Friends, if Microsoft tries to squeeze you to buy a new computer to run version 11 when every new version of Windows gets worse and adds ads then please consider that more than 100 million people use Linux on their desktop computer, including people who make all sorts of projects with videos, illustrations, digital photographs, laser cuttings, animations, paper media, CAD, CAM, 3D printed stuff, circuit boards, etc.
Will it be exactly the same as Windows? No.
Can it be awesome? Yes.

@trevorflowers I don't understand Linux and don't think it supports software I need. I switched to a Mac this year because I don't want to upgrade to Windows 11.

@Jennifer @trevorflowers Yeah, as much as I love messing with Linux when I want to make something out of a computer, I use a Mac when I want to make something WITH a computer.

@zleap @Jennifer @trevorflowers
I’ve gotten that question a lot. And I will suggest that you take a good look at the user hostility of open source software communities.

e.g. The biggest gap for me is page layout software. I’m a book designer. I’ve never received such contempt for feedback to software creators as when I tried to help Scribus approach professional grade.

Software that is ALMOST professional grade—where you have to fix the software instead of do your craft—is ruinously expensive.

@JoshuaACNewman @zleap@qoto.org @Jennifer It's true, there are at least as many jerks writing FOSS as in the rest of the population and many are grumpy about the stream of suggestions, requests, and demands that come in for even mildly popular projects.
That said, my experience with closed software has been aggressively user hostile at best. Mastercam won't even notice small fries like me but the FreeCAD team has been awesome.

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@trevorflowers @JoshuaACNewman @Jennifer

I have someone coming to the next STEM meeting I am running and he is looking for help with FreeCAD, so the fact the community support is excellent is encouraging.

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