Yesterday, as I was inspecting the netbook of a colleague who wants to migrate to Linux (one more customer disappointed by Seven Starter), another colleague told me that she was doomed: the office desktop computer had refused to start and, even though a technician had installed the old hard drive on a new computer for back up purposes, her important files were gone. Those files accounted for a year's work and now they had simply vanished! The biggest problem was that she needed that information for a meeting soon and there was no trace whatsoever of her files.
After hearing her story, I decided to give her a hand. I searched for her files from Windows. Right, Windows was final: there were no files anywhere nor folders with the names my colleague mentioned.
However, I've learned that whenever Windows says "impossible", Linux says "Yessir! Let's do it!"
I inserted my USB stick into the PC and booted SimplyMepis 8.5 from it. My colleague was astonished when I explained to her that the whole system---applications included---were booting from my USB stick and not from the hard drive.
Once on Mepis desktop, I started browsing the PC. Again, she was amazed and asked questions like "But if you are using Linux from your USB, how can you see Windows on the hard drive?"
After some searching, I opened one of the folders Windows refused to open and showed as "empty." All her files were there!
Then, she said "But there is no way you can take them from Windows to Linux, right? After all, those are different systems..."
I thus showed her the complicated way Linux has to copy files from Windows: "Select, copy, paste." Presto, she then had her files on her USB stick in less than a minute!
Now she wants to use Linux, too.
As Mechatotoro stated two months ago, "Nobody takes Linux seriously until..."
People just don't seem to realize that their OS must work for them, not against them!
Well! Nobody takes Linux seriously until people freak out thinking that they have lost every valuable document that Windows just hides...of course in purpose...for commercial purposes...and people end up playing the foolish game of buying the latest product because it's the improved version of all the old versions of windows...and guess what??? money is wasted... and people get disappointed...and even frustrated... and in some cases some have "heart attacks" of hysteria for all the time wasted for doing things that are lost in seconds without any explanation! It's a shame people start using Linux until they fed up of the problematic Windows...! The problem is that many people become so narrow minded that they think that everything that exists is just Windows"...unfortunately...bad choice!
ResponderEliminarI'm pretty sure some Windows fanboy out there might say "you can do the same with Windows; just download this and that." However, they don't pause to think they are using 3rd party software, not Windows. Besides, bloating up the PC is also a problem, not a solution.
ResponderEliminarNow, as a former long-time Windows user (I used all flavors from 3.11 and I was--or still am--a fan of Windows ME in spite of its terrible fame), I must say that my experience with Linux has been much more pleasant and rewarding. People should give Linux a try...even if they prefer Windows, Linux is worth much more than the myriad applications for rescuing a broken Windows system.
True! It's amazing what Mepis can do.
ResponderEliminarIt's too bad that people still think that they are getting something when they pay for windows. If one removes all 3r party software, what one gets is an extremely vulnerable OS. So, why are winfanboys claiming that it is the best OS?
Well...they are getting something. The problem is that they are not getting what they think they are paying for...not even with the OEM "discount" applied!
ResponderEliminar