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September 15th, 2009

What would it take for you to switch to Linux?

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 1:04 pm

Categories: Questions

Tags: Operating System, Microsoft Office, Linux, Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Open Source, Software, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Interesting question via email in today’s mailbag:

“What would it take for you to switch to Linux?”

I do use Linux, but I have to admit that Windows is my default OS. I do 90% of my work on Windows, and a good 75% of that work revolves around Windows. If I’m doing something web related (browsing, email, Twittering, IMing …) then I’m pretty platform agnostic and can switch between Windows, Linux, Mac, iPhone OS, Symbian or whatever pretty easily. Keeping all my passwords and such synced between different platforms is a pain, but it’s manageable.

I also enjoy gaming, and as good as Wine is at allowing Windows apps to run on Linux, gaming is not a strong point. That’s a roadblock to Linux adoption at the PC Doc HQ. While some readers seem to think that I’m more biased towards one OS or another, I’m not really … I’ve got better things to do with my day that to become a cheerleader for one corporation or another. A free OS is compelling, but a free pair of shoes that don’t fit are no good.

Then there’s Outlook. I’m pretty indifferent to most of Microsoft’s Office suite and could switch to OpenOffice quite easily, but my I’m hooked on Outlook and use this to keep track of my working day. One worry about switching to OpenOffice would be document compatibility, so in some way using Office is the least hassle route since those I work with all use Office.

Bottom line, to switch fully over to Linux can only happen for me if the majority of the world does …

So, what would it take for you to switch operating systems? Would you swap, or are you happy with your current OS.

Adrian Kingsley-HughesAdrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations

Want to get in touch? Got a tip? Feel free to drop me a note! I ALWAYS respect anonymity. I'm also on Twitter (@the_pc_doc)

Right to Reply: Should any industry representatives wish to comment on any posts on Hardware 2.0, I will be happy to publish their reply verbatim on this blog.

