this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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If you're trying to figure out who this is for, the answer is "My clients."
We deploy systems that have to run as servers, but need a UI because the people maintaining them are brain dead idiots. Windows Server isn't an option because each system sells at a fairly low price point; adding on the cost of a server license would kill our margins. So we need an OS that runs like Linux, but looks like Windows.
Now you might be thinking "Just use KDE? It's got a start menu, everything is still in basically the same places, and the only software anyone runs is a web browser." And you would be vastly underestimating the degree to which moving any component of the UI even the slightest bit causes the average user to shit their pants in terror and freeze up like a deer in the headlights. You'll point to the start menu and they move the mouse towards it like you just instructed them to defuse a bomb. Eyes closed, they'll instinctively lean back from the screen in sheer terror as they click.
These Windows alikes are useless for any Linux user, but incredibly helpful for people like me who have to turn Windows users into Linux users.
I feel this so much it hurts.
Some people are TERRIFIED of devices.
They look at the UI like it's the cockpit of a fighter plane, with a thousand buttons, some of which make things explode.
Unless they know exactly what to do, they won't even try anything.
Nevermind that UIs are usually designed to allow a user to figure them out by just prodding at everything and seeing what it does.
I remember once seeing an explanation of how us tech people magically know what to do with any program that was like "We don't. We just look for something that seems vaguely familiar and try clicking it." Three bars in a hamburger shape? That's a menu. Oh, look, a cog, that always means settings, what we want is probably a setting. Etc.
https://xkcd.com/627/
Y'know, it probably was that, now that I think about it.
It is just KDE though. Its just a plasma skin. But what you get by installing Wubuntu instead of a proper distro, and then applying a skin, is supporting a developer with a history of bad security practices and poor behavior. Not to mention the potential copyright issues. This whole project will probably die when Microsoft realises that someone is using their name and trademarks to sell a competing project.
Perfectly valid. I'm not endorsing the product, just explaining the use case.
Yeah, just install Mint or something with that skin installed.
Am I dumb or Mint still uses Plasma 5 on xorg by default and its wayland support is mediocre?
Yeah, Plasma 6's Wayland support is way better. I have no idea what Mint ships, I just know I've been on Plasma 6 for a few months and it's great.
But most people don't need Wayland. It's great if you have high refresh monitors or monitors with different refresh rates, but your average person is probably running a single monitor setup.
If you don't mind me asking, what sort of servers/clients do you work with?
I don't mind you asking the question, but the answer is "No comment."
You can’t answer what type of server lol
What's so funny about that? Dude might work in a security environment ripe with NDAs.
And the simplicity of the solutions would embarrass the people in charge of the secure environment.
lol!
You can answer that extremely broadly without going against an NDA
I wouldn't call "what servers/clients?" a particularly broad question. Unless you're serving the likes of Microsoft or Google, that can be very specific.
And, generally, no need to share unwanted personal details online.
I didn't intend to ask for personal details.
Just high-level generic information. I am just curious what sort of use cases would require someone to manage a server, but still have challenges with using a slightly different UI.
probably clients running "Human OS"
While it might seem interesting for your usecase, please be careful which specific distro you use, especially when it comes to "windows-like" distros. Wubuntu (previously LinuxFX) has terrible security for your payment info, and the developers have made a ton of questionable decisions.
Yeah, mimicking Windows being the first. The second is "pay $35 to 'unlock the benefits'" is skeezy as hail.
Good to know. As I said in another comment, I'm not endorsing the product, just explaining the use case.
Oh man, I feel that pain. But here's where I'm at: after so many decades of really trying, really trying to get them to learn what a file system is and how computers, y'know, work, I'm done.
Obviously I don't do that work for pay, but when I did I went with the assumption that people were just ignorant, not stupid. Now I think they're just incurious - which is a kind of stupidity. And since the vast majority of their lives are now controlled, monitored, or involve these systems they can't be bothered to learn - yeah, sucks to be them.
Lemmy needs a best comment section like reddit had
Be the change you want to see in the world:
[email protected]
Ooh, I'm a brain dead idiot, are your clients hiring?
I would argue that those people you're describing shouldn't be in charge of computers that are accessible from the Internet.
They're not. But also, I don't exactly disagree. We just don't really get a say in that part.
I guess if the servers are only internal it's not quite as bad.
I love how to you everyone who is not a Linux enthusiast is a braindead idiot. Very nice. 👌
we can't stop you if you really want to read it that way
But OP did really meant that people who can't use PCs are braindead idoits, which is very harsh. People who are using PCs at their workplace for the first time or have learnt using Windows for the sake of getting a job do be very cautious like that. They only used them in constricted way and never got to play around with it. You can never learn how a device works without playing around with it imo. Just because you had more experience with PCs doesn't mean you have right to call who are inexperienced brain-dead idoits.
in part I agree with you. However, OP has called brainded idiots those who's job is to manage the windows server systems, and can't even imagine doing the same on linux without a GUI