# 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
A Windows user switching to macOS, with no one in their social circle who's familiar with Macs, will suffer just as much as someone switching to Linux without having fellow Linux users they can ask for help. The same goes for macOS users wanting to move to Windows, Android to iOS, etc.
The real problem isn't the (perceived) difficulty of Linux, but rather the lack of popular software such as Microsoft Office, Photoshop, combined with the natural resistance to change, and the sheer unwillingness to learn something new.
Distros such as Linux Mint, Zorin OS, or Elementary OS, to name but a few, have pretty much eliminated the UI learning curve, thanks to their close resemblance to either Windows or macOS, or their ability to switch layouts at will.
2/2
@aerion @tomstoneham there ie LibteOffice which does the same thing like Microsoft Office.
the people I knoe who still use Windows are not the people who use advances Microsoft Office Features or the shortcuts anyway
@saxnot
I don't think the advanced features are the main obstacle in switching from MS Office to alternative office suites. Sure, in certain environments this may be a showstopper, but the two key issues are:
1) Having to learn something new. Most people have a huge aversion to anything with a learning curve, anything that's different from what they're used to. The introduction of a ribbon style interface option in LO goes some way towards addressing the issue, but ultimately LO does not work like MSO, and that introduces friction in someone's workflow.
2) People are held hostage by the OpenXML format. MS have done an outstanding job in effectively killing off ODF, by introducing + fast tracking their OpenXML format, while at the same time making sure that ODF support is deliberately crippled. Even if people are able (willing?) to overcome the functional differences, this is what makes people stick to MSO.
For the record, I've been using LO since the Star Office days.
Neil Brown
Tom Stoneham
saxnot
Ærion