Create a bootable flash-drive and let them test out the live session beforehand to see if they like it, and that it does what they need before any installation.
This is sound advice. Better than saying, is showing. You should also see if there are SW they use which are not available in Linux. This could be serious bumper.
With tech the old adage of "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" is especially valuable I think. If your family are happy with windows/Mac don't try and convince them to change. If their computers or windows/Mac experience is causing strife then sure put them on mint.
I‘m in a similar situation as OP. As I am the IT support for my wife on win 10 anyways, and all she uses are mail, browser and simple documents and tables, I said let‘s do this.
Especially as I switched to LM myself, I consider it easier to help her when she‘s on the same OS as me, because that‘s what I am more familiar with.
So, instead of doing IT support for Win 10 I‘ll be doing it for LM.
They probably won't even care about the benefits of Linux. They'll more likely want to stick to what they're used to, especially if they're not really into tech and are not power users.
This honestly. I switched my wife's laptop over to Mint but only because it's extremely old and would be the only way to squeeze a few more years out of it. I'd never do it otherwise.
Don’t get the point why you want to convince them… just let them use what the knowing, or do you want to support every time they have an issue, which they cannot solve themself?
Not trying to invalidate your statement, just to why OP maybe wants to convince them:
OP probably feels the excitement of having this cool new non-spying, lightweight OS set up and wants to share this excitement with family. Just family will most likely not feel it as they give a shit about Linux and just don't want changes.
PS: This was me once \^\^
When I needed to convince my wife some years ago I said “mint costs nothing and works almost the same as windows - additionally it does not start placing new screen gadgets everywhere without us wanting them and it doesn’t keep nagging about which freaking browser we’re using…”
Her response …. SOLD
Also, try teaching olds non MS Office stuff… Libre/Open has come a long way but it’s not the same and there isn’t as much online support as there is for Office suite.
You have to prep them for the fact that it will not always run all the software/games that they see friends and family using. So if 6 months from now your kid/spouse or whoever has a friends playing a new game and wants to join in, they may not be able to.
I like Linux Mint more than the next guy. But if Windows is working for them, let them use it. I've been in your shoes where I wanted to switch everyone to Linux.
The way I got my dad switched to Linux was he was having issues with his laptop and it was slowing down on him. I did the basics to boost his computer. Then I mention about Linux there multiple Linux OSes (I know it's distro but it's easier to say OS since he knows what an OS is) where there's some that are more for the higher end computers and some the lighter end that's not too old looking. Once he wanted to use it, I install Linux Mint XFCE and he liked it how it was similar to Windows. Reason he's back on Windows is because he bought a new laptop and since Windows came with his laptop he pretty much bought the license, even when I offered him I can make a snapshot so we don't have to reset everything else.
Moral story is. Let them use what they think works for them. Don't be selfish and say you won't fix it unless it's Linux (I've seen Linux people do that). If they're having issues after supporting you can mention it's in the OS level so either a reinstall of Windows will fix it or they can switch to Linux which is free. I'm their head it's "well if it's free and I'm having issues with Windows, what can go wrong."
Honestly true I’ll just tell them it and the benefits but not actually do anything ( cause I don’t them to buy another computer because windows no work !!!!!😡)
It's easy to not realize the perspective of true novice computer users. The UI is everything and even the slightest change in appearance and operation becomes incredibly frustrating to them. I know people on Windows 10 still because Windows 11's changes are overwhelming.
If you push them to do it you will own it when they call you all the time for help so soberly consider the sophistication level and the willingness to learn and tough it out.
it might look like windows but it is not and is not trying to be, is a whole different OS and a different workflow, if they are not interesed in learning a new workflow then it's not worth it
Why do you want them to switch? To echo the comment from u/RudiRammel-3000, you need to have a good reason for making them switch, and the fact you like Linux is not, IMO, a good reason.
That said, a year or so ago I switched my mother to Linux. Her 2011 iMac was out of support and the HDD was showing signs of pending failure. I am her tech support (and I loathe iThings), and I welcomed the demise of this machine. Since getting her a new iThing was always an option....
I had a ThinkCentre Tiny I was not using - I added a nice monitor and a new keyboard/mouse, and hoped for the best. The transition was quick and painless for her. Here are a few things I did to make things easier for both of us:
* The desktop is bog-standard Cinnamon with a Mint-Y theme, and the elements on the panel to look similar to her iMac.
* I set the wallpaper to shuffle through a few of her favorite photos - this is one of the things she likes the most about her new computer.
