12 ms·

In a similar vein, I think the biggest value-add that Arch has over other distros is that it turns out having the filter of "can follow well written instruction

In a similar vein, I think the biggest value-add that Arch has over other distros is that it turns out having the filter of "can follow well written instructions through mildly tricky commands well enough to result in a bootable system" results in a community with a base level of competence, care, and patience that puts it at least two standard deviations above the other distros and at least four (I know how small the percentile is now) above just the general wash of garbage that you get when you Google for Windows issues. It creates similar effects to the different credit card companies. Why would anyone accept Amex and its higher fees? Because they bring you higher value customers, sometimes dramatically higher value.

tyingq 5y ago
WSL is somewhat similar in that installing it was harder than installing most other things on Windows. They've made it easier in Windows 11, and will probably continue that direction. I wonder if MS knows where that leads for them.
- rubyist5eva 5y ago
  You can literally just do `wsl.exe --install` on the newest builds of Windows 10 and it enables the hypervisor feature and downloads Ubuntu in one command. AFAIK it's the same in Windows 11 (I'm still on 10 and don't plan on upgrading for a few years at least).
  - tyingq 5y ago
    Yes, as I mentioned, they made it easier only very recently. 09/27/2021, actually. And you still have to open cmd.exe or powershell with "run as admin". It is not as easy as installing, say, GitBash. Also, some things are still under documented, or hard to do. Like that "wslg.exe" can be used to make Windows shortcuts to launch graphical programs. Or how to make various systemd things work (pid 1 is not systemd), and so on. Or how to add all the Windows fonts to the Linux distro. I'm saying they will likely improve all this over time.
simion314 5y ago
>In a similar vein, I think the biggest value-add that Arch has over other distros is that it turns out having the filter of "can follow well written instructions through mildly tricky commands What is the value of "is competent enough to copy paste commands from a wiki?". Honestly I think the best bug reports might be because some Linux users probably understand C/C++ and can understand crash reports and error messages because they understand the system.
- dotancohen 5y ago
  > What is the value of "is competent enough to copy paste commands from a wiki?". Because without that filter you are getting feedback from, at best, people who cannot even copy paste commands from a wiki.
  - simion314 5y ago
    That is still a pathetic filter , "I know to read and I know to copy paste", I still believer that the good reports are not from the copy-paste ,I run Arch to be cool group but from technical people that run Linux(any distro).
    - yeetaccount 5y ago
      For someone to find the wiki, read it and then attempt to solve their problem in a rudimentary fashion gets you towards the tail end of the bell curve. They might even follow up with you if you have questions.
      - simion314 5y ago
        Nah, is super easy to find the Arch wiki and the install instructions, Arch users will push you hard to it so is impossible not to find it, maybe you might find some honest person though to explain the downsides too.
    - rpmisms 5y ago
      I'm assuming you don't generally do front-end work, because many many users are complete [insert PC word for zero capacity for rational thought].
anitil 5y ago
> Why would anyone accept Amex and its higher fees? Because they bring you higher value customers, sometimes dramatically higher value. Why are Amex customers higher value? Is it because they're typically business cards rather than personal?
- tristor 5y ago
  > Why are Amex customers higher value? Is it because they're typically business cards rather than personal? That's probably a part of it, but the real answer is because an Amex is a charge card, not a credit card, which means that whatever is spent on it MUST be paid off in full at the next billing cycle. The net effect of this, is that if your customers are shopping with an Amex, they're people who /have/ money, or in the case of business cards they are acting on behalf of an organization that has money. Without writing an expository essay, it seems to be simply true that those who are more affluent also have networks and can bring people by word of mouth if you meet their expectations.
  - rsanek 5y ago
    Amex cards allow balances to be carried as long as a minimum is paid each month, just the same as with any other credit card. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/benefits/payment-flexibility/pay-over-time/ https://www.americanexpress.com/us/benefits/payment-flexibil... The primary reason Amex customers are more valuable is because most Amex cards carry an annual fee, which only more affluent folks can afford.
    - tristor 5y ago
      Pay Over Time is a new "feature", which traditionally was not possible on an Amex card. Technically speaking, if we want to be pedantic, American Express is a banking and finance entity and offers many account types including typical credit cards (American Express Blue, any of the branded Amex like the Delta or Hilton Amex). The traditional American Express card, though, is a charge card and not-withstanding the new Pay Over Time "feature", requires the entire balance to be paid in full every billing cycle. The entire reason they're popular with businesses is it provides an easy way to effectively do Net 30 payment terms without having to deal with POs and invoicing.

