I need to vent about Windows. I want workplaces to use Linux.
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what makes their office software so much better than, say, libreoffice? i don't work an office job, and haven't had the misfortune of running windows since i dropped windows 7, but when i did switch, the programs seemed basically the same. office software seemed like a solved problem by then. what new features has microsoft added and convinced people they need that foss options don't have?
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When basic tasks like changing the scaling, setting a default power profile, or a default audio device, or just installing software doesn't require use of the terminal, call me back.
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One place I worked at just gave people Linux computers without telling them and disabled the boot image. The job was mostly online Salesforce, so Chrome got them through everything. Imaging was a breeze. We even made it kinda look like windows. No one really commented on it.
Linux works when people stop thinking of it as "Linux". Its "Android" or "Steam OS" or "My smart TV" etc.... All you need to do is rename it and suddenly they are ok with it.
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Okay, give me a number and I'll call you now.
You can do all that with KDE without using the terminal.
But, I won't talk about software because even distributions have their own way to install them without terminal and there is flatpak from a corporate perspective you dont want users to install software on their own.
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Come work at Meta, we have Fedora Linux laptops
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funny how with sooooo many updates, Windows are still very vulnerable. You buy a Windows PC, you better equip Antivirus software too; it is like bread and butter. On Linux and also Mac, you never need to worry about these things.
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No thanks
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Okay mr "I love Linux but clearly have not used it in 15 years"
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Good question. I wish I had a better answer than what I'm about to say.
It just is.
I'm a diehard anti-Windows, Linux-lovin', FOSS crusader myself, but if Microsoft released a copy of MS Office for Linux (as a one-time-purchase), I would buy it today.
For most tasks, you're right, there's not much you can't do in LibreOffice. But the interface is clunkier. Excel makes it easier to make good-looking spreadsheets. And as much as it hurts me to say, looks matter when dealing with nontechnical folks.
Plus there are some things that are just more intuitive in Excel, like certain kinds of charts and graphs. There are some advanced features of Excel that don't even exist in LibreOffice. Like chart styles and certain team collaboration features.
Compatibility is... okay... For the most part, but having it all guaranteed by a bunch of paid devs would be really nice.
There is a more detailed list here
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Why would someone work on hacking Linux when it's 2% of the market share?
Also, this is just false....
On Linux and also Mac, you never need to worry about these things.
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In using it right now. And have been for several years.
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This. I have a mobile workstation with a 12th gen i7, 32gb RAM, and NVME SSD and it's not uncommon to be welcome multiple minutes for boot due to all the pre-installed spyware from IT. It takes up half the RAM at all times and severely limits the performance for many non-whitelisted apps to the point I can't even run Firefox smoothly on it anymore.
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You can do all that with KDE without using the terminal.
No, you can't.
there is flatpak
Sometimes there is. Many times there is not.
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I actually would really prefer for companies to just provide us virtual machines and I can connect to vpn and then to the work hosts. This way I can use my own setup.
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Yeah, I’d never seen it used in this way either. They use it mostly to modify config files, which gives you a lot of control over most things on a Linux box. We also use it for Macs to do things like create a standardized local administrator account (since Apple doesn’t have a LAPS equivalent). It’s a pretty tangled web but we have an old-school Linux admin who keeps it all ticking (we just worry about his ticker!).
Good luck!
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To strengthen our collective security, which is shared among all who care to see- While Microsoft rarely deigns to even give an error code when shit breaks.
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They are extremely integrated into the rest of the ecosystem and are insanely pervasive among 9-5 desk jockies. They aren't gonna relearn a spreadsheet software especially when it doesn't have all the same features as the thing they have been using for 20 years. Not to mention they dont actually give a shit about how much their company is paying for it. The majority of these people dont know what FOSS is and are just using computers because that's what pays their rent.
Libre office is very far from being a drop in replacement for 365 and will most definitely never replace it. At the end of the day its all about userbase. Why do people still use twitter and Instagram even though there are FOSS alternatives that may be even better? Because that's what everyone else uses and most people just dont care.
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Sounds like you have a bad battery
