I mean this goes both ways. Someone asks for help diagnosing an issue in windows and inevitably some snarky Linux user feels compelled to say something unhelpful.
I’ve seen variations of a snarky “I never had this problem on Linux” one-liner comment so many times that I have to resist the urge to write “I never had this problem on Windows” every time I see a Linux user asking for help.
“Well linux is maintained by volunteers not a billion dollar multinational corporation that should have the budget to do that”
With a side of:
“That’s because windows got in bed with PC OEMs and contracted to be the ONLY preinstalled OS they can use years ago (when it also sucked less), so it became the standard, and now vendor lock in rears it’s ugly head, so the other multinational corporations cater to windows. Had any other OS done that you’d use that, you don’t like ‘windows’ itself you like vendor lock in.”
Yeah as a huge linux fan we gotta be honest with ourselves 😅 we’re kinda fuckin insufferable at times
I think a lot of the technical folks who built the space made interpersonal skills kind of a dump stat- and to be fair, I benefit enormously from the technical ability they have in exchange for that lack of social skill. But it does define the culture of Foss spaces in a bunch of ways that aren’t the greatest 😅
It’s what convinced me to make a switch to Linux, two years ago by now.
I’ve seen it mentioned for years at that point. Did it feel annoying? A bit, especially when I was trying to solve something. But it was one post that pushed me over the edge. I’ve probably seen a lot posts/replies like that before.
I can’t say why, I guess the stars aligned, but I’m glad it happened. I probably wouldn’t do it, if it weren’t for years of constant reminders that Linux is in fact an option.
Yeah I think its a balancing act. That’s why with this kind of thing I prefer to just share my excitement with people without expectations that they wanna engage with it the same way I do
I think you can share what makes linux special and expose people to the idea without it needing to be badgering. Which I’m sure works for some folks who are open to the idea, but it also just fuels kinda tribalistic antagonistism and resentment in many cases
It took a long time for one of my friends and I to be able to have conversations about linux cause she got so burned out by the prosthelytizing she’d gotten previously that she was defensive, and I got defensive that I couldnt easily talk about the thing I’m excited about. I’m really excited that these days I can just tell her about the shit I think is cool without her feeling like I’m demanding something of her :) yesterday we had a lovely conversation about social media and the fediverse ☺️
You would care about (or at least pay attention to) the transmission if your car kept breaking down because of it. But unlike a car, on a computer you could relatively easy change out the OS with something else.
As always, the analogy between cars and computers are not one to one.
I would not suddenly take up a deep interest in transmissions, their workings, their manufacturers, which types are mechanically superior, subscribe to a transmission subreddit, argue with strangers about which ones are best, etc…
Again, you can’t compare a transmission to an operating system. And not everyone using Linux takes a deep dive into everything in there. But if your Ford kept having transmission issues you might go with a Toyota the next time - that’s what I meant about caring/paying attention
I’m a fan of it for the way that it treats me with respect and represents the possibility of technology that isnt extractive and abusive. And as a ui nerd there is an element of the computing foundation that is exciting to me in and of itself :) I love seeing the different ui paradigms of different desktop environments and how they solve problems like making multitasking work well for users
But that just how I relate to it, it’s totally valid for the computer or os to be more of a means to an end for people :)
I mean this goes both ways. Someone asks for help diagnosing an issue in windows and inevitably some snarky Linux user feels compelled to say something unhelpful.
Inevitably?
My friend, the MAJORITY of the comments will be unhelpful Linux snarks.
This wouldn’t be a problem if you used Linux.
I’ve seen variations of a snarky “I never had this problem on Linux” one-liner comment so many times that I have to resist the urge to write “I never had this problem on Windows” every time I see a Linux user asking for help.
I’ll save you the trouble:
“Well linux is maintained by volunteers not a billion dollar multinational corporation that should have the budget to do that”
With a side of:
“That’s because windows got in bed with PC OEMs and contracted to be the ONLY preinstalled OS they can use years ago (when it also sucked less), so it became the standard, and now vendor lock in rears it’s ugly head, so the other multinational corporations cater to windows. Had any other OS done that you’d use that, you don’t like ‘windows’ itself you like vendor lock in.”
When I’m in a moving the goalpost competition and my opponent is a linux evangelist
Yeah as a huge linux fan we gotta be honest with ourselves 😅 we’re kinda fuckin insufferable at times
I think a lot of the technical folks who built the space made interpersonal skills kind of a dump stat- and to be fair, I benefit enormously from the technical ability they have in exchange for that lack of social skill. But it does define the culture of Foss spaces in a bunch of ways that aren’t the greatest 😅
It’s what convinced me to make a switch to Linux, two years ago by now.
I’ve seen it mentioned for years at that point. Did it feel annoying? A bit, especially when I was trying to solve something. But it was one post that pushed me over the edge. I’ve probably seen a lot posts/replies like that before.
I can’t say why, I guess the stars aligned, but I’m glad it happened. I probably wouldn’t do it, if it weren’t for years of constant reminders that Linux is in fact an option.
Yeah, and sometimes the solution really is just “stop using a garbage OS”.
Like maybe there’s a good reason why it’s such a common thing people suggest here
Yeah I think its a balancing act. That’s why with this kind of thing I prefer to just share my excitement with people without expectations that they wanna engage with it the same way I do
I think you can share what makes linux special and expose people to the idea without it needing to be badgering. Which I’m sure works for some folks who are open to the idea, but it also just fuels kinda tribalistic antagonistism and resentment in many cases
It took a long time for one of my friends and I to be able to have conversations about linux cause she got so burned out by the prosthelytizing she’d gotten previously that she was defensive, and I got defensive that I couldnt easily talk about the thing I’m excited about. I’m really excited that these days I can just tell her about the shit I think is cool without her feeling like I’m demanding something of her :) yesterday we had a lovely conversation about social media and the fediverse ☺️
It’s odd to me to be a fan of an OS. It’s the nuts and bolts needed to make a computer do things I actually care about.
So you mean like the OS? It’s literally the most important (software) aspect of the whole thing
I like where my car takes me. I have zero interest in its transmission.
You would care about (or at least pay attention to) the transmission if your car kept breaking down because of it. But unlike a car, on a computer you could relatively easy change out the OS with something else.
As always, the analogy between cars and computers are not one to one.
I would not suddenly take up a deep interest in transmissions, their workings, their manufacturers, which types are mechanically superior, subscribe to a transmission subreddit, argue with strangers about which ones are best, etc…
Again, you can’t compare a transmission to an operating system. And not everyone using Linux takes a deep dive into