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PDF Factory and Wine
It doesn't work yet, but thanks to your
problem report, it's getting some attention;
see http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20060... (Read the rest)
Posted by: dank@... Posted on: 10/23/09 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Secret Service Protection  jackbond | 09/15/09
We've got a lock on mr. bond  Viva la crank dodo | 09/15/09
I Was Thinking of Sending In Special Agent Teddy Ruxpin, Myself  drprodny | 09/16/09
I would sick tux on them.  bendib | 09/22/09
Do what?!  jeremychappell | 09/15/09
Spyware functionality  jackbond | 09/16/09
BS Alert  Dr_Zinj | 09/17/09
Uh...  alkanshel | 09/17/09
And of course...  djchandler | 09/17/09
No,  20kwfence | 09/17/09
I'm beginning to suspect...  djchandler | 09/18/09
I can delete jackbond's post, if you like.  bendib | 09/22/09
Thanks, 20kwfench, I needed some humor. (not sarcasm.)  bendib | 09/22/09
I want that laptop  jackfred | 09/21/09
Did you take your medicine?  bendib | 09/22/09
I could take your answer as "I will never switch",  GuidingLight | 09/15/09
Was a good attempt at sarcasm - NT  tripolitan | 09/16/09
Secret Service Protection  jackfred | 09/21/09
WHat the HELL are you rambling about???  bendib | 09/22/09
You would just have to have a critical mass using Linux to make it  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
What else is there????  Confused by religion | 09/15/09
Then Linux is in really big trouble cause the critical mass ain't happening  transposeIT | 09/16/09
Lock-in is due to something - money.  DevGuy_z | 09/16/09
I'm about the same as Adrian  brble | 09/15/09
Well, as I have never used anything but Gimp, I would not want to switch to  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
Right, that's your situation.  brble | 09/15/09
That makes little sense  GuidingLight | 09/15/09
I assume he meant...  brble | 09/15/09
Well, even OpenOffice will eventually go away. OpenOffice is a great  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
It is just that as the office suite as we know it fades into obscurity,  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
What a Great Comment!  jvin248 | 09/15/09
Export to PDF  crazydanr@... | 09/16/09
Print to PDF  dszimmer | 09/16/09
Photoshop??  tonymcs@... | 09/15/09
OO.org has some great features  shis-ka-bob | 09/16/09
Hate to burst your bubble...  UsernameRequired | 09/17/09
You must be an amateur...  djchandler | 09/18/09
Printing  daniero | 09/17/09
Kontact/Evolution  Michael Kelly | 09/15/09
Indeed - Kontact is great.  CounterEthicsCommissioner-23034636492738337469105860790963 | 09/15/09
My problem with Evolution....  storm14k | 09/15/09
Evolution still has a quirk or two...  djchandler | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  MarkWB | 09/15/09
Not necessarily  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
Your Linux vs Windows blogs are the ones that make you all the money, so,  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
How much money do ZDNet journalists make?  HypnoToad72 | 09/15/09
I'd need to see something worth switching for  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/15/09
What is the Linux killer app anyway? (nt)  People | 09/15/09
I'd say Linux itself (nt)  storm14k | 09/15/09
That's weak. (nt)  People | 09/15/09
Not if you actually use it (nt)  storm14k | 09/16/09
Yes  Tim Patterson | 09/16/09
Tim is right  Ole Man | 09/16/09
So what am I?  People | 09/16/09
actually wrong...  Peter Perry | 09/16/09
You don't have to look at Linux  Ole Man | 09/16/09
Freedom (nt)  djchandler | 09/15/09
Amazon EC2, Google AppEngine & related cloud services  shis-ka-bob | 09/16/09
Java?  de-void | 09/17/09
Virtuoso  Yagotta B. Kidding | 09/16/09
Exactly  Tim Patterson | 09/16/09
This is an age old question  MLHACK | 09/15/09
Still, as the percentage of time using Windows Desktop apps goes to zero,  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
It has nothing to do with "cool"  GuidingLight | 09/15/09
Yes, businesses are often the last to catch the wave. But, Windows gets  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
Business users  NewGuy#1 | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  jeremychappell | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  bradhart | 09/15/09
Yes, the driver problems are going away. Actually, in many cases, things  DonnieBoy | 09/15/09
Not that I am questioning you  Michael Kelly | 09/15/09
I can't speak for him...  brble | 09/15/09
Any model info?  storm14k | 09/15/09
I think these were the ones I tried  brble | 09/15/09
Got an iPhone?  People | 09/15/09
I don't have one  Michael Kelly | 09/15/09
So you're tied down to the G1  People | 09/15/09
Only I'm not  Michael Kelly | 09/16/09
Why would he be tied down to the G1?  storm14k | 09/16/09
Toys  Tim Patterson | 09/16/09
Condescending  People | 09/16/09
A reason  IT_User | 09/15/09
No licensing cost  Michael Kelly | 09/15/09
Yeah, but  IT_User | 09/15/09
End-of-Life and Upgrade costs  oldbaritone | 09/18/09
Ah, Something for Nothing  brendan@... | 09/17/09
