Free (Linux) Mint Experiment
While this technically resides outside of .NET OSS per se, it's a valuable signal on the viability of Linux desktop as a general-purpose operating system for PCs.
Mythbusting without the budget
There's a common myth out there that "Linux is only for software developers" (and by implication, is inherently difficult to operate). While I think that's manifestly not true, it's sometimes difficult to shift the conversation without a clear independent signal that affirms that stance.
Enter Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly is the CTO of MemberVault, a platform that provides a variety of member services offerings, including courseware, membership, workshop and coaching management. He posted a thread on X about a personal project - his experience with re-imaging and donating discarded/donated laptops.
Over the past few years, I've been taking in donation laptops (window 7 era), wiping them and putting #linux @linuxmint on them, and then donating them back out to people who need a comptuer.
— Mike Kelly (@mikecodemonkey) June 6, 2024
I followed up with 100 people who have had their computers for over a year. 👇 pic.twitter.com/brhMqNjYjv
The posts that follow in that thread revealed some genuinely encouraging findings:
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Once you got the computer, was it easy to start using right away?
100% said yes
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Did you have to install any new apps? Did that work easily for you too?
80% didn't need anything else installed (Mike only added chrome, zoom and supertuxkart)
20% did add apps and found it easy via the app center
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Are you still using the laptop? And if not, how long did you use it?
92% said they were still using it to this day.
The remaining 8% reported having it stolen or physically breaking it.
This is gratifying to see, not only because of the "proof" it provides for what I presume to be a relatively novice user group (i.e. not computer or software engineers) but also because of the continued value that it brings to long-lived hardware. 🐧 ❤️ 💻
As you can see above he also provides a quick walk-through navigating the desktop and introduces users to Flathub as an app delivery resource. This is a brilliant example of how local, ground-up community engagement can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who would be skipped over by the trillion-dollar valued corporations.
This is not only smart, it's also good.
Thank you, Mike!