Anectodally? Its still poor if 1 in 5 are not happy.
It's 1 in
6. And while these numbers are completely made up of course, 1 in 6 would still be a major improvement over Windows.
No-one runs operating systems, they run applications. Its a core app that runs on the Linux platform. It matters.
"Windows is a pile of crap because of all the malware"
"Windows sucks because it has Origin, Uplay and all that DRM crap"
Blaming Linux for any alleged problems in LibreOffice is stupid for several reasons. For once, nobody's forcing you to run LibreOffice: there are various commercial alternatives, like Kingsoft Office and Softmaker Office. You can even run MS Office under Wine, if you really have to.
And if you "have to use Powerpoint collaboratively" - maybe, just maybe that's not the most fair test case for LibreOffice? I know it's a common complaint, but if you're expecting LibreOffice to be a 100% compatible drop-in replacement to MS Office, you (a) don't have a clue about Microsoft's history apparently and (b) look like you are just making up excuses for bashing LibreOffice. If your employer wants you to use Powerpoint collaboratively, that's what you use, obviously. I'm not blaming British car manufacturers for mounting the wheel on the wrong side of the car - I simply don't buy British cars for use on German streets (Yay, a car analogy!)
I was very open to Linux in 2007.
I tried Windows in 1987, and I was very open to it. I can tell you from personal experience that Windows is a total pile of crap.
Btw., what's the Windows version that was current in 2007? Vista? Enough said.
In 2007, Ubuntu was less than a year old - give it a try now. I'm not using it myself, but I usually install it for people who are sick of Windows or want to try Linux for some reason. I didn't get any complaints so far.
small update caused some conflict somewhere.
There are problems like that, with any OS. I never encountered one of them myself, and from what I see in the forums, not many other people do. You do have to keep an eye on what hardware you use, of course. Drivers usually take a short while to arrive/mature after a new product is released.
I actually think the rock solid and idiot proof software update mechanisms on Linux - that keep
all of your software up-to-date automatically - are one of the best things about Linux.
How do I fix it? Oh lucky i dual booted with XP to get online to work it out
[...]
Thats right if you go Linux, keep a Windows machine handy-you'll need it.
Erm... these days you simply boot from a Linux Live DVD or a USB stick. The same Linux Live DVD a Windows user would have to use in a similar scenario, btw. (due to lack of Windows Live DVDs).
The OP needs to hear the good and the bad- and no its not the user's fault either.
"The bad" being "it totally destroyed my machine in 2003"? That's not going to help much, since he has no clue if he's going to encounter hardware issues with his setup - booting a live DVD should give him a clue, and he might want to list his hardware here so people can point out potential troublemakers (there aren't many left in 2014).
For anything else, the sane approach would be to install Linux in a virtual machine - provided his hardware is up to the task.
I'm not saying Linux doesn't have its problems. But having Windows users (of all people) complain about "terrible UI issues" or "random dependency problems" is pure comedy.