It would take me  NStalnecker | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  themarty | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  shollomon | 09/15/09
And if you want Google Earth to work  People | 09/15/09
Within the context of this blog, consumers  People | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  n0neXn0ne | 09/15/09
What would it take?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?...  The Rifleman | 09/15/09
Ten million bucks and 72 virgins  Userama | 09/15/09
you better specify gender wink  bobiroc | 09/15/09
Female, s'il vous pla?t :-P  Userama | 09/15/09
Yeah ...  Adrian Kingsley-HughesZDNet Moderator | 09/15/09
You got that right, Adrian!  Userama | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  enedene | 09/15/09
No, free software is not the same as giving blood for free  Userama | 09/15/09
It's not quite as black and white as you think...  UsernameRequired | 09/15/09
Free software - from a developer's perspective  SpikeyMike | 09/16/09
Wow!  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
Where did I say any of these things?  enedene | 09/16/09
Hate is a strong word  NStalnecker | 09/15/09
Agreed...  UsernameRequired | 09/15/09
What enedene may have been talking about...  djchandler | 09/15/09
I agree  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
Everything except games  alkanshel | 09/17/09
Actually I think it's the Linux fanatics that do the most damage...  ye | 09/15/09
What names have you been called, ye?  djchandler | 09/15/09
Support and non-support forums like this one.  ye | 09/16/09
Bit like some of the Microsoft fanbois...  UsernameRequired | 09/16/09
There are a few.  ye | 09/16/09
Good comeback  UsernameRequired | 09/17/09
It's the underdog thing  brendan@... | 09/17/09
What percentage justifies a gross generalization?  djchandler | 09/18/09
Ever read posts by Linux zealots and Slashdot freaks...  transposeIT | 09/16/09
Obverse side of that Question  duclod | 09/15/09
I made the switch - at a cost though  CounterEthicsCommissioner-23034636492738337469105860790963 | 09/15/09
My cost was higher...  HypnoToad72 | 09/15/09
Yeah Vista was my 'final burn' too.  CounterEthicsCommissioner-23034636492738337469105860790963 | 09/15/09
PDF Factory and Wine  dank@... | 10/23/09
Whatever happened to the Mini?  ye | 09/15/09
It's actually hard at work ...  Adrian Kingsley-HughesZDNet Moderator | 09/15/09
Thanks for the update.  ye | 09/16/09
It didn't take much for me at all.  storm14k | 09/15/09
You found it...  ye | 09/15/09
How did I ignore it...  storm14k | 09/16/09
You ignored them by...ignoring them.  ye | 09/16/09
You have to be a package reader at Best Buy  djchandler | 09/18/09
Two things have to happen...  James T. Kirk | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  Loverock Davidson | 09/15/09
Ok Lovie - I'll bite....  JT82 | 09/15/09
Yeah...  crazydanr@... | 09/16/09
ARe you sure  Viva la crank dodo | 09/16/09
Your mom runs a copmputer with a  goff256 | 09/17/09
He he he..  dszimmer | 09/16/09
It may be  Viva la crank dodo | 09/16/09
its not that much of a fairy tale  doh123 | 09/16/09
That's true.  goff256 | 09/17/09
Using it right now...  eMJayy | 09/15/09
Flight Simulation  SpikeyMike | 09/16/09
A prefrontal lobotomy  tonymcs@... | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  PlayFair | 09/15/09
Well for me the OS is just part of the equation.  James Quinn | 09/15/09
What would it take?  frgough | 09/15/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  NCWeber | 09/15/09
Being given a Windows machine.  devlin_X | 09/15/09
WGA annoyances did it for me  MariusSilverwolf | 09/15/09
It didn't take much...  mrdt | 09/15/09
Proprietary software using open standards.  djchandler | 09/15/09
Why do people keep telling stories?  PlayFair | 09/15/09
Linux now = Windows 3.1 . . . .Linux needs to be = to Window XP  John238 | 09/15/09
Only XP?  NStalnecker | 09/16/09
Actually its closer to Windows 2000  JT82 | 09/16/09
Short list  SpikeyMike | 09/16/09
This is just a comment, not a flame.  LazLong | 09/16/09
Linux may be beyond Win 3.1 but only in small ways.  John238 | 09/16/09
Never heard of a live CD?  LazLong | 09/16/09
Try the latest Ubuntu with Wubi  djchandler | 09/17/09
Think about what you just said...  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  chaz.broam@... | 09/16/09
If they pay me, that is..I can wipe the disk later and install Windows...  transposeIT | 09/16/09
2010 is the year of Linux...This time is really it....nt  transposeIT | 09/16/09
When they handle professional level applications  LWEM | 09/16/09
More evangelizing and trolling.  Lester Young | 09/16/09
My List  CelticBrewer | 09/16/09
This.  alkanshel | 09/16/09
Interesting.  dchase@... | 09/16/09
It's possible that my experience may be somewhat dated  alkanshel | 09/16/09
I'd recommend a new check.  dchase@... | 09/17/09
Thanks for the reasonable reply  alkanshel | 09/17/09
You nailed it.  Lester Young | 09/16/09
Launchpad sets Ubuntu apart  djchandler | 09/17/09
But that's not what people are claiming  alkanshel | 09/17/09
