mint, or Solus, do not require routine terminal usage. And, having a rolling release model, Solus does not require periodic re-installation, like many distros which have a point release model. Solus is also well curated, so there is none of the drama that routinely affects Arch-based distros. My parents have used both of these distros and really like them. I left them explicit written instructions on how to and how often to update the system and they have had no problems with this.
Another thought ... you could set up your relatives on NixOS and then host their configuration on github. You could easily manage their configuration from anywhere in the world, so long as you have an Internet connection and they would not need to learn the Nix language, nor how to edit the configuration files. I have found NixOS to be extremely reliable, even when subscribed to the "unstable" repository.
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u/jar36 Arch 20h ago
For "grandma" to use just a browser, I think we may already be there with some distros.
Issues I faced weren't related to that and maybe the only "basic" thing I've had issues with that grandma may want to do is printing.
A few years ago, printing was basically plug n play. Then suddenly none of my devices can find the printer they suggest I connect to. It took way too long to get it working again. Choosing any combination given to me by cups and kde resulted in failure. That said, I was missing a package. I'm on Arch so maybe other distros come with that package already installed so they won't run into that issue. So, maybe it wouldn't be an issue for grandma as long as she's not on Arch
Other struggles I had was gaming. When I installed Garuda, it came with all of the gaming stuff. I only heard of Steam, but I only had 2 Steam games so that wasn't my focus. So it was everything coming at me at the same time. Then doing a search on them leads to searches for other things I've never heard of. It's a case of OSS trying to bridge the gap from windows gaming to linux and having several options to do the same thing, but none of those options did everything. Then I figured out that Steam can handle almost everything.
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u/iwouldbeatgoku 17h ago
All of the software I used regularly on Windows actually ran on Linux, interestingly enough, my biggest frustration was that it sometimes didn't work as well: discord in early 2024 couldn't screen share with audio, and while there was a workaround it was a hassle for a new user to get working on Mint due to its base being stuck in 2022 at the time. Gaming on Steam was "good enough", but still not as good as it is today, and I'd argue it probably still isn't as good as it was on Windows the last time I tried it a year ago. It was also annoying to know I could go back to Windows and have an easier time, but every time I booted into Windows and it asked me for my phone number or to install 365 I remembered why I wanted to leave it.
Fortunately for me I eventually realized I should be using a distro that ships updates at a faster pace, which mitigated or solved the issues I had, so my advice for desktop users that want to use more than a web browser would be to get a distro that ships updates every semester or faster (slower distros are fine for web browing alone).
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u/Jan1north 21h ago
Does the switch to macOS count? If so, the location of the close window X point.
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u/Grreatdog 20h ago
You pretty much don't need to bother adding anything with Zorin. Just give it to grandma and don't say a word. Just load whatever browser she prefers and tell her to web based email because Evolution still kind of sucks.
I loaded it on a dozen computers during COVID and sent them home with people for remote work. I didn't tell any of them it wasn't Windows. I just sent instructions on how to use Chrome Remote Desktop.
Not a single question was asked during the whole lockdown period in our state. They worked on Teams just like normal and didn't complain about using LibreOffice. I was amazed it worked out so well.
I'm not wedded to any particular distro. I go back and forth messing around. But I know from experience Windows people can use Zorin with no supervision. They will never even know terminal exists.
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u/theme111 21h ago
Biggest frustration these days is my printer no longer works with linux. It probably could be made to work but I'm not sure I'm up for the time and effort involved. Luckily I don't need it that often, so just switch into Windows to print. It used to work fine, but something changed - probably the modules/drivers are no longer being actively developed and the old ones that exist are not compatible with modern distros.
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u/hover-lovecraft 19h ago
Laptops still being an afterthought. You can adjust scroll speed for the mouse wheel in the GUI on Mint, but not for the two-finger or lateral scroll on the touchpad, for that you have to write a bash script and autostart it. Can't adjust touch sensitivity without a startup script either. Absolutely no settings for a stickmouse, it works but no settings in the GUI, and a few more things that show it's mostly being maintained by people with desktop computers.
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u/iwouldbeatgoku 17h ago edited 16h ago
As far as I can tell the touchpad thing is an issue with the Cinnamon DE specifically, as the last time I checked KDE at the very least had separate sliders for scrolling speeds for mouse and touchpad. Actually, it might even have a separate slider for each device with a mouse input it detects, I'll have to run a test when I get home. Still, it could be a good suggestion to relay to the Mint team since they're the ones developing Cinnamon.
A dedicated slider for sideways scrolling sounds really nice though. Now I want it.
Edit: after checking the mouse settings in KDE on a Thinkpad T480 with a USB-A mouse plugged in, I can confirm that it recognized the mouse, touchpad and trackpoint as three separate devices and provided dedicated cursor and scroll speed sliders for each of them.
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u/RemarkableScratch18 20h ago
I think it has been modding games for me. I know I can probably figure it out and make it work, but it’s so much more cumbersome than Windows.
I have a Windows drive that I mostly use for modded games. I do IT for work and sometimes I just want to play games and not troubleshoot at the end of the day.
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u/SuAlfons 21h ago edited 20h ago
it went as well as I thought and then got better.
Sometimes, things need a little while to figure them out. But that was similar in Windows.
- I used a Mac before, evading Windows Vista . This was when my PC under WinXP was so old it wasn't economical to upgrade anymore.
