One of the most common objections raised when considering a move to free software goes something like “I can’t switch, because my favorite program isn’t available on GNU/Linux.” They perceive the inability to run a specific piece of proprietary software as a technical deficiency of the free system. They see it as a bug. This reaction misunderstands the point of the transition: They’re judging the free world by its ability to replicate the prison walls they just left.
The other misunderstanding is on us:
There are simply many people willing to pay for convenient easy to use software regardless of the control or privacy implications 🤷♀️
Yep
And plenty adult well of people simply dont know/care about data privacy
They buy windows or mac
And choose the common easy options for their work places etc
A mind-boggling amount of work has gone into lowering the barrier of entry. I think as the gap continues to close, it’ll become a less compelling “selling point”
Many people’s income, especially in creative fields, simply depends on specific software. Photographers, video editors come to mind; having a certain style and efficiency to your workflow might just be the thing that keeps the cash flow positive. There’s often no time or energy to even think about an alternative, sadly. This is one of the things why I think it’s crucially important we don’t demand, even implicitly, that people switch everything at once. I just installed Spotify flatpak on a friend’s Debian. No regrets. Every little switch matters in the end.
Adobe stuff still doesn’t work reliably on Linux to my knowledge. And having to even consider any kind of virtualization is a huge deal for anyone who’s using the technology for some other purpose than technology, which is most of the users.
i recently switched to linux after using windows since the 90s (MS DOS before that). it wasn’t a “seamless” transition, but i really haven’t sacrificed anything as far as what i use the pc for–FOSS applications do everything i need, and steam’s compatibility is king. probably the most seamless thing about switching.
fuck ms and windows
Also compatibility layers and virtual machines are a thing, making the environment even less relevant.
Piracy does some of that too.