why to you have to switch? nothing wrong with a heterogeneous home network  ~doolittle~ | 09/16/09
Linux and Windows can play well together,  djchandler | 09/17/09
Switching made based on user's role  BlueCollarGeek | 09/16/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  m_gonyea@... | 09/16/09
Windows is big business.  DevGuy_z | 09/16/09
Thats a false assertion  JT82 | 09/16/09
Already did.  dchase@... | 09/16/09
Here's why I still use Windows  MVNet | 09/16/09
Taking a stab at it...  SpikeyMike | 09/16/09
Just one point  alkanshel | 09/16/09
Dealing with attachments.  SpikeyMike | 09/16/09
I see...  alkanshel | 09/16/09
Boilerplate  SpikeyMike | 09/17/09
RE: Taking a stab at it...  MVNet | 09/16/09
#2  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
Your link doesn't support your point.  Lester Young | 09/16/09
And what does your "hero" have to say about it?  Ole Man | 09/17/09
What you would call 'odd requirements'  JasonJD48 | 09/16/09
Switched Recently This may be the solution to your troubles  C.D.R. | 09/16/09
I never quite understood that approach  alkanshel | 09/16/09
RE: Switched Recently This may be the solution to your troubles  MVNet | 09/16/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  Kromaethius | 09/16/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  alkanshel | 09/16/09
For most people, the answer is...  jasonp@... | 09/16/09
I do 99% on Linux both at home and at work...  xunil skcor | 09/16/09
I doubt it.  alkanshel | 09/16/09
Really?  aep528 | 09/16/09
A word for the wise  Ole Man | 09/16/09
Truth?  Lester Young | 09/16/09
The joke is on you!  Ole Man | 09/16/09
Facts VS Opinions  JasonJD48 | 09/16/09
True! Existing facts are established  Ole Man | 09/17/09
Old wise saying, "You get what you pay for"  transposeIT | 09/17/09
New wiser saying..........  Ole Man | 09/17/09
Linux is more secure by design ... compared to what?  de-void | 09/17/09
Vista security  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
PEBKAC  alkanshel | 09/17/09
So the kids were blindly clicking UAC prompts?  Lester Young | 09/19/09
WindowsMe  shaunehunter | 09/16/09
What would it take to Switch?  nucrash | 09/16/09
Not likely  Asiafish | 09/16/09
I'm a Cheap Date - How About iTunes?  drprodny | 09/16/09
You may not have long to wait  Ole Man | 09/16/09
Synaptic failure  NCWeber | 09/17/09
Yeah, something like Windows, eh?  Ole Man | 09/17/09
Why switch when what I use now just works?  Confused by religion | 09/16/09
Depends on what you do...  Larsix | 09/16/09
Why Even Discusss This?  jpr75_z | 09/16/09
Why Even Discusss This?  Ole Man | 09/16/09
Not to mention...  NCWeber | 09/17/09
Switching to Linux: A Windows developer's view  LazLong | 09/16/09
Easy, a major revolution in Quality & Functionality and consumer acceptance  Aussie_Troll | 09/16/09
For more & more not any more......  LazLong | 09/16/09
I already have switched...Ubuntu  root12 | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  honesttrade | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  honesttrade | 09/17/09
"I'm going Ubuntu"  Ric_NYC | 09/17/09
Linux Gaming  NCWeber | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  Eddie Wilson | 09/17/09
Well thank you  NStalnecker | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  smithrq@... | 09/17/09
Dubious at best...  TucsonGuy | 09/17/09
Office and other software  smithrq@... | 09/18/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  gilgib1@... | 09/17/09
I have, almost  olddogv | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  mrlinux | 09/17/09
Linux reminds me of DOS ~ Flame on!!!!!  Dragon_z | 09/17/09
the good old days - I did prefer my DESQview/QEMM setup over Win3.1...  ~doolittle~ | 09/17/09
Not meant as a flame. But like FF reference?  LazLong | 09/17/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  ryanstrassburg | 09/17/09
I'm running 64-bit Ubuntu Jaunty  mhenriday | 09/17/09
Here is my List for me to switch  dorkiedorkfromdorktown | 09/17/09
Vista prompted me to switch  LeonBA | 09/17/09
Why I did switch - Then switch back.  Aussie_Troll | 09/17/09
Eh?  goff256 | 09/17/09
To show you how ignorant that sounds  Wintel BSOD | 09/20/09
BS excuses....  shadfurman | 09/17/09
Your car isn't ready for you either......  Ole Man | 09/17/09
Or Some people  Aussie_Troll | 09/17/09
Wouldn't do them much good if they did want to  Ole Man | 09/19/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  gdltek1 | 09/18/09
Get ready for a week without Windows...  awasson@... | 09/18/09
It's not software.  8007342 | 09/20/09
Takes a level of understanding beyond some users  General Ludd | 09/21/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  rhabkirk@... | 09/21/09
RE: What would it take for you to switch to Linux?  General Ludd | 09/21/09
Consistency  jfgeschmidtt | 09/21/09
Only viable gaming OS is Windows  EvilBean | 09/22/09
I have used linux for four years, and...  bendib | 09/22/09
GAMES are needed!!!  NZJester | 09/27/09
Linux is worth the long run  apexwm | 10/05/09
High end capable Photo & Video editing  Siwik | 10/12/09

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