So, last night I enquired, "How did you get on with the Ubuntu CD that I gave you for Christmas?" To which I received the reply, "You mean that free thing off the internet, I didn't try it because I read that it would break my computer."
I didn't push the issue, sometimes it is neither appropriate or warranted; however, what I would like to know is this, do you think ignorance is bliss?
Vincent wrote,
sigh
Well, at least he/she did read up on it, so at least some effort was put in it. I suppose he/she is very much hesitant when installing new software as a result of many years using Windows.
You could've told him/her to at least give the LiveCD a try, and that that would guaranteed not damage his/her computer, but on the other hand - a LiveCD does not give the full experience and might leave one with a bad experience…
jerichokb wrote,
"If by break you mean, get rid of that blasted MS rubbish, then yes, it will break your computer if used properly…"
Your friend was still ignorant - knowing something that's false is the same as knowing nothing at all. Perhaps you could have offered to go round and show them, with your personal guarantee that it would be ok. Don't give up!
Sikon wrote,
"The Internet" is written with a capital I. It's a proper name.
Philip wrote,
@Sikon: OMG! Did you not hear the news? It's just the "internet" now :P
Jason Brower wrote,
Yeah, I have a sister-in-law that told me about two people that have "crashed" there computers, and it cost theme so much money. Funny enough, I know both of those people and they are still in Linux NOT Windows. I didn't want to rebuttle I will leave them in there misery.
Damien wrote,
Last week my father called me telling me of issues installing Windows XP on a ThinkPad he got a hold of so I walked him through install Xubuntu on it. I got a call yesterday whereby he told me that "Linux breaks computers so you can't install XP on them again" after he read some nice Microsoft-y propaganda in a related vein.
The future is scary.
Philip wrote,
Hey guys, thanks for all the comments and advice. At the end of the day I'm guessing there were a few factors that contributed to the rebuttal, namely:
To be honest, the first factor was enough of a reason for me not to push the issue. Having said that, I think I was a little taken aback by the whole "free" thing. I'm guessing again, but I figure that "free" doesn't hold the same meaning in the proprietary world as it does in the FOSS community.
Maxo wrote,
Explain to your loved one that if your computer gets a virus you will need to boil it to disinfect it. The only safe thing to do is to put Linux on it so that they don't find themself in such dire straights.
Wolfger wrote,
Yeah… ignorance is bliss sometimes. Take government for example. I used to be ignorant about it. Now I'm constantly upset about it. Of course, for me, OSes aren't the same way. I was never happy with Windows, so eliminating my ignorance was bliss. Other people may react differently, of course. Best thing to do is lead by example. Ask Windows users frequently about their experiences with viruses, adware, and "the system starting to run slow after a while". They will likely ask you the same, to commiserate. Explain cheerfully that you don't have those problems on Linux.
Sometimes living well really is the best revenge.
Philip wrote,
Yeah… ignorance is bliss sometimes. Take government for example. I used to be ignorant about it. Now I'm constantly upset about it.
There's a cure for that, stop reading/watching the news :D
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