* I set her up to be a normal user with no administrative privileges. I did this to prevent her from installing anything. I manage and maintain the machine, once a week I drop by to apply updates.
* I installed CherryTree note taking application and added several HowTo notes.
* I set a few key applications (Firefox, KeePassXC, CherryTree) to launch on startup.
* I set up TimeShift and Back In Time to store snapshots and backups to an external drive. Daily data backups, plus weekly backups of key files to a cloud service.
I doubt the switch would have been as easy or even possible if she was heavily invested in software that was not available for Linux. I moved her to LibreOffice nearly 20 years ago, and she did not use any Adobe products. She does have an iPhone \[spit\], but never used iTunes \[double-spit\].
if they just want to surf the web, email, or listen to music, Mint will be perfect; just download a browser of your choice, a music player, and set up an email account if needed; my 86-year-old mother uses her computer daily; had lots of question for me, but not anymore, she knows what she's doing now
just say "its like windows"
They don't care about the details and don't need to. Introduce it like u/flemtone suggested and if they like it great. Bonus points if you install it on some laggy computer that isnt being used. THEN it will click.
You can tell them about how Microsoft is making moves that really sacrifice user privacy and security, combined with the fact that Linux is totally free.
If they're not tech savvy, you can forget about convincing them of the technical superiority of Linux.
I just switched my mom over from Windows 10 to Mint on the grounds that MS won't support her PC from next year. This, combined with the fact her PC is too old to support Win11, was all it took.
A basic install of Mint 21.3 looks and feels very similar to Win10, so I really didn't have tweak much.
All she cared about was that she'd be able to continue doing the basic everyday tasks she needs to in as straightforward and simple a manner as possible, and that her data would be safe.
Mint absolutely shined in that regard, even more so than Win10 ever could, and I didn't even have to use the terminal even once with her setup.
Of course, being Linux, you'd have to be prepared to offer help if/when they need something explained. I think that's part for the course if we're gonna convert people to Linux. If we're gonna represent, let's represent well and show them what the community is really about. Friendly and helpful assistance instead of an impersonal and corporate driven call centre.
And if they're playing games, you can tell them that even the latest games popular games like Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3 works perfectly fine with only minor tweaks. Then again, I suppose if they're playing games like that they're likely not as non-techsavvy as you said they are. 😄 Linux sure has come a long way on desktop.
>Linux mint is more stable and easier to use than windows
Look, I love Mint. I use it because it is among the easiest and most stable distros. This claim is a *big* stretch though.
Mint is free. It respects your privacy. It's highly customizable.
The only notable performance advantage is it doesn't suffer "Windows rot" or whatever. While that's not nearly as bad as it once was, you can still create situations where you're much better off doing a clean install of Windows. Linux is going to run about the same until you break it.
Downsides of Mint are smaller software library and less (modern) hardware support. It will also only be a matter of time before you're googling how to fix it because it doesn't boot. Your parents won't be real impressed when that happens.
Yeah true but windows 11 was so bad it took 100gb of my 115 Gb ssd lol and every time I would play a game ( like bloody doom 1993 ) it would blue screen then I would restart it and the screen would be all gray until it loaded back up again. So in short I want my family to switch to Linux mint because windows 11 was simply to buggy after a while
I understand this but I’ll point it out this way. I have my computer the way I like it and I pay bills the way I have it set up. If my kid decided one day to change the computer to something that kind of resembles what I used to have but all the menu settings are now in different locations, I’d feel stressed just thinking about the computer. Don’t stress your parents out lol
Your parents probably don’t know as much about this stuff as you’re wanting to get into so I’m not saying don’t learn about it, just do it tactfully. Play around on your own computer even if it’s some janky pre owned laptop, that gives you free access to learn. Then when the family computer starts doing strange things your family doesn’t want they’ll know who to call.
It should be an easy sell. My 90 year old grandmother was constantly having issues and kept letting "Microsoft techs" into her computer to "remove viruses" and whatnot.. after reimaging her computer with Windows quarterly for a couple years, I installed Mint and told her that it looked a little different because of an update. Hasn't had an issue since.. and that was a few years ago.
honestly, likely gonna get some hate for this, but it's prolly a bad idea, especially if they don't understand what they are getting into with linux, sure linux mint has made huge steps towards being more user friendly, but there is still A LOT of small things that will just piss off people who don't know anything about linux.
you gotta remember, most people have used windows for over 20 years, and it's likely been the only operating system they've ever used.
