This image was created by /u/kuebic@discuss.tchncs.de for this comment here: https://discuss.tchncs.de/comment/21735989. I had encouraged them to post it somewhere, but as far as I can tell, they never did.
Panel 1: “Installing Windows 20 years ago” screenshot of install wizard with just a couple buttons
Panel 2: “Installing Linux 20 years ago” screenshot of a busy command line
Panel 3: “Installing Windows today” screenshot of a busy command line
Panel 4: “Installing Linux today” screenshot of install wizard with just a couple buttons
Not as much as we have to now.
I’m usually a Windows shield-bearer around these parts, because it’s not quite as much of a dumpster fire as people say (please for the love of god don’t debate me on this, I prefer Linux and have better things to do), but this is inarguably something Windows has gotten far far worse at. Out of the box experience (besides having to shove drivers into the install media) used to be a pretty definitive thing that Windows beat Linux on. Install and it “just werkd”. It used to be the cornerstone of pushback, that Linux required you to tinker and Windows didn’t. But Microsoft destroyed their lead in that so they only have (fast dwindling) business appeal and entrenchment to lean on now.
Yeah. It’s not the dumpster on fire. This is fine.
When I switched to Linux in late 2003, with SuSe, iirc everything just worked, out of the box, and I ran it vanilla for a couple years. Didn’t even need to install an image manipulation program, or an office suite, or a second web browser, or many other things, because it all came already installed. When did windows ever have a sound argument for “the cornerstone of pushback” claiming to be superior for “just werkd”? The early 90s? I doubt even then. Seems from my experience like it was more likely always advertising FUD.