Setting up a laptop for a nephew, gonna remember this tomorrow.

Just switch to Linux.

This is like saying "put some salve on the wrists where the shackles are binding you". For fucks sake just walk away from the abusive computing relationship.

Last I checked Rhino was gold in winedb. Did something change?

But I set up work machines when I need windows. Using corporate licensing help set some pretty good group policies. Then I just remote into them when I need to use something or work on something windows related. You can keep an instance in the cloud or a physical box, whatever works for you.

Remoting in with a linux machine on a semi decent connection is about the same as being there.

I would think you would want to do that in python anyways, regardless of the OS. I suppose it might be relative to what you want to do, there are several monte carlo applications for linux but they are focused on certain fields. Whats yours?

Wait, this seems completely backwards.

Windows: Here is some forum post to some rando's software. SomeShit.exe. Should I install it?

As opposed to Linux: I look in the category of the software I am interested in, click install.

And as far as breaking... I use linux because it doesn't break. I don't have time for windows bullshit.

I wasn’t asking for guidance, I’m just pointing out that these are all things that reduce usability.

I wasn't giving you guidance, I was just pointing out that you are making it sound like some insane struggle to get and install programs on Linux. Usually it's even more straightforward than in windows, especially if you already know what you are doing.

I’m just pointing out that these are all things that reduce usability.

Those are all examples of things that increase usability. Having multiple different ways to install a piece of software is only a problem if you allow choice paralysis to consume you. Right now you know just enough to know those options exist, but not their purpose or function. Literally less than 1/2 hour of googling would answer all of those questions, and with the benefit that you now better understand the useful functionality of your operating system. You only have to spend that 1/2 hour one time, and for the rest of your life you wouldn't stress out over a flatpak vs a binary, or whatever. And again, for a new user they are probably best served by just opening the app store and hitting install. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

While you’re right that some of these issues also exist on the windows side, it’s not as prolific.

That's just not true. Linux has had app stores for decades. Windows didn't. Until recently, if you needed an app for Windows you had to trust 'random online sites' to get software. Now that Windows has it's own app store, you can use both ways install apps in Windows- no different than in Linux.

I think that a lot of technical people forget that the average user is quick to give up and has a knack for breaking things. Many of the restrictive elements in Mac and Windows are to protect the average user, usually to the bane of the super user.

I just remember being a new Windows user and having to learn what a .dll and a .exe was. What the registry was, what installer 'wizards' were and how to properly use them, how to find the place in the control panel where you uninstall programs, how to update my system, what 'fragmentation' meant how how to solve it, how to not get viruses and how to remove them if you did, how the file system was set up and how to navigate it- There was a lot of stuff to learn, and you either learned it or you weren't able to properly use your system. Same when I briefly switched to OS X.

It's no different in Linux. People just don't want to take the time to learn how things are done in Linux. The reality is it's really not that hard to get up and running in Linux at all. And while you can always go deeper and learn more- its typically not necessary nowadays. I put Linux on my moms old computer when she was in her 70's. She was not a techie person at all (extreme understatement). It took about 5 minutes max to get her up to speed. It was never an issue.

Many of the restrictive elements in Mac and Windows are to protect the average user

It's simply a matter of readjusting your mindset. If you are about to do a simple and straightforward task that you already know how to do, chances are in Linux there are 10 other ways to accomplish the same thing- but you are in no way forced to know what they are or how to do them. If you are curious and want to know- that's great. Take a little bit of time and learn them. If not- don't.

Choice is good.

I've used Shutup10 on my Windows partitions for years. Surprised I didn't see it mentioned here.

Good control over copilot and any other Wndows nastiness.

Run it after every Windows update. MS loves sneakily re-enabling some settings.

It’s been confirmed before the US government puts backdoors Linux too. I seem to recall a sudo exploit they were found to have intentionally put in years ago.

Risk Management. I have some very limited experience with using R, but not really any Python experience. There was a good set of tools (Excel add-ons) from ProbabilityManagement.org that gave a lot of flexibility in the models that you could build (e.g. not restricting a user to building financial risk models or schedule risk models like a lot of other risk management apps). I'm not really trying to complain about not being able to find this on Linux, and run an air-gapped Windows machine to hang on to this capability.

I also run silly things like modeling expected dollars needed to complete a Funko collection.

Why would anybody want this?

With Linux, you can see all the code. So, if you know about government backdoors in Linux, you should point them out so that people can fix them.

Oh, no, too much freedom. Can't have that.

Instead of saying "The average user can't do this", why not let the average user try?

"I won't use this thing, because fans of this thing are annoying." The willingness of people to cut off their nose to spite their face never fails to amaze me.

Yes and that why it was eventually found but it took years. Hell, the Linux community almost missed the XZ backdoor. But your implication was that backdoors don’t exist in Linux and that’s just not true.

I know how...

Cause there is literally nothing stopping the average user from trying, and yet they typically choose windows or macs.

But also, let's be honest, most people just use a tablet or their phone now anyways. If you believe these numbers, people are choosing even more locked down OSs like android and IOS. Trying to get them to use linux just isn't likely.

I'm not anti Linux, I use it all the time. But trying to convince the average user to change their OS is an uphill battle.

I feel like clearly everyone here is smarter than me or something.

I've been running Kubuntu for a while and here is a recent anecdote and you can tell me if I'm just an idiot. I went to install an application so opened up the software store. After installing I found out it was an out of date version of the software. I went to the companies site and they recommended a flatpak install. Kubuntu doesn't have flatpak enabled by default, so I have to lookup how to install flatpak and could then install the flatpak. However another piece of software recommends using the apt install, and another the Kubuntu store is fine. All of this is okay, but now there are three different ways I have to manage my software.

Its fine for me, but if that's really the case, you'll loose the average user at using the command line to install flatpak.

Many years ago, when I was repairing computers for a living, spyware like this was highly frowned upon.

I haven't touched Windows in a few years, but I'm still somewhat saddened to see how normalized this has become. Why did society stop valuing privacy?

average user at using the command line to install flatpak.

Kubuntu require you to use a command line to get flatpaks? Usually it is just a toggle in a package manager. I think Fedora is on by default.

I just looked it up again and it seems like they require you run a command in the console to enable flatpak. I'm not sure if it's cause they use snaps, given it's an Ubuntu derivative. I suspect as flatpak continues to win out it'll all tend that way.

However, the fact this its even a discussion is kinda my point.