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Comment by rm_-rf_slash | Hacker News Reader

Poor analogy. Most people with Windows computers can’t simply switch to Linux and expect their lives to be the same - they have file formats and IT department setups to maintain - while most people could quit Facebook and see no significant change in their lives, except perhaps for the better.

And yes, people do care. I work at a top tier U.S. university, and in our college at least we have so far refused to update or support our Windows machines past 7. Microsoft’s Windows 10 stumbles do matter.

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When I think about most people I know, they could switch to GNU/Linux very easily, and many do, because what they need from a computer is: Google Docs, LibreOffice, YouTube, and—especially—Facebook.

Switching their operating system is almost completely inconsequential, like they might not even notice after one day of getting used to the new icon for the trash bin. But cut them off from Facebook and they lose context in their organizations, ability to do their job (social media customer relations is a big part of businesses like cafés, cinemas, festivals, etc), easy contact with their family and friends, access to cheap local marketplaces, information about local events, and so on ad nauseum.

Facebook is extremely important for the real lives of hundreds of millions of people. Like, more important than Wikipedia, Google, and Twitter combined.

I don't think it's a poor analogy. We all can cite anecdotes of people being fed up with something, but it won't lead to its death. Your IT dept anecdote is just OP's "I know people that quit Facebook."

Also, look at how people use Facebook. Quitting it would absolutely require a change in their social habits and opportunities.

Too many HNers look at Facebook through the lens of their own slowing social life. Long out of university, aren't meeting people regularly. Yes, makes sense that you could delete Facebook with a skip and a hop.

> Poor analogy. Most people with Windows computers can’t simply switch to Linux and expect their lives to be the same - they have file formats and IT department setups to maintain - while most people could quit Facebook and see no significant change in their lives, except perhaps for the better.

The only way I keep up with a dozen or so people is via facebook: I don't have any other communication line to them. And I am tech savvy.

A lot of people wouldn't know where to begin without that platform there.

Off-topic, but..

> refused to update or support our Windows machines past 7

What's your long term strategy?

Is there a silver bullet?

No silver bullet to my knowledge, although it helps to know that we aren’t the only ones who don’t trust 8 or 10, so Microsoft will either have to support 7 for a while or stabilize their later versions. Either way there’ll be hell to pay if Microsoft ditches 7 without adequately stabilizing later versions.

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