Hi. Yes, again.
In this e-mail I just want to share a tiny bit of my personal experience
with people and computers and operating systems. It applies to Windows
XP and, especially, Windows 7. I don't know about Windows 8; haven't
used; Nor OS X.
FIRST THINGS FIRST:
Normal people don't know how to install Windows. Period. Unless there is
hardware coming with Fedora pre-installed, don't even dream about
“compete with” or “compare” a pre-installed Windows with a Fedora that
you have do download(!), boot(!) and install.
Otherwise, the best you can try is to create a DAMN EASY installer and
pray. And by “damn easy” I'm talking about a screen to select the
language (or detect it automatically, somehow, and skip this step) and
another screen with two big buttons saying “Erase everything and Install
Fedora ” and “Install Fedora alongside existing OS and data”. No
partitioning, ever (or, at least, let it hidden behind a tiny
something); choose a filesystem, choose a layout, and make it work
(great) on every workstation's disk scenarios out there. Prefer to
expose the other needed steps (initial setup) after the system is
already on the disk, so the “adventurer”, if scared, can't give up anymore.
In another words: “Install Fedora” should be compared to “Install
Windows”; “Pre-installed Windows” should be compared to “Pre-installed
Fedora”.
Also, really important, is to perceive that “someone installed
Windows/Fedora on my computer” is way more common that “I installed
Windows/Fedora on my computer”.
THE FALLACY:
Respecting the previous reasoning, never compare “customized Windows”
with “stock Fedora”. So, below, I will compare “stock Windows” with
“stock Fedora” (by “stock” I mean freshly installed from a official
media; by “customized” I mean “stock” plus additional external work from
someone - be individual, company, vendor, etc).
# Codecs = MP3, AAC, H.264, H.265, Vorbis, Opus, VP8, VP9.
Windows: Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, No, No, No, No.
Fedora: No, No, No, No, Yes, Yes, Yes,Yes.
Conclusion: analyzing the 8 (4 audio, 4 video) current big codecs on the
market, we have a tie! Is also worth noting that installing additional
codecs on Windows is of a equivalent pain that on Fedora.
# Office Stuff = xls(x), doc(x), ppt(x), ods, odt, odp.
Windows: No, No, No, No, No, No.
Fedora: Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.
Conclusion: in (Microsoft) Windows, even to open files from another
Microsoft product (Office), you can't without additional work from you
(or someone else).
# Miscellaneous = PDF, torrent, common archives.
Windows: No(!), No, No.
Fedora: Yes, Yes(?), Yes (except RAR, for no reason).
Conclusion: WTF Windows? No PDF?!
# Graphic Cards = Intel, AMD, Nvidia.
Windows: No, No, No.
Fedora: Yes, Yes, Yes.
Conclusion: Oh, boy! Windows without video drivers is pure garbage! You
have to, at minimum, select to install the driver on Windows Update to
have 2D (and 3D) acceleration! Sometimes even to have the correct
resolution! On other hand, Fedora comes with all these preinstalled! Yay!
# Other Hardware (drivers).
Windows: maybe.
Fedora: maybe.
Conclusion: have luck, or have fun looking for drivers. On both systems.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Fedora isn't the perfect OS. But Windows also isn't. A bunch of reasons
in favor of Windows aren't technical merits. Maybe commercial, or
social; but not technical.
Fedora can do better, sure. And it will. Especially if it doesn't fall
in such misconceptions.
This also highlight the importance of the “pre-installed” (or “just
works”) concept. Be OSes, apps, codecs, drivers, or whatever. As I
showed to you, Windows without the “pre-installed” concept, simply
doesn't shine at all. So, Fedora have to keep this always in mind:
normal people don't know how to “install” things.
I don't expect this to be agreed or disagreed. I just wanted to share a
bit of my experience on the role of “IT guy” that I do to some normal
people. Hope it helps, somewhat. Thanks.