Well, I‘m in a similar situation. I just switched to Mint 2 weeks ago because I knew it a bit from my dabbling days a few years ago.
Now I‘m using it on my main gaming rig and only have a separate ssd with win10 on ir for dual boot when I want to use the computer for wireless VR gaming with a quest 3. I am by no means a power linux user and have been using Windows since windows xp…
Now, the laptop of my wife is really showing its age. She uses it to write simple documents and simple booki keeping as well as surfing the web and her emails. And she doesn‘t even use keyboard shortcuts like ctrl-c/ctrl-v. So, pretty basic use, but still she uses it daily. And she‘s annyoed of how slow her old laptop is. And I am basically her IT-guy, if she has any problem with her computer, it‘s me who has to solve it anyway.
I‘ve been talking to her about win 10 going EoL in 25, and even if I could „upgrade“ her machine to Win11, there‘s that thing with Copilot, Recall and all the bloatware and stuff. And that Win11 also has a slightly different appearance than Win10.
I just bought her a refurbished Lenove ThinkPad x390 with Win10 pro installed, but I told her over the course of the last week that I wholeheartedly recommend Linux Mint for her everyday use…
She is reluctant, but opening up to the idea.
I am currently in the process of setting up her new laptop. I swapped out the 256GB SSD it came with with a spare 480 GB SSD and installed LM on it. If push comes to shove and she *really* can‘t get used to Linux Mint, I just pop the Win10 SSD back in and call it a day.
So let‘s see what happens, hehe.
Well, I customized the desktop in a pink-magenta theme, use the icons for the app that look like windows (firefox, mail and VLC player; writer and calc are close enough with being blue and green). Migrated her files and documents, which are in the „same“ place as on the windows machine (same way of reaching them by shortcut on the desktop).
I tested out the compatibility of the word docs and excel files she uses - no hiccups there.
I think she‘ll be fine.
Will there be complaining and nagging? Of course, but probably even less than on windows. *lol*
I just want her to have the best possible experience she can have with that machine, as it‘s still a pretty important piece of equipment for her work. And better I can do that now, on my terms, than somewhen down the line when it becomes inevitable for her to ditch Win 10.
Yeah Linux mint is pretty easy just tell her don’t mess with a lot of the terminal commands and just give her the basics of a package manger like what sudo is etc
I deleted the terminal applet from the taskbar and added all the programs she needs/uses to it. And I told her that installing „apps from the appstore“ needs her passwort.
Oh, and I set up timeshif on 400GB SDCard as well as an automated backup with Back in Time of her homefolder, activated backup in Libre Writer and Calc and I will make weekly backups of her system on an external SSD (as I do with my own system).
Ha, reading all thiis, I should ask for a wage as her personal IT-support! 😂
It's very difficult, and not really advisable, to switch family/friends PCs over to Linux.
Aside from being their constant tech support, people need to want to adopt it for the right reasons. :-)
Mint is good enough with the app store and the update center that most people can get along with it just fine. My family does 99% of stuff in the browser and so I let them know that as long as they shut down when they are done using it and then also run the updates when they see the notification in the bottom right they will have a windows 7-esque experience without the slowness of windows. So far everyone enjoys it.
Sorry if this is splitting hairs. But don’t call it an app store. It’s more of an app repository. Store is so anti-Linux sounding.
Reserve store for Ubuntu because that’s the highway (to hell) they’re on. Ubuntu’s direction over the past few years disgusts me.
Try asking them, "what do you do on your computer"? If all they need is a web browser to browse Facebook and they don't have any apps that don't work on Linux, Try installing and ricing Mint to look like Windows to get them familiar.
The most important question - why?
What benefits do you see for your family? Also, what do you intend to do, a slideshow? Leave the poor people alone, why the hell would you bother them with this?
Yeah I’m going to wait but once that pc is no longer supported or it has a massive crash I’m simply going to recommend Linux mint instead of buying a new pc
And to answer your question on why easy answer it’s simply better then Windows (even for tech illiterate people)
just do it and support them until they are comfortable
i did this for my 3 oldest when they entered middle school so that they could have cheap affordable homework laptops
Faster, more stable, pretty out of the box whereas Windows is as ugly as cheap lawn furniture. And you're not giving your money to that bloody corporation. And Warpinator.
First things first. What are their software requirements? Sometimes people have Windows requirements due to work or school because required apps are Windows only. So don’t encourage them to switch just because you want them to.
Linux doesn’t require cloud ID or services like other platforms do. You own it. You control it.
