How do y'all deal with people who really dislike Linux?

It’s not rare that I run into people who are… well, for the lack of a better word, ignorant about Linux. I understand that it isn’t the best OS ever, but I believe many don’t even try to see the benefits it has and it is really frustrating to talk to them about it, to the point where it isn’t uncommon I somewhat explode in a fit of rage, especially online. I’ve been trying to reduce that as much as I can, but I want to know how y’all deal with it.

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I let them keep their opinion and move on, no point in trying to change their minds. Makes life a lot easier.

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I don’t deal with people I really dislike :stuck_out_tongue:

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I used to become a Linux distro salesman and convince people to try it out. It rarely went good, except when I did this with some geek friends. But then, I stopped one day.

Going on a tangent, here’s a bit of (non-technical) story. Around a century and half back, there were lots of social reform going on in my country. There were 2 approaches - one wanted to enforce reforms by introducing laws and prohibiting social evils. The other group wanted to wait and let the masses realize that there’s something wrong and generate an internal desire for reform.

Over the long run, the second group fared much better.

My approach now is to not advertise Linux. I let people struggle with whatever OS they use (normally its Windows). They see I can get work done much smoother and faster (especially since I am in the software development field). They automatically one day ask me about how they can go about using Linux :grin:

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use the Socrates approach :wink:

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Not sure if I have the skills to do that, honestly… :sweat_smile:

Hmm, I see… That seems like a pretty good method.

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Most of the people that I’ve dealt with in the past who are/were Linux haters didn’t really know why they hated it. This is an unfortunate trend with too many things in my country.

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Be careful with that! You may end up with a lot of enemies and a cup of poison in your hand :wink: :sweat_smile:

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You don’t have to deal with anything.

The Linux kernel is a tool that allows you to utilize your hardware to perform computation. That’s all there is to it at the end of the day. And for some inconceivable reason, people get weirdly emotional about their tools. Once you accept the fact that this is just one of humanity’s quirks, you’ll be okay with letting people think whatever the heck they want to think.

Why hate a tool? Would you hate a spoon? A fork? A table? They are tools created to serve a purpose. Why hate them? It makes no sense whatsoever.

P/S: There are also people who think that the earth is flat. You “deal” with them by not dealing with them.

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How are you supposed to deal with that? :rofl:

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By letting nature take its course. They’ll get the memo when their testicles swell up due to all that bumping.

… or when they look at the rounded corners of their worn bicycle wheels after 10 years of usage and they go, “…Oh.”

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I see. So I guess just let them be.

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Unless they show genuine interest in learning about Linux (in which case you can maybe point them to the right resources), I’d say that’d be the best use of your time, yes.

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I honk right in their clueless face!

honka_animated-128px-15

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well I hate a certain table at night, it has a thing for always hurting my toes :grin:

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well here in the Netherlands we have this saying:

Wat de boer niet kent vreet ie niet
Translation (as good as it gets): What de farmer doesn’t know he won’t eat

This is perhaps the main issue with Linux, it is unknown so don’t use it

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I tell them:

  1. It’s a common public good developed around the world in cooperation.
  2. It can be downloaded, shared on CDs, DVDs, USB sticks
  3. You have freedom to share those physically or on a network.
  4. No license, no spending money, but if you need, you can buy a kit from different producers.
  5. You can get it at an install fest and make new friends. :partying_face:
  6. Join a Gnu Linux, Free software Club in your town. (LUG)
  7. Put shiny PC badges on your hardware :wink:
  8. You can study for a certification, if you like :slight_smile:
  9. You can have employment on it :woman_technologist: :man_technologist:
  10. You can install it on computers that the original proprietary software upgrades makes them obsolete :frowning: and save them from the electronic waste.

Many more …
I like what the others members are saying in the posts just up about letting them go and not pay attention to them if they don’t like it or don’t need it.

Just look forward, it is indeed a tool, but I mostly see it as a :gift_heart:

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After fixing there broken Windows install, I forward them a picture of my avatar.

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Are we allowed to resort to violence?

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I haven’t heard of a computer club of any kind. Actually, Romania doesn’t really have this notion of a club for hobbies.

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