alo

I don't know how many of you know this already.

In the past, when people bought a computer, they also bought Windows, then many of them bought Microsoft office, and antivirus software, and maybe some other programs.

Microsoft is changing how it does things. Instead of selling Windows, in the future, people will lease Windows. They will need to pay a regular subscription. Those who don't pay, will find that certain things wont work, forcing them to pay.

There is actually better operating systems available, and they are free. That is Linux.

With many people stuck at home, now is a good time to learn Linux.

There are many different Linux distributions available. A good one which is easy for new users is Linux Mint. Those who have no idea about this, could start with the Mate version. These can be downloaded for free.

There are large numbers of tutorials on the internet about how to do anything in Linux.

Back up all of your important files, so you don't lose them.

Then install and learn something which will save you money with every computer you will own in the future. There is a learning curve, but it is not difficult. After using Linux for a while, you will never look back.

Seattle Forrest

Anybody who already has Windows which is just about everybody with a PC, can keep using it.

But it's definitely a good time to learn Linux. In some ways, the command prompt is very powerful. It's a good skill to have (proficiency in Linux) and can help you land a job in a place that uses it. It's also behind almost every server on the web.

AreeSoothsayer

I have been thinking about linux, but I am a gamer and there's no garuntee the games I play will be supported. So I plan to wait and see. Although I do have Ubuntu installer already prepped in case of "Oh noooo" from microsoft.

wgscott

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to use unix/linux.

zsh is by far the best shell I have used.



Linux distributions like Ubuntu are so advanced now you most likely would never need to access the command-line, but that sort of misses the point; the great thing about linux is that you can.

clemsongirl 

wgscott

My favorite unix platform. (But the post-Jobs propensity to lock everything down is getting uglier.)

Seattle Forrest

i worked for a small telecoms for a couple years, writing software to analyze call volume which they'd use to rebalance capacity and set rates. All of the workstations were Windows, but we used a Unix server to get the data from the switches (with a bash script?). Then we'd pull it into the Microsoft stack.

A friend of mine works at the Center for Disease Modeling, mostly funded by the Gates Foundation. They mostly use Python although many technologies are in play. Because they get so much use out of open source languages, they wound up with a lot of Linux workstations, they find it more convenient to use the tools that grew up with those languages. And they like not paying for OS licenses.

​​​​​ I'm focused on now is a good time to learn *nix for job reasons because of the skyrocketing unemployment. You don't have to be a programmer to use it, just being able to find your way around makes you more valuable for all kinds of jobs. And that's only going to to get more important. It's hard to make money selling an OS when there's a very good one for free. Microsoft's long term plan for Windows is ultimately to let it die while they concentrate on Office and other things.

Hondo Gravel

I’m proficient at Windows 97 .

alo

Is that something you know from a reliable source?

wgscott

He is a reliable source.

Seattle Forrest

I work at Microsoft writing code for a product your IT admin at work uses.

njkayaker

Is this the year of the Linux desktop?

Clearly, MS is diversifying but that doesn't mean MS is going to let Windows die anytime soon.

tyrion

The hot, in-demand skill now is COBOL programming.

wgscott

Is anyone using the Windows subsystem for Linux feature?

https://www.windowscentral.com/insta...nux-windows-10

I'm almost tempted to get a windows computer to try this.

Seattle Forrest

Python. You can develop in Python on any system, but Peele don't seem to want to.

njkayaker

What do you use normally?

I use Windows heavily and Linux heavily but not the Windows Linux subsystem.

Seattle Forrest

Definitely not this year or next.

Seattle Forrest

I've never used this, curious to hear if anyone in here does.

Shimagnolo

I don't know if that was joking, or referring to this news article from a couple days ago: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/busin...rnd/index.html

Hondo Gravel

I tried to learn computer programming and I failed miserably I guess I started trying to learn it too late.

Rollfast

You don't have to learn much, that's why Mint exists. One thing you will find I think is that other than for surfing the web, Windows has much better apps. It's more of a toy to me. I thought WINE was supposed to help me run Windows apps but it's not really for that.

After 30 years I just update the Linux PC in case I need it. I have 5 Windows 10 PCs.

no motor?

Darn, I took Fortran instead during undergrad.

tyrion

Both. They do need COBOL programmers to patch up these overloaded systems, but I don't think COBOL would be an in-demand skill beyond this short term need.

Rollfast

PS Windows 10 is still free once you have it. If you rely on Office I feel for you. The OS is not going to a subscription, period. I don't know where these conclusions come from but do you see me spending money on PCs I got for free or next to nothing?

I'd rather buy AV gear and bike parts, or food.

Rollfast

The government is still running in the 1960s computerwise.