# WireGuard VPN developer can't ship software updates after Microsoft locks account
I should be surprised if Windows will ever be suitable outside niche hobbyist communities with this kind of unreliable behaviour.
Real users need consistency and stability.
@neil I would say that there is a certain amount of #AppleEnvy at #Microsoft and #Google right now.
A #WalledGarden allows higher #Rent and cheapens compliance with legislation that attempts to restrict what users can do.
Open source - and thus backdoor-free - VPNs and e2ee are probably being targeted as preemptive obedience to future laws.
@tomstoneham @neil to be fair it's quite easy for people to leave windows and switch to linux.
A lot of gaming is already happening on linux and I am astonished when like >60 people working in non-tech jobs are talking about linux distributions
> it's quite easy for people to leave windows and switch to linux.
For *some* people, sure.
For a lot of people, probably not, sadly.
@neil
This is an 'argument' I always refuse to accept.
It assumes that Windows and Mac users are proficient at using their respective operating systems to the point that they 1) can install and configure it independently, and 2) are able to troubleshoot and solve their own problems. It also suggests that only on Linux they would run into trouble, and become dependent on a third party.
The reality, in my experience, is rather different. Most users don't have a clue how to install their OS, as in all likelihood it came pre-installed with their system. Most people will call a friend or family member to help with a computer problem, or search the internet for instructions they don't actually understand. To them, computers are nothing more than a tool, much like their car. And their car, they take to a mechanic, even for the smallest thing they could do themselves.
Switching to Linux poses the same issues as switching from Windows to macOS (and vice versa).
1/2
> This is an 'argument' I always refuse to accept
Sure! That is your prerogative.
Nothing that you've written backs up the claim that switching to Linux is "easy" though. Just that other things will also be hard for some people.
@…[email protected] @aerion @tomstoneham instead of talking
just do it
I've seen many people switch to linux and it's not a big deal. Don't make a big deal out of it.
EDIT: neil no longer wants to be @'ed
@saxnot
I really wish it was as easy as "just do it".
The question I usually get is not "is it difficult to use?" but "can I use application 'X'?" (replace 'X' with MS Office, Photoshop, or any other application a user relies on).
If even 𝘰𝘯𝘦 application doesn't run on Linux, or requires switching to an equivalent but different application, I can just see and feel the 'wall' going up.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 is where the difficulty lies. A quick demonstration of Plasma or Cinnamon, or the Linux Mint customised versions of MATE or Xfce, usually removes any concerns they might have about how difficult it is to 'use' Linux.
Neil Brown
Tom Stoneham
saxnot
Ærion