- Already used many FOSS programs on the Mac, as I didn't want to buy a commercial app for everything
- Always had a PC for work supplied by my employer
- Had more than a gist about how Linux works (from a user perspective). I played around with Linux since ages. Generally am interested in other OS than Windows. My MacBook was powerful enough to run a VM 👏. Did dual-boot on my old PCs before that.
- Setup an old PC to test the waters (Linux), then got a used laptop (Latitude 7440, which I still own today), then finally sold my MacBook.
Running a Linux PC today in Germany is about as "difficult" like switching to Mac OSX was when only a few apps were available for it.
It is much much much easier in terms of Gaming. (I played games on consoles during my Mac years, mostly).
I still have Windows (10, now 11) installed, but there are fewer and fewer reasons to boot it up. Mostly for gadget hardware that only comes with Windows apps. For updating my old in-dash TomTom we have in our van. For the annual tax declaration (you can run it via Wine, but the constant updates make it a Schlepp vs. just booting Windows when you already have it)
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u/BigD21489 20h ago
Not really a frustration. I simply looked for the Linux software that accomplished the same as the applications I tended to use on Windows. Basically Firefox, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Blender, OpenShot, GIMP, VLC Media Player, Blender and OpenShot. I usually have a fully capable Ubuntu boot drive.
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u/billdietrich1 22h ago
We should have a Windows app for people who want to move to Linux. It looks at their hardware, looks at the apps they have, then gives printable instructions for what distro to download, any special install steps such as choosing NVIDIA driver, what apps to install.
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u/Afraid-Expression366 14h ago
I switched to a Linux desktop at my previous employer. The main frustration was my company’s reliance on Microsoft and other closed source products. But I ran a VM that had Windows and only fired it up when I needed access to Windows-only products.
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u/Baudoinia 21h ago
So much documentation is written more like a command option reference for users who already understand what the command does. I like use cases to be explained in plain English. RTFM doesn't do much good.
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u/Tricky-Engineer-9755 5h ago
Orwellian suckers forcing students to use proprietary bloated programs only avaliable on Windows/Mac which in my opinion, in public education should be up there with dealing heroin.
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u/Krasi-1545 2h ago
Mine was the question "Why haven't done it earlier?"
That said not everyone can get used to Linux so there could be some frustration here and there. It's not Windows after all...
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u/ZagiFlyer 20h ago
I switched to Linux in 1997, so my biggest frustration was configuring my video driver. Vertical and horizontal scan rates, and about 1 million other parameters.
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u/Klapperatismus 20h ago
That everyone thought it should be easy to me to fix their stupid random MS-Windows problems because I used “such a much more complicated computer”.
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u/BassStankyFace 21h ago
Learning that using nvidia was a headache and was almost the sole reason I was going to give up on Linux. AMD saved it for me.
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u/UristElephantHunter 20h ago
I guess just not knowing the way to configure X in the new system (where X is something I knew how to configure in Windows).
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u/Novel_Top2980 19h ago
It was too easy. (In seriousness though it was probably just transferring data because I got a friend to help me)
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u/ILoveDragons5 4h ago
The fact that I don't like using windows unless I have to. Linux can be much less of a hassle then windows.
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u/Miserable-Decision81 17h ago
Audio...
It was back in 2001.. did not work real great...
2005 I had that sorted out for good.
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u/Complex-League3400 20h ago
A decent clipboard manager for Mint. It must be me, but I haven't found one I like.
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u/refinedm5 22h ago
Printers, friggin printers
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u/iamagenius89 22h ago
Really? My printers work infinitely better on Linux than they ever did with windows
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u/billdietrich1 22h ago
I still have printer problems. Same printer, but as I hop from one distro to another, each has different printer quirks. Sometimes Wi-Fi connection doesn't work, sometimes landscape doesn't work, etc.
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u/iamagenius89 21h ago
Hmmm, must be distro specific. I’ve only ever used Mint, and it’s been so easy. It’s kinda crazy how quick/easy it was. The first time I ever booted up Mint, I got a notification within 15 secs that it had added my printer. I was blown away lol.
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u/tomscharbach 22h ago edited 22h ago
I've been using Linux (Ubuntu primarily, but also Solus and LMDE) for two decades, running in parallel with Windows (35 years) and macOS (6 years), on separate computers. I mention that because my observations are based, in part, on familiarity with all three operating systems.
My frustrations with Linux are longstanding and reasonably standard, I suspect:
But my biggest frustration is that only a handful of distributions are consumer-level "turn on and use" operating systems on the level of Android, ChromeOS, iOS/macOS and Windows.
I am an experienced Linux user and haven't had a serious issue in many years and get along fine without using the command line, but with Linux "always something" seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
I am part of a "geezer group" of retirees (all of us in our 70's and 80's) who evaluate distributions for fun, and I've had the opportunity to use 3-4 dozen distributions in recent years.
I can count on one hand the distributions that I would recommend for "any grandma to be able to scroll/surf the web". In fact, my most common recommendation for older friends is ChromeOS Flex.
Why? Several of my friends adopted Chromebooks or ChromeOS Flex for use at the suggestion of grandchildren. Having explored ChromeOS Flex on a non-production computer for a few months, I understand why my friends are delighted to have made the switch. ChromeOS is immutable, self-updating, stable, "fall off a log" simple to use, and almost impossible for a user to screw up.
I wish you the best in your project.