Vitalik Buterin has an open-source solution to Elon Musk’s Microsoft OS issues

A few users on X lauded Buterin for promoting open-source software. However, a few others also pointed out that Linux has its own share of issues.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believes the open-source operating system (OS) Linux is a perfect solution for Elon Musk’s Microsoft Windows OS issues. He invited Musk to the desktop Linux community a day after Musk complained about not being able to install Microsoft’s Windows OS on his newly bought computer without a Microsoft account.

Like Windows, iOS, and macOS, Linux is an OS, but unlike most others, Linux is open-source. The Linux OS was first released in September 1991, and over the years, it has gained popularity with a niche user base. Today, the popular mobile OS, Android, is powered by the Linux OS.

Open-source software has its source code available for anyone to see, alter, and improve. When a computer program’s source code is available to programmers, they can enhance it by adding new features or correcting malfunctioning sections.

Buterin is a big-time open-source advocate, thus his suggestion came as no surprise to many. Many users on X lauded Buterin for promoting open-source software. However, a few others also reminded that Linux might not be the best option for Musk given his main focus of using the PC would be for gaming.

It has been a while since I've used Linux; it's great for development, but I'm not sure about gaming. It looks like steam does have an installer for Linux.

— Amol Jadhav (@amoljadhav00) February 27, 2024

On Feb. 26, Musk took to X to share that he could not use his laptop PC with Windows OS without a Microsoft account. He added that earlier, there used to be an “option to skip signing in to or creating a Microsoft account.”

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Many users on the platform added that it was still possible to use Windows OS without a Microsoft account, which eventually led to a community note added to Musk’s tweet. However, Musk responded to the community note, claiming the option is no longer available. His response to the community note received another note explaining that the option is still available but a bit more complex than Windows 10 and requires some tricky “workarounds that the average Andy might not be aware of.”

Community Notes is failing here. This option no longer exists. pic.twitter.com/b04hBivqXo

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2024

Users on X also added the complex workaround process in the comment for Musk to navigate through the process, but the Tesla CEO believes the process shouldn’t be this complex.