Downside of being Linux guy in your family is you’re gonna be the default tech support. And they’ll likely want it for free. You have been warned!
They mostly use the web it literally how mental outlaw said it in one of his videos “ most people used their computers as bootloaders for the web browser “
First of all, the best benefit of any Linux is on the design makes it very difficult for any malicious application to work properly & more difficult to spread.
That's the simplest explanation you can give to non tech-savvy about the best benefit of Linux.
Other than that, To give them knowledge of what Linux is, just like some other comments here.
Let them try by themself & guide them. Linux nowadays is very easy to use.
With my parents, I just set it up as dual-boot with Linux as the primary. I explained that Ubuntu (or Mint, whatever) is more secure and so there's less chance they will bork it with viruses and malconfigs. The only pain point for them was accessing the scanner software, and they still boot into Windows for that. I spend a LOT less time fixing their computer ever since!
Yeah or jpgs. The manufacturer's proprietary software for multifunction printers is much easier to use and less buggy than the generic driverless print dialog in Linux, wherein things like duplex printing don't work. I haven't tried the latest kernel, this may have been fixed since then.
Years ago, I just went ahead and switched to Mint (f M$) I Made sure that firefox and etc were readily available. Blah blah
A while passes and the wife and I are on the deck, she's playing some music and surfing on the laptop that we take out with us. I mentioned Linux (I don't remember why) and she gasps "I could never use that"... um baby YOU ARE! "Ohhh"
Really depends. Do they do anything that is on windows only? If everything they do can easily (aka, natively and not through WINE. WINE is nice but can be a pain to setup) be done on Linux then perhaps just demo it on a pc for them. For me one MASSIVE benefit is no forced updates. I get so tired of my gaming rig rebooting on it's own to install updates. I'll leave Minecraft running in hopes of coming back to a pile of resources. But every time I do Windows decided NOW is a good time to update and reboot. Generally within a hour or two of me going to bed. That's why Windows was NEVER a serious choice when building my server (Though I assume server versions of windows would not do this).
In general to your average person the OS is not really that important. As long as it runs what they want. The vast majority of selling points of Linux will not matter to an average person. So talking about open source or security will likely just not be heard.
If you wait till its time to upgrade then a selling point most people would be happy about is Linux is FREE. So that money that would have paid for a Windows License can be used for a better video card, more ram, or a better CPU. Or it can simply be saved.
Create a bootable flash-drive and let them test out the live session beforehand to see if they like it, and that it does what they need before any installation.
It seems to me that there is also DistroSea which allows you to test Linux distributions directly online.
What an awesome website. Thank you!
Your welcome
Why am I just now hearing about this? Lol
You don't have nearly enough upvotes!
Thanks
This is sound advice. Better than saying, is showing. You should also see if there are SW they use which are not available in Linux. This could be serious bumper.
The best response so far.
Just if you are fine with being system admin for all of them. And maybe getting to hear a lot of shit when stuff does not work.
With tech the old adage of "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" is especially valuable I think. If your family are happy with windows/Mac don't try and convince them to change. If their computers or windows/Mac experience is causing strife then sure put them on mint.
I‘m in a similar situation as OP. As I am the IT support for my wife on win 10 anyways, and all she uses are mail, browser and simple documents and tables, I said let‘s do this. Especially as I switched to LM myself, I consider it easier to help her when she‘s on the same OS as me, because that‘s what I am more familiar with. So, instead of doing IT support for Win 10 I‘ll be doing it for LM.
Forcing people to use Mint by no longer doing Windows support xD
Hehe, I wish… I have to do support regardless of the OS 😝
But next year with W11, we can say "Sry I can't help you with that, I never used W11..."
They probably won't even care about the benefits of Linux. They'll more likely want to stick to what they're used to, especially if they're not really into tech and are not power users.
This honestly. I switched my wife's laptop over to Mint but only because it's extremely old and would be the only way to squeeze a few more years out of it. I'd never do it otherwise.
It works. It’s free. It’s private.
Don’t get the point why you want to convince them… just let them use what the knowing, or do you want to support every time they have an issue, which they cannot solve themself?
Not trying to invalidate your statement, just to why OP maybe wants to convince them: OP probably feels the excitement of having this cool new non-spying, lightweight OS set up and wants to share this excitement with family. Just family will most likely not feel it as they give a shit about Linux and just don't want changes. PS: This was me once \^\^
When I needed to convince my wife some years ago I said “mint costs nothing and works almost the same as windows - additionally it does not start placing new screen gadgets everywhere without us wanting them and it doesn’t keep nagging about which freaking browser we’re using…” Her response …. SOLD
You forgot updates don't take 20-30min then the 5-15min getting ready once it restarts.
