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+--- Thread: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite (/showthread.php?tid=6619)
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Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - JanetBiggar - 11-28-2019
I wondered if members might weigh in on this question:
I met the new IT person at an NGO here in South Africa. The NGO allows me to use their facilities whereby I may bring my study group youth to access the internet and have a nice, safe place to study, research, etc at no fee. It is wonderful and saves me buying data for internet activities.
The NGO currently uses windows based software both for their admin people as well as on their computers that they use to deliver a basic computer skills course. I am unsure of the specific items on which they instruct their students, however it is basic stuff like word and excel, cutting and pasting, etc.
Because of the cost of the Windows licenses the IT person has suggested to the CEO that they consider an open source operating system and interestingly several of their admin people are already using Libre Office. The CEO is against switching despite the savings as he feels that "we cannot teach the computer course on a system that the students will not encounter in the workplace". For example would they understand how to use Excel if they were using a Linux base OS, in other words how easily transferable would the skills be from say Linux to Windows..?
So I am wondering what comments/opinions Forum members might have about this situation?
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - MS - 11-28-2019
Very interesting case. For certain Linux should not be enforced.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - Valtam - 11-28-2019
Business is migrating to the Cloud, many like Xero for example have been using it for years already. In regard to this, the OS is becoming more relevant. Office software is in the cloud, you have Google Sheets etc. The savings to Businesses and organisations by using an OS virtually free of viruses cannot be understated. Some students will go onto to manage servers, most of which are Linux based anyway. Start them on a Linux based desktop and give them a head start. What linux lacks is a Leader. An Elon Musk, a Steve Jobs, a Bill Gates to pitch linux to business. Individuals can do it, and they must. Freedom, in places like Africa, should not be a hard concept to 'sell'.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - Artim - 11-28-2019
And where is the logic in locking a business into using a single vendor? So many alternatives are available that cost less or cost nothing. I'm getting all of my coursework done using LibreOffice, often turning in my work in .pdf format.
And as Jerry said, it's practically all being done in the cloud anyway nowadays, and even a lot of Microsoft Office stuff can be done using only a browser.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - trinidad - 11-28-2019
It's been my experience over the years that the deeper the immersion of any student in anything MS i/e programming, system administration, network administration, only makes them more proficient with Linux. Also basic computer use skills are similar enough that users shouldn't really have issues going back and forth other than dealing with differences in the GUI's. Diversity is always a better educational experience. The real issue is that MS provides nothing free beyond basic skills as far as education, and those basic skills courses are only interested in creating more worker bees within their proprietary cosmology, and Linux on the other hand leads any student to a better understandings of how computers actually work and doesn't charge you a dime, i/e things like the free Debian installation manuals, and the Debian Wiki. If the teachers are actually proficient and qualified to teach courses on basic computer usage they should be skilled enough to deal with any differences between Linux DE's and Windows. Linux Lite is designed to make that very easy and would be a good choice to use as a comparison with Windows as far as basic DE usage within a course on basic computer usage.
TC
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - MS - 11-28-2019
(11-28-2019, 10:04 AM)Artim link Wrote: And where is the logic in locking a business into using a single vendor?The problem is, it is not the logic, it is the momentum. Microsoft - even though I do not believe these are their best times - has built and sold a momentum kind of thing and that is why it is so hard to interfere with their dominance. Because it does unnecessarily involve logic. Logic may serve as an excuse. Using WindowsOS fuels further usage of WindowsOS and other Microsoft related products in the populace - especially among those that seek to find themselves in the right infrastructure, maintaining best environmental touch with their recipients. Whether alternatives can be found, for certain they could, but it might have been too much of work around for too little perk in return. WindowsOS 'is' simply 'the personal computer' in proper shape, while the rest, who knows what that even is, right?
Linux is a biased term, because it comes with a notion of different kind of culture to it, becoming cornered up by aggressive competition, promoting contrary ideals. Statistical majority of consumers rather plays safe, even if it means paying extra to get on the safe cart. If using Linux does not promote a more open software culture, different to the one currently in charge, there is no point in promoting Linux at all or anyhow else 'selling it'. We have enough of products going around, the market is saturated. Linux needs to keep doing what it does and perhaps one day it will be done justice. If not, we must take it as justice.
Focusing on WEB related solutions gives Linux much of the needed advantage, since WEB nullifies the requirement for particular operating system to serve as a necessary context running each given piece of software, save for having a well maintained and popular browser. The era of 'downloading and installing' perhaps comes to an end, WEB grows bigger and soon, it could be irrelevant what local OS manages your machine.
Linux does not have workers, it has followers and this, is a very long lasting investment.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - JanetBiggar - 12-01-2019
Thank you all for your various opinions and viewpoints, as we all find out in life things aren’t black and white, there’s mostly grey! Any question or situation depends upon the view from which you’re looking...
I will bring these points up with the IT person when we meet next and see what ultimately they decide.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - torreydale - 12-02-2019
[member=7067]JanetBiggar[/member]
It is very likely that whenever someone works in industry, they will be forced to work on a Windows platform. When they take a class on Excel and work on a Windows platform at work, they will likely be incompetent at learning anything else. But if they start off on Linux or LibreOffice and still have to use Windows or MS Office at work, it's like they become bilingual by default. And THAT is more important to their career in the long run. The ability to see options instead of only obstacles is omnipotent.
Having Linux at ones disposal gives THEM options. If they think they only have MS Windows as an option, when their computer frustrates them, they will think they need a newer computer...an MS Windows based computer. Lack of money to make the purchase (or the right purchase) stunts their personal computing growth. What I mean by right purchase is newer isn't always better. You can literally get a newer computer with hardware specifications worse than what you had before. That can easily happen to the person not familiar with what to look for in a new purchase. For example, they still sell computers with 5400 RPM hard drives. I also saw a computer newer than mine running Windows 10 on 32 GB of NVMe storage. Six months ago, it ran out of space trying to install an MS Windows 10 update. Very little personal data was on that drive, so it was the operating system (Windows 10) that stopped the computer from running Windows 10. For that friend, I installed Linux. It runs better than new and they have plenty of free space, even on that 32 GB NVMe drive.
I'm a late Linux and LibreOffice learner, but I know I became a better engineer when I started my Linux journey in late 2014. I'm not hearing a real reason to only stick with MS Windows or MS Office in this case. If the students have a class where the computers are being provided, chances are they don't have personal computers. This doesn't sound like a "Bring Your Own Device" environment. But when they want their own device, the financial bar to get a personal computer with an updated office suite in Linux is lower than the financial bar to get a personal computer with an updated MS Office suite.
For this situation, if these students want to learn more faster, consider starting with Linux and open source. LibreOffice is perfectly fine for this class. The students won't be useless in industry if they know LibreOffice first and are forced to use Excel at work.
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - MS - 12-02-2019
Speaking of 'Libre Office', does anyone know of the 'Open Office'?
Re: Changing from Windows OS to Linux Lite - Artim - 12-02-2019
(12-02-2019, 05:49 PM)MS link Wrote: Speaking of 'Libre Office', does anyone know of the 'Open Office'?
OpenOffice was forked when some big company took it over. The FOSS version is now LibreOffice.