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1. Embed this notice
   翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Monday, 27-May-2024 00:43:43 JST 翠星石

   in reply to

   • Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿
   @lightweight >I'd recommend installing LiGNUx on a second computer as first step without disturbing your current one if you can
   You can just try a live image from a flash drive on any existing computer without disturbing anything else on the computer.
   
   There are some distros that will save state too.
   
   >Then do your best to use just the LiGNUx computer until you encounter a show-stopper (where what you want to do is impossible, not merely a bit inconvenient or complicated).
   That does not happen unless the user runs into proprietary sabotage.
   
   Most users really don't seem to use a computer for anything but a web browser and maybe an office suite that will open and print whatever files people send, which works far better and is simpler to do on LiGNUx.
   
   >consider moving your main machine to LiGNUx - but first make comprehensive backups
   Just a standard file copy will do (too bad certain proprietary software intended to make that impossible), as Linux+FUSE will can read almost every filesystem.
   
   >(only slightly illegally) install Windows on it
   Why would installing windows in a VM be illegal?
   
   I have no use for functionally garbage OS's and I've deleted any windows VMs I made years ago myself.
   • Embed this notice
     Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Monday, 27-May-2024 00:43:47 JST Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿

     in reply to

     • Shannon Skinner (she/her)

     @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans once you're happy you can exist on Linux, consider moving your main machine to Linux - but first make comprehensive backups! You can then install VirtualBox on your Linux system & (only slightly illegally) install Windows on it, so it runs *within* your Linux system. You can use it for most apps that depend on Linux, and just treat it as another window on your Linux desktop.

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Monday, 27-May-2024 00:43:49 JST Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿

     in reply to

     • Shannon Skinner (she/her)

     @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans many of your familiar apps won't be available on Linux, but most (nearly all) will have analogous apps that will do the same thing. Just remember that the latter #libre apps have achieved their current state of capability despite having ~$0 market budgets and having perhaps 1/10000th invested in them vs. MSFT & other proprietary software. It's overwhelming how good that software is, built by dedicated individuals, & generously made available to all!

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (lightweight@mastodon.nzoss.nz)'s status on Monday, 27-May-2024 00:43:51 JST Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿

     in reply to

     • Shannon Skinner (she/her)

     @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I'd recommend installing Linux on a second computer as first step without disturbing your current one if you can. Then do your best to use just the Linux computer until you encounter a show-stopper (where what you want to do is impossible, not merely a bit inconvenient or complicated). As for you question about maintenance: I think Linux is vastly more maintable than WIndows. You won't have throngs in inst IT dpts paid to help you, but some will, gladly!

   • Embed this notice
     Shannon Skinner (she/her) (shansterable@c.im)'s status on Monday, 27-May-2024 00:43:52 JST Shannon Skinner (she/her)

     @PurpleJillybeans
     Thank you for this statement. I fear I will be in the needy category soon.

     Realistically, how steep is the learning curve and how daunting are the roadblocks for someone who has relatively little patience for computer tinkering?

     I'm willing to put a reasonable amount of time towards set-up, but how time consuming will the maintenance be?

     Also, I worry about compatibility with common software, such as Quicken.

     Can someone recommend a comprehensive set of tutorials that aren't spattered with jargon, acronyms, and initialisms (my pet peeve)? I don't even know what a "distro" is.

     I detest the trajectory #Spycrosoft is following, and I worry that others, such as myself, will be stuck using their products due to the high hurdle of switching to Linux.

     Then again, everybody said "Mastodon is too complicated," and I didn't find that to be the case at all.