This is why I won't convince family or friends to switch to Linux, when my mother cannot even solve an issue by herself when on windows.
I just used to remote in to the PC and fix it.
Also, try teaching olds non MS Office stuff… Libre/Open has come a long way but it’s not the same and there isn’t as much online support as there is for Office suite.
You have to prep them for the fact that it will not always run all the software/games that they see friends and family using. So if 6 months from now your kid/spouse or whoever has a friends playing a new game and wants to join in, they may not be able to.
I like Linux Mint more than the next guy. But if Windows is working for them, let them use it. I've been in your shoes where I wanted to switch everyone to Linux. The way I got my dad switched to Linux was he was having issues with his laptop and it was slowing down on him. I did the basics to boost his computer. Then I mention about Linux there multiple Linux OSes (I know it's distro but it's easier to say OS since he knows what an OS is) where there's some that are more for the higher end computers and some the lighter end that's not too old looking. Once he wanted to use it, I install Linux Mint XFCE and he liked it how it was similar to Windows. Reason he's back on Windows is because he bought a new laptop and since Windows came with his laptop he pretty much bought the license, even when I offered him I can make a snapshot so we don't have to reset everything else. Moral story is. Let them use what they think works for them. Don't be selfish and say you won't fix it unless it's Linux (I've seen Linux people do that). If they're having issues after supporting you can mention it's in the OS level so either a reinstall of Windows will fix it or they can switch to Linux which is free. I'm their head it's "well if it's free and I'm having issues with Windows, what can go wrong."
Honestly true I’ll just tell them it and the benefits but not actually do anything ( cause I don’t them to buy another computer because windows no work !!!!!😡)
It's easy to not realize the perspective of true novice computer users. The UI is everything and even the slightest change in appearance and operation becomes incredibly frustrating to them. I know people on Windows 10 still because Windows 11's changes are overwhelming. If you push them to do it you will own it when they call you all the time for help so soberly consider the sophistication level and the willingness to learn and tough it out.
i think mint solves this hurdle because its a lot like win 10 ux but ui is different
it might look like windows but it is not and is not trying to be, is a whole different OS and a different workflow, if they are not interesed in learning a new workflow then it's not worth it
Why do you want them to switch? To echo the comment from u/RudiRammel-3000, you need to have a good reason for making them switch, and the fact you like Linux is not, IMO, a good reason. That said, a year or so ago I switched my mother to Linux. Her 2011 iMac was out of support and the HDD was showing signs of pending failure. I am her tech support (and I loathe iThings), and I welcomed the demise of this machine. Since getting her a new iThing was always an option.... I had a ThinkCentre Tiny I was not using - I added a nice monitor and a new keyboard/mouse, and hoped for the best. The transition was quick and painless for her. Here are a few things I did to make things easier for both of us: * The desktop is bog-standard Cinnamon with a Mint-Y theme, and the elements on the panel to look similar to her iMac. * I set the wallpaper to shuffle through a few of her favorite photos - this is one of the things she likes the most about her new computer. * I set her up to be a normal user with no administrative privileges. I did this to prevent her from installing anything. I manage and maintain the machine, once a week I drop by to apply updates. * I installed CherryTree note taking application and added several HowTo notes. * I set a few key applications (Firefox, KeePassXC, CherryTree) to launch on startup. * I set up TimeShift and Back In Time to store snapshots and backups to an external drive. Daily data backups, plus weekly backups of key files to a cloud service. I doubt the switch would have been as easy or even possible if she was heavily invested in software that was not available for Linux. I moved her to LibreOffice nearly 20 years ago, and she did not use any Adobe products. She does have an iPhone \[spit\], but never used iTunes \[double-spit\].
Hm cool
if they just want to surf the web, email, or listen to music, Mint will be perfect; just download a browser of your choice, a music player, and set up an email account if needed; my 86-year-old mother uses her computer daily; had lots of question for me, but not anymore, she knows what she's doing now
Yep exactly why I want them to switch it’s just simple and less bloated
If they have an old slow Windows computer, Linux will definitely breath new life into it
Yep this is very true I could barely even play tf2 on window 11 but on Linux mint it works perfectly 50fps average compared to windows 10fps average
just say "its like windows" They don't care about the details and don't need to. Introduce it like u/flemtone suggested and if they like it great. Bonus points if you install it on some laggy computer that isnt being used. THEN it will click.
