The use of the word “explode” is misleading. It’s definitely misinformation.

Here’s an arborist talking about it, but basically:

Trees move sap and other liquids up and down their trunk from the soil underneath regularly. For trees like maples, this is where maple syrup comes from, except you have to collect a lot of sap and reduce it down to syrup.

The arborist claims that these liquids present in the tree when the temperature swings faster than the tree can respond expand due to freezing, which buckles tree trunks causing the outer bark to crack open and separate. The cracks can be from the ground up, or they can look like gashes in the side of the tree. There’s moisture in the soil too, which can shift tree roots and cause similar cracking.

People say “explode” because there’s usually a popping sound when this happens.

In other contexts, people call this frost upheave. Engineers know about this phenomenon, and try to bury equipment like pipes and cable and conduit below the frost line so frost upheave doesn’t crack and break that stuff. With trees, this frost upheave just takes place inside the trees themselves.

The trees don’t actually explode. They crack open.

Words are meaningful

Since 1789

USB is a smart way to go!

That’s a good angle. Lots of my family members have their old laptops and desktops.

If I can boot a fresh install of Linux Mint on each other those, then they’ll likewise have the option to try it out if Windows fails that (which imo is inevitable).

The added performance will be a plus

Normies hate choice.

Normies hate choice until they’re forced into it. Windows is doing that to more and more people every single day.

Don’t see the harm to having the fall back ready.

But you’re right about W10 IoT LTSC. I’ll keep that in mind as an alternative

Honestly based!!!

I’ll have to try this out on my Steam Deck first to get the gist.

Thanks!

Bro that’s fire, will definitely consider!

Honestly another great idea! I did this with my Steam Deck :)

Managing windows in a VM

I’ll have to look into virtualizing Windows in Linux. I admit I haven’t had to do this much because Kubuntu does what I need it to lol. I’ve done the opposite in W10 where I ran a CLI VM version of Ubuntu.

Probably a good cheap first step though you’re right!

Do you know of any guides for that?

bare metal is long term much more manageable

Seems like that’s the best solution if the goal is to achieve successful migration rather than adding more bugs. I want the opposite.

Thing is: getting 3-4 new laptops for my immediate family can be costly, and the market isn’t making that any easier. Doesn’t mean used PCs are out of the question. I wonder how those are faring in the current climate.

eagerly foisted upon

What about giving them options is “foisted upon” to you?

Really good pieces of advice. Thanks!

I’ve definitely heard horror stories from people on Lemmy talking about how Windows fucked up their PC, as much as they tried to quarantine it like the pathogen it is.

So just from your comment, here are my ideas from best to worst:

1. Gift them new laptops with Linux Mint pre-loaded (as well as their favorite browser, and possibly LibreOffice).

2. If they have a desktop, gift them second HDD/SSD with the above.

3. If they have a laptop, gift them external SSD with the above.

4. Gift them a USB with the above.

5. Set up GUI dual boot between W11 and Mint.

I know it’s difficult to have the best of both worlds between Windows and Linux. I’m stubborn though, and don’t want them to suffer under Microslop so long as the company keeps its current trajectory.

We as Linux advocates need to find ways to make it easier for others to onboard. Not seeing a lot of that sentiment in the comments (excluding you ofc).

is just annoying

Is it really that annoying when a launch screen like rEFInd or Clover pops up with graphical logos of Windows or X distro? How is that any different than them picking an account to use over someone else’s? The GUI experience is the same to me.

autoboot X

Is autobooting rEFInd or Clover not possible?

that you need Y

Wouldn’t a restart a booting into rEFInd or Clover fix this? Maybe my understanding of the IT support world is wrong, but I would think that restarting a computer to fix issues isn’t too far from the average user’s troubleshooting skills.

pester you to choose

Seems like this disdain is coming from personal experience. Have you tried dual booting recently? Is it really as annoying as you think? Asking the Linux pros here because I don’t know.

hasn’t improved ever

Have you used GUI boot managers like rEFInd or Clover?

flavours of the month

What other options have you tried? I’m looking for a flavor that’s the easiest and simplest for a noob to use.

run a script

I believe if you install Windows first then Linux after, you won’t have the issue of Windows overwriting your boot sequence. I could be wrong though. My thinking was to set the GUI boot manager as the primary boot, and from there they can pick the OS they want.

Only issue I foresee with this is Windows updates fucking shit up.

very slow

Good to know! Actual first or second good piece of advice to my post that doesn’t involve people telling me to shut the fuck up.

stick to the mainstream ones

It’d probably be Mint, Ubuntu, or Fedora. But yeah good advice! Can you imagine giving a noob Arch haha

called for support.

I’m taking the train to go help my sister set up her OG Chromecast today.

Safe to say I’m used to it :)

What’s the easiest way to do this? Load up a 128 GB thumb drive with Ventoy and all the .ISOs? Could be a good first step before doing dual boot because they’ll know what they want.

No they won’t

It’s quite funny how you know what’s best for my family. Kindly, fuck off with that.

You’re clearly desperate

If I was desperate, I’d go ahead and switch their PCs to Linux without consulting the top Lemmy instance about how to make the transition seamless and easy. Real 5Head move

if they want to switch

This is assuming normies like my family even know that there are alternatives other than MacOS.

I want to get ahead of that curve, and show them options.

This comment is antithetical to my entire post.

switch their operating systems around

I’m not switching their OSes around. I want to give them the option to try a different OS out if they find a reason to during their normal use.

Dual boot means they can keep booting into W11 forever if they want. The point about dual boot isn’t to get in the way of that, but to give choice. That’s all I want to accomplish because there’s no guarantee that Windows will get better for the average user. imo, the trend is to make things worse.

very few people care

They will care when the next Windows update bricks their laptop, and they wish they could do anything else to get their $1000+ device back. Or their OneDrive fucks up and they lose their data.

Linux mint

Thanks for the rec!

causes issues on the same drive in my experience

How so? I’m dual booting SteamOS + W10 on my Steam Deck right now, and the only issue I’m having is Windows changing the boot sequence. Probably could have fixed that if I flashed W10 first then SteamOS, but meh.

Lots of my family already run W11 by default, so I wouldn’t think dual booting would be difficult.

what’s the benefit?

The idea is to give them Linux so they can try it out without committing full time since it’s an entire process to de-Google and de-Microsoft people’s lives. And to jump back to W11 because that’s what they’re used to.

boot into Linux by default

This to me is forcing them to use Linux, which is not what I want to do. I want them to explore it if they want.

There will be instances where a bug in W11 comes up and makes their lives fucking hell for the short time being. If Linux is right there as an alternative and just works, that will be a bigger motivator than me just installing in on their machine because I know what’s best for them.

are probably just fine

ARE fine, for now. Windows is turning to shit though, and I’d like to be that resource for when they want to make the switch. Even easier if I can introduce Linux now, at least for a trial, so I can plant the seed.

Could probably boot from USB first honestly to see what distro they prefer, now that I’m thinking about it

You making this comment is pretty much antithetical to my post.

pointless exercise

Why in your opinion? Is dual boot futile? Have improvements not been made over the years?

booted to the wrong OS

That’s my goal here. Finding a good dual boot method from the Linux community that will minimize issues like this.

I can’t stand dishes so much anymore that I just let the pots I used to cook cool while I’m eating dinner, then just throw them in the fridge.

I usually eat the leftovers within the following 1-2 days, and I have less dishes because I’m not using containers.

Ez

Or systemctl reboot!