Have you ever read the phrase Linux is free only if your time has no value? It’s the mantra of the frustrated migrant—the Windows user who’s sick of Windows, thinks desktop Linux is a drop-in replacement, and then has no idea what problems she’ll run into installing and configuring a new operating system from scratch.
In some ways, there’s truth to this idea. Linux isn’t just free Windows. You don’t have to pay money for Linux, but in the vast majority of migrations to Linux, you or someone you know has to take the time to learn a new operating system, download it, burn it properly, (probably) repartition the hard drive for it, install it, configure it, troubleshoot it. Especially if you have incompatible hardware or peculiar software needs, configuring and troubleshooting a new Linux installation can feel like a full-time job… that you’re not getting paid for.
There are two major reasons I object to the statement in question, though:
- A lot of people do not get paid by the hour. So if I use my time to learn a new operating system that saves me money, I am not losing money that I would be making with that time otherwise. Even if you do get paid by the hour, you do not always have the opportunity to work overtime. The idea of more time working necessarily leading to more money applies mainly to freelancers or the self-employed.
- You don’t have to do it yourself. Even the Linux users who are not active evangelists tend to be more than willing to help new users get set up. And that help comes for free! This poll of Ubuntu users, for example, shows that 91% (of 132 polled) of Ubuntu users would be willing to install and configure Ubuntu for someone free of charge (roughly 48% for anyone, and then roughly 44% for only friends, family members, or co-workers).
So if you’re frustrated with your new Linux installation but really want to give Linux use an honest try, contact a Linux user you know and say, “Hey, I really want to use Linux, but I find the installation process a bit overwhelming. Any chance you could help?” And if you don’t know any Linux users personally, find a Linux User Group (or LUG) and contact its members. They’d probably be more than willing to help you learn Linux. Many LUGs hold annual “installfests” to help new users install and/or troubleshoot Linux. And all the help is free.
Cheapskates: there are no more excuses about Linux being free “if your time has no value.”
And it’s patently untrue that migrating to Linux is hard. It’s just as hard as learning to use Windows, if not easier in several respects. For a technically capable person with 10-15 years of DOS/Windows experience, it shouldn’t take more than a weekend to learn the basics of Linux, as long as said person doesn’t have particularly problematic hardware or obscure software needs. LiveCDs and graphical installers and partitioners are far better than what I’ve seen from Windows.
For someone who’s NOT technically inclined, it takes zero time to switch to Linux, as they wouldn’t install Windows themselves anyway.
(BTW, “technically inclined” doesn’t mean being a hacker, I study law and love Linux)
I don’t agree with the trope that, “Linux is free only if your time has no value.”
However, I also disagree with your assertion about the fact that time does not have value. Whether I get paid by the hour or not, and whether I am on the clock or not, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, is more valuable than time.
Any moment spent doing something, is time not available for something else. An hour spent painting the bedroom is an hour that I can’t go on a bike ride. An hour on a bike ride is an hour that I can’t write a post for my blog. And so on.
Time is a finite resource. That’s why there is such a big industry oriented towards time management.
Now, back to the stupid trope about Linux not being free. I can promise you that if I had to reinstall Ubuntu, or Debian, and get things back to the way they are now, it would take far less time than it would to restore the Windows partition on my laptop to it’s current condition.
Linux would not only cost less money, but less time too.
I should probably clarify that my assertion about time and value has to do specifically with the first part of the statement “Linux is free only if…” which addresses cost (i.e., money). Yes, time in general has non-monetary value that matters. I don’t want to waste my time getting something on the computer to work if I can be snuggling my cat or going on a walk with my wife.
But the context of my assertion is as an objection to the idea of Linux not essentially being cost-free, with the implication that time = money, since that’s how I’ve often seen it argued. In other words, when I’ve seen people make this lame argument on Linux forums, their follow-up seems to go with the assumption that the value is monetary. Time wasted on getting Linux to work could be time used to make money (not necessarily time to spend with loved ones or to work on fun projects).
Here are some examples of the contexts I’m addressing:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=131879&cid=11011058
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1546332#post1546332
http://www.embedded.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185300272
Thanks for clarifying. I guess we pretty much agree then.
I’m going to say that I’d agree with the sentiment that Linux is free if your time has no value. Having used Linux for at least 4-5 years now, I can without a doubt say that Linux is hard. It isn’t even just the initial installation. A lot of software isn’t built for Linux and you have to figure out how to get around that limitation. (We’re not going to talk about my struggles a few years back in finding a decent free video editor.) Granted, I also use Linux for some highly technical stuff so it’s not all the fault of my OS, but it has in general gotten to the point where I am surprised if something works the first time I try it. There are a lot of things that I could be doing instead. That’s always the thing . . . it’s free, and faster, but the time and mental energy that you have to expend must also be taken into account.
Personally, I don’t mind. Most of the time. So I dual boot. ^.^