Ray,
Because of the level of enthusiasm of many Linux users, a newbie can often get help with installation and whatnot from other individuals. Also, many Linux user groups have "installfests" in which anyone can take their machine and be guided through an installation. I know the one in Dallas does this before every meeting, as one example.
Today, more people are becoming accustomed to looking for help on the Internet; some distributions have excellent community support where newbies are welcome (the Ubuntu family is famous for this), while others still are populated by "OS snobs" who are distinctly unfriendly to newcomers. To me, that is a factor in which distributions to recommend to newcomers, in fact.
Although many don't want to be bothered by reading anything, there is also a large number of books dedicated to new users which can be extremely helpful--even some which are downloadable in ebook format for free.
The HeliOS project in Austin, Texas, gives computers to disadvantaged kids--the machines are donated and often rebuilt by volunteers with that project. These kids range from early elementary age (and younger siblings) through high school--and few have any real issues using Linux. They seem to pick it up very rapidly. Some even complain when they must use Windows as being so difficult and non-intuitive!
Obviously, there are those who will regard Windows as the path of least resistance--and they put up with the endless rounds of updates and malware difficulties as if that is a necessary and unavoidable part of computing. Even when you try to tell them there is a better way, those folks are the last to switch to anything new...even when, as you pointed out, the change from one generation of Windows to another is at least as difficult as going from Windows to Linux.
Meanwhile, though, we continue to attract others who are finally ready for a switch. In my view, if you have a friend, relative, or colleague who tries Linux you should not abandon them from that point--but continue to help and encourage as you can.
David
--- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com, Ray Drouillard <ray-lists@...> wrote:
>
> This turned out to be one of the more informative threads. Thanks,
> everyone, for your insight.
>
> No matter how easy it is to pop in a live CD and go, a lot of people
> aren't going to do it simply because they have never and never intend to
> load a CD. They buy a Dell or Gateway, pull it out of the box, fumble
> with the cables, and go. In a year, their desktop is covered with junk
> from everything they pulled off of the web or installed. If they don't
> have malware, it's a miracle.
>
> It's possible to buy a car and never raise the hood. Fifty years ago,
> owning a car meant changing your own oil, and probably changing your
> points, plug, condenser, wires, and distributor. Now, you drive it off
> the lot and take it to an oil change place or back to the dealership
> every three months or 3000 miles. We're almost there with computers,
> but not quite -- except, perhaps, for the Mac. When we see more Linux
> machines pre-loaded straight out of the box, Linux will be used more.
>
> When Wal-Mart sold Linux boxes, I was going to get one. I never got
> around to it due to financial considerations.
>
> The main thing that kept me from Linux was that I didn't know how to use
> Unix, and I didn't want to chase all over the internet for drivers. I
> used to manually install drivers in MS DOS machines, but doing so in an
> unfamiliar system that wasn't up and running yet didn't sound like a
> good use of my time.
>
> While I wasn't looking, someone invented the live CD, and designed a
> number of desktop environments that were ready for the big time. When a
> friend suggested Linux Mint, I downloaded an ISO, burned it, and was
> soon running Elyssa. It took a little while to really get used to the
> GUI, but no more than switching up from Windows 98 (which I had been
> running for the last eight years or so) to Win 2K and Win XP.
>
> I had a few issues getting the most out of my video card when I upgraded
> to Mint 6, so I skipped it. Mint 7 Gloria worked fine. Mint 8 Helena
> didn't. I'm currently running Mint 9 Isadora on brand-new hardware.
>
> My point is that loading an OS, any OS, is a crap shoot. If some parts
> don't work (like the wireless controller or bluetooth,) most people
> can't do anything about it. Even an experienced Windows user isn't
> necessarily going to know where to find drivers or change configuration
> files. That's still an issue with me. Just where the &*^% is the
> Tomboy Notes data stored in Mint 9, anyhow? I moved the .Tomboy
> directory over from my old machine, and my new one doesn't see it. To
> me, it's an annoyance and an opportunity to learn. To an appliance
> operator (to borrow an old ham radio term,) it's a show stopper.
>
> In summary, if someone is used to buying a machine and running it out of
> the box, the fact that Linux is free doesn't mean anything because his
> new computer already has an OS. Who would swap the engine out of their
> car for a new one, even if the new one is free? A few, but by no means
> the majority.
>
> If you want to introduce an appliance operator to Linux, you need to
> either set the machine up for him, or point him to one of the machines
> that come with Linux pre-installed.
>
>
> Ray Drouillard
>
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