4 ms·

I love and use Linux, what do you mean? Maybe a little bit too defensive that your favorite OS is not perfect?

asimovfan 1y ago
well if it is GNU(+linux) there are alternative mechanisms of action other than waiting for a corporation to act in your benefit. i think that is a giant difference.
dijit 1y ago
I think the issue is that we excuse worse behaviour of Windows because of a preconceived notion that "Windows is easy and linux is hard". The amount of registry hacks and debloat scripts and messed up updates I've had to endure on Windows makes my Linux experience seem very breezy by comparison to be perfectly honest with you. The main issue I have with my own reasoning here is that about 20 years ago when I was getting into Linux: it was hard; and thus I learned a lot. Something that is a literal 2 second fix for me might take someone else 2 days or not be solvable. I can't really understand how hard others have it. But: my mum ran Linux mint for the last 8 years without issue. So maybe it really is a skill issue. This woman is not tech literate like I am. So, there's that.
- majkinetor 1y ago
  I am sure your mum uses 0.000001% of Linux features. She could probably work equally well on Commodore 64 with browser and mail. So that amounts to nothing. Besides, she has you to fix any issues, and Mint is the recommended distribution to use if you are switching from Windows. So there's that. Your own usage of Linux is irrelevant to the mainstream user. If you use anything for 20 years, you will probably be good with it if you care at least a bit. Most people don't care, it is a mean to an end. Hell, I am in IT since kindergarten and I don't care sometimes, it happens now and then that I just want some stuff to work without any issues. Linux is harder than Windows. It can't be anything else, as it is not originally made for mainstream user, but for engineers and geeks. We came a long way since inception though and today many distros offer decent OS for mainstream user.
  - dijit 1y ago
    Yeah, my mum could work with a chromebook- but why does that matter- what are we talking about, ease of use or power users? Because if its power users; having command of the whole operating system is just objectively better. Nothing hidden or forbidden and no oddities and quirks that are non-detiministic, indeterministic and actively prohibit debugging. If its ease of use: then the easiest laptop operating system to maintain is… Linux (in the form of a chromebook). That said, I really haven’t helped my mum with her laptop- I actually thought she didn’t use it because she didn’t ask me any support questions but it turned out that it “just worked” and she clicked the update pop-up once in a while like I asked her to. > Linux is harder than Windows. It can't be anything else, as it is not originally made for mainstream user This sounds like cope. Accessibility can be better on Windows for this reason… people being paid to drudge through an accessibility checklist- but the reality is not this. CommodoreOS was also built for humans and its harder to use than OpenBSD (which makes no apologies to non-power users). Your entire thesis here is bunk- there’s just countless examples of people thinking they know best for users but actively harming them instead (by hiding information or misleading them intentionally).

well if it is GNU(+linux) there are alternative mechanisms of action other than waiting for a corporation to act in your benefit. i think that is a giant difference.

dijit 1y ago

I think the issue is that we excuse worse behaviour of Windows because of a preconceived notion that "Windows is easy and linux is hard". The amount of registry hacks and debloat scripts and messed up updates I've had to endure on Windows makes my Linux experience seem very breezy by comparison to be perfectly honest with you. The main issue I have with my own reasoning here is that about 20 years ago when I was getting into Linux: it was hard; and thus I learned a lot. Something that is a literal 2 second fix for me might take someone else 2 days or not be solvable. I can't really understand how hard others have it. But: my mum ran Linux mint for the last 8 years without issue. So maybe it really is a skill issue. This woman is not tech literate like I am. So, there's that.

majkinetor 1y ago
I am sure your mum uses 0.000001% of Linux features. She could probably work equally well on Commodore 64 with browser and mail. So that amounts to nothing. Besides, she has you to fix any issues, and Mint is the recommended distribution to use if you are switching from Windows. So there's that. Your own usage of Linux is irrelevant to the mainstream user. If you use anything for 20 years, you will probably be good with it if you care at least a bit. Most people don't care, it is a mean to an end. Hell, I am in IT since kindergarten and I don't care sometimes, it happens now and then that I just want some stuff to work without any issues. Linux is harder than Windows. It can't be anything else, as it is not originally made for mainstream user, but for engineers and geeks. We came a long way since inception though and today many distros offer decent OS for mainstream user.
- dijit 1y ago
  Yeah, my mum could work with a chromebook- but why does that matter- what are we talking about, ease of use or power users? Because if its power users; having command of the whole operating system is just objectively better. Nothing hidden or forbidden and no oddities and quirks that are non-detiministic, indeterministic and actively prohibit debugging. If its ease of use: then the easiest laptop operating system to maintain is… Linux (in the form of a chromebook). That said, I really haven’t helped my mum with her laptop- I actually thought she didn’t use it because she didn’t ask me any support questions but it turned out that it “just worked” and she clicked the update pop-up once in a while like I asked her to. > Linux is harder than Windows. It can't be anything else, as it is not originally made for mainstream user This sounds like cope. Accessibility can be better on Windows for this reason… people being paid to drudge through an accessibility checklist- but the reality is not this. CommodoreOS was also built for humans and its harder to use than OpenBSD (which makes no apologies to non-power users). Your entire thesis here is bunk- there’s just countless examples of people thinking they know best for users but actively harming them instead (by hiding information or misleading them intentionally).