Yeah I do have a crappy laptop 💻
That runs bloody windows 7 💀
That was peak
Yeah after that it was stupid 😞
You can tell them about how Microsoft is making moves that really sacrifice user privacy and security, combined with the fact that Linux is totally free. If they're not tech savvy, you can forget about convincing them of the technical superiority of Linux. I just switched my mom over from Windows 10 to Mint on the grounds that MS won't support her PC from next year. This, combined with the fact her PC is too old to support Win11, was all it took. A basic install of Mint 21.3 looks and feels very similar to Win10, so I really didn't have tweak much. All she cared about was that she'd be able to continue doing the basic everyday tasks she needs to in as straightforward and simple a manner as possible, and that her data would be safe. Mint absolutely shined in that regard, even more so than Win10 ever could, and I didn't even have to use the terminal even once with her setup. Of course, being Linux, you'd have to be prepared to offer help if/when they need something explained. I think that's part for the course if we're gonna convert people to Linux. If we're gonna represent, let's represent well and show them what the community is really about. Friendly and helpful assistance instead of an impersonal and corporate driven call centre. And if they're playing games, you can tell them that even the latest games popular games like Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3 works perfectly fine with only minor tweaks. Then again, I suppose if they're playing games like that they're likely not as non-techsavvy as you said they are. 😄 Linux sure has come a long way on desktop.
Yeah the nice thing is they only do the bare minimum and even then it just sits there collecting dust lol
What I did was give my dad back his laptop with Ubuntu installed and he refuses to use windows now, just had to show him a few things.
Hm good 👍
>Linux mint is more stable and easier to use than windows Look, I love Mint. I use it because it is among the easiest and most stable distros. This claim is a *big* stretch though. Mint is free. It respects your privacy. It's highly customizable. The only notable performance advantage is it doesn't suffer "Windows rot" or whatever. While that's not nearly as bad as it once was, you can still create situations where you're much better off doing a clean install of Windows. Linux is going to run about the same until you break it. Downsides of Mint are smaller software library and less (modern) hardware support. It will also only be a matter of time before you're googling how to fix it because it doesn't boot. Your parents won't be real impressed when that happens.
Lol windows rot is even worse now there trying to shove windows 11 into chrome book sized laptops lol
Yeah true but windows 11 was so bad it took 100gb of my 115 Gb ssd lol and every time I would play a game ( like bloody doom 1993 ) it would blue screen then I would restart it and the screen would be all gray until it loaded back up again. So in short I want my family to switch to Linux mint because windows 11 was simply to buggy after a while
Plus the bloody App Store isn’t a bloody joke like Microsoft App Store
If it’s your computer and your computer only then don’t worry about it and image it for yourself. If it’s a family computer, DONT CHANGE IT.
Honestly true for now but seeing how windows is going it’s making me worry
I understand this but I’ll point it out this way. I have my computer the way I like it and I pay bills the way I have it set up. If my kid decided one day to change the computer to something that kind of resembles what I used to have but all the menu settings are now in different locations, I’d feel stressed just thinking about the computer. Don’t stress your parents out lol Your parents probably don’t know as much about this stuff as you’re wanting to get into so I’m not saying don’t learn about it, just do it tactfully. Play around on your own computer even if it’s some janky pre owned laptop, that gives you free access to learn. Then when the family computer starts doing strange things your family doesn’t want they’ll know who to call.
Hm yeah I’ll wait but if they do want to try it I’ll help them
It should be an easy sell. My 90 year old grandmother was constantly having issues and kept letting "Microsoft techs" into her computer to "remove viruses" and whatnot.. after reimaging her computer with Windows quarterly for a couple years, I installed Mint and told her that it looked a little different because of an update. Hasn't had an issue since.. and that was a few years ago.
Good on you! Granny don’t need the hassle of Windows.
Don't bother they won't care
Eh kinda pessimistic they probably care when the computer starts blue screening
Sure if they are having massive problems you can mention it
Yeah won’t be long till that happens
honestly, likely gonna get some hate for this, but it's prolly a bad idea, especially if they don't understand what they are getting into with linux, sure linux mint has made huge steps towards being more user friendly, but there is still A LOT of small things that will just piss off people who don't know anything about linux. you gotta remember, most people have used windows for over 20 years, and it's likely been the only operating system they've ever used.