tyingq 5y ago

WSL is somewhat similar in that installing it was harder than installing most other things on Windows. They've made it easier in Windows 11, and will probably continue that direction. I wonder if MS knows where that leads for them.

rubyist5eva 5y ago
You can literally just do `wsl.exe --install` on the newest builds of Windows 10 and it enables the hypervisor feature and downloads Ubuntu in one command. AFAIK it's the same in Windows 11 (I'm still on 10 and don't plan on upgrading for a few years at least).
- tyingq 5y ago
  Yes, as I mentioned, they made it easier only very recently. 09/27/2021, actually. And you still have to open cmd.exe or powershell with "run as admin". It is not as easy as installing, say, GitBash. Also, some things are still under documented, or hard to do. Like that "wslg.exe" can be used to make Windows shortcuts to launch graphical programs. Or how to make various systemd things work (pid 1 is not systemd), and so on. Or how to add all the Windows fonts to the Linux distro. I'm saying they will likely improve all this over time.

simion314 5y ago

>In a similar vein, I think the biggest value-add that Arch has over other distros is that it turns out having the filter of "can follow well written instructions through mildly tricky commands What is the value of "is competent enough to copy paste commands from a wiki?". Honestly I think the best bug reports might be because some Linux users probably understand C/C++ and can understand crash reports and error messages because they understand the system.

dotancohen 5y ago
> What is the value of "is competent enough to copy paste commands from a wiki?". Because without that filter you are getting feedback from, at best, people who cannot even copy paste commands from a wiki.
- simion314 5y ago
  That is still a pathetic filter , "I know to read and I know to copy paste", I still believer that the good reports are not from the copy-paste ,I run Arch to be cool group but from technical people that run Linux(any distro).
  - yeetaccount 5y ago
    For someone to find the wiki, read it and then attempt to solve their problem in a rudimentary fashion gets you towards the tail end of the bell curve. They might even follow up with you if you have questions.
    - simion314 5y ago
      Nah, is super easy to find the Arch wiki and the install instructions, Arch users will push you hard to it so is impossible not to find it, maybe you might find some honest person though to explain the downsides too.
  - rpmisms 5y ago
    I'm assuming you don't generally do front-end work, because many many users are complete [insert PC word for zero capacity for rational thought].

anitil 5y ago

> Why would anyone accept Amex and its higher fees? Because they bring you higher value customers, sometimes dramatically higher value. Why are Amex customers higher value? Is it because they're typically business cards rather than personal?

tristor 5y ago
> Why are Amex customers higher value? Is it because they're typically business cards rather than personal? That's probably a part of it, but the real answer is because an Amex is a charge card, not a credit card, which means that whatever is spent on it MUST be paid off in full at the next billing cycle. The net effect of this, is that if your customers are shopping with an Amex, they're people who /have/ money, or in the case of business cards they are acting on behalf of an organization that has money. Without writing an expository essay, it seems to be simply true that those who are more affluent also have networks and can bring people by word of mouth if you meet their expectations.
- rsanek 5y ago
  Amex cards allow balances to be carried as long as a minimum is paid each month, just the same as with any other credit card. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/benefits/payment-flexibility/pay-over-time/ https://www.americanexpress.com/us/benefits/payment-flexibil... The primary reason Amex customers are more valuable is because most Amex cards carry an annual fee, which only more affluent folks can afford.
  - tristor 5y ago
    Pay Over Time is a new "feature", which traditionally was not possible on an Amex card. Technically speaking, if we want to be pedantic, American Express is a banking and finance entity and offers many account types including typical credit cards (American Express Blue, any of the branded Amex like the Delta or Hilton Amex). The traditional American Express card, though, is a charge card and not-withstanding the new Pay Over Time "feature", requires the entire balance to be paid in full every billing cycle. The entire reason they're popular with businesses is it provides an easy way to effectively do Net 30 payment terms without having to deal with POs and invoicing.