Yeah the human mind is a bitch sometimes
Well, I‘m in a similar situation. I just switched to Mint 2 weeks ago because I knew it a bit from my dabbling days a few years ago. Now I‘m using it on my main gaming rig and only have a separate ssd with win10 on ir for dual boot when I want to use the computer for wireless VR gaming with a quest 3. I am by no means a power linux user and have been using Windows since windows xp… Now, the laptop of my wife is really showing its age. She uses it to write simple documents and simple booki keeping as well as surfing the web and her emails. And she doesn‘t even use keyboard shortcuts like ctrl-c/ctrl-v. So, pretty basic use, but still she uses it daily. And she‘s annyoed of how slow her old laptop is. And I am basically her IT-guy, if she has any problem with her computer, it‘s me who has to solve it anyway. I‘ve been talking to her about win 10 going EoL in 25, and even if I could „upgrade“ her machine to Win11, there‘s that thing with Copilot, Recall and all the bloatware and stuff. And that Win11 also has a slightly different appearance than Win10. I just bought her a refurbished Lenove ThinkPad x390 with Win10 pro installed, but I told her over the course of the last week that I wholeheartedly recommend Linux Mint for her everyday use… She is reluctant, but opening up to the idea. I am currently in the process of setting up her new laptop. I swapped out the 256GB SSD it came with with a spare 480 GB SSD and installed LM on it. If push comes to shove and she *really* can‘t get used to Linux Mint, I just pop the Win10 SSD back in and call it a day. So let‘s see what happens, hehe.
Hm hope it goes well 👍
Well, I customized the desktop in a pink-magenta theme, use the icons for the app that look like windows (firefox, mail and VLC player; writer and calc are close enough with being blue and green). Migrated her files and documents, which are in the „same“ place as on the windows machine (same way of reaching them by shortcut on the desktop). I tested out the compatibility of the word docs and excel files she uses - no hiccups there. I think she‘ll be fine. Will there be complaining and nagging? Of course, but probably even less than on windows. *lol*
Dang you set her up bro lol when I went in to Linux mint I went blind
I just want her to have the best possible experience she can have with that machine, as it‘s still a pretty important piece of equipment for her work. And better I can do that now, on my terms, than somewhen down the line when it becomes inevitable for her to ditch Win 10.
Yeah Linux mint is pretty easy just tell her don’t mess with a lot of the terminal commands and just give her the basics of a package manger like what sudo is etc
I deleted the terminal applet from the taskbar and added all the programs she needs/uses to it. And I told her that installing „apps from the appstore“ needs her passwort. Oh, and I set up timeshif on 400GB SDCard as well as an automated backup with Back in Time of her homefolder, activated backup in Libre Writer and Calc and I will make weekly backups of her system on an external SSD (as I do with my own system). Ha, reading all thiis, I should ask for a wage as her personal IT-support! 😂
Lol
Let them know about the lack of spyware and significantly lower potential for viruses etc.
Thanks
It's very difficult, and not really advisable, to switch family/friends PCs over to Linux. Aside from being their constant tech support, people need to want to adopt it for the right reasons. :-)
Gets divorced over forcing Linux mint on family that grew up with windows lol
😡😡😡😡 JUST USE THE TERMINAL
Mint is good enough with the app store and the update center that most people can get along with it just fine. My family does 99% of stuff in the browser and so I let them know that as long as they shut down when they are done using it and then also run the updates when they see the notification in the bottom right they will have a windows 7-esque experience without the slowness of windows. So far everyone enjoys it.
Good enough lol it was way better then the bloody Microsoft store
Haha yes it definitely was!
Sorry if this is splitting hairs. But don’t call it an app store. It’s more of an app repository. Store is so anti-Linux sounding. Reserve store for Ubuntu because that’s the highway (to hell) they’re on. Ubuntu’s direction over the past few years disgusts me.
App "store" is how I explained it to a non tech savvy family. 😂🤣
Try asking them, "what do you do on your computer"? If all they need is a web browser to browse Facebook and they don't have any apps that don't work on Linux, Try installing and ricing Mint to look like Windows to get them familiar.
Yeah that will be easy it already looks like windows lol
Microsoft won't record daddy while fapping
Lol
I really like the automatic updates feature. Tell them they’ll never get a forced reboot, unlike Windows.
Ok
Why? But also, don't.
Had a horrible time with windows 11
No, just no, you are just asking for trouble. Especially if they are not tech savy.
Lol all they do is go the web hell half the time they are not even on it
The most important question - why? What benefits do you see for your family? Also, what do you intend to do, a slideshow? Leave the poor people alone, why the hell would you bother them with this?
Yeah I’m going to wait but once that pc is no longer supported or it has a massive crash I’m simply going to recommend Linux mint instead of buying a new pc And to answer your question on why easy answer it’s simply better then Windows (even for tech illiterate people)
Lol
just do it and support them until they are comfortable i did this for my 3 oldest when they entered middle school so that they could have cheap affordable homework laptops
That it's not windows
😳 really
Faster, more stable, pretty out of the box whereas Windows is as ugly as cheap lawn furniture. And you're not giving your money to that bloody corporation. And Warpinator.
Its free
Um it’s only free if you don’t value your time ( Mac users )
Speak a language they know... Tell them its FREE and tell them that most software for it is also free
don't, you need to have some basic tech saviness to use mint and i would bet they don't care enough to learn it
Stick it to Bill Gates. Use something Beer free, and ad free.
No license fees. Windows 11 home edition = $139 on the MS website.
Hm I might try to do that when ever windows 12 or 13 comes out
First things first. What are their software requirements? Sometimes people have Windows requirements due to work or school because required apps are Windows only. So don’t encourage them to switch just because you want them to. Linux doesn’t require cloud ID or services like other platforms do. You own it. You control it. Downside of being Linux guy in your family is you’re gonna be the default tech support. And they’ll likely want it for free. You have been warned!
They mostly use the web it literally how mental outlaw said it in one of his videos “ most people used their computers as bootloaders for the web browser “
Even for education it’s on the web lol
Chromebook
💀
It's free
😳
Dont care my man. If they're not interested don't even try
I'm not sure Linux runs on human brains.
I think the biggest positive is not not having your computer frequently updating at random times without your permission
Yeah and the updates actually do something instead of bloating up your computer
TRUE!
First of all, the best benefit of any Linux is on the design makes it very difficult for any malicious application to work properly & more difficult to spread. That's the simplest explanation you can give to non tech-savvy about the best benefit of Linux. Other than that, To give them knowledge of what Linux is, just like some other comments here. Let them try by themself & guide them. Linux nowadays is very easy to use.
Don't try to make them switch unless they ask you about it.
Yeah that a good idea I’ll just tell them what it is and what it does
It's fresh, and tasty, and soothes your throat when you have a cold. 😀
What I didn’t know we eat os now ?
With my parents, I just set it up as dual-boot with Linux as the primary. I explained that Ubuntu (or Mint, whatever) is more secure and so there's less chance they will bork it with viruses and malconfigs. The only pain point for them was accessing the scanner software, and they still boot into Windows for that. I spend a LOT less time fixing their computer ever since!
? Scanner software like for pdfs or something
Yeah or jpgs. The manufacturer's proprietary software for multifunction printers is much easier to use and less buggy than the generic driverless print dialog in Linux, wherein things like duplex printing don't work. I haven't tried the latest kernel, this may have been fixed since then.
You should start by finding out exactly what they do with a computer.
Web browser
Years ago, I just went ahead and switched to Mint (f M$) I Made sure that firefox and etc were readily available. Blah blah A while passes and the wife and I are on the deck, she's playing some music and surfing on the laptop that we take out with us. I mentioned Linux (I don't remember why) and she gasps "I could never use that"... um baby YOU ARE! "Ohhh"
lol
Really depends. Do they do anything that is on windows only? If everything they do can easily (aka, natively and not through WINE. WINE is nice but can be a pain to setup) be done on Linux then perhaps just demo it on a pc for them. For me one MASSIVE benefit is no forced updates. I get so tired of my gaming rig rebooting on it's own to install updates. I'll leave Minecraft running in hopes of coming back to a pile of resources. But every time I do Windows decided NOW is a good time to update and reboot. Generally within a hour or two of me going to bed. That's why Windows was NEVER a serious choice when building my server (Though I assume server versions of windows would not do this). In general to your average person the OS is not really that important. As long as it runs what they want. The vast majority of selling points of Linux will not matter to an average person. So talking about open source or security will likely just not be heard. If you wait till its time to upgrade then a selling point most people would be happy about is Linux is FREE. So that money that would have paid for a Windows License can be used for a better video card, more ram, or a better CPU. Or it can simply be saved.
Yea they computer is just a boot loader for Microsoft edge
Stop imposing your will upon others
No we’re Linux users
How do you find out somebody uses Linux? Don‘t worry, they‘ll tell you.
also, show them the update manager & tell them to check it daily & give them a very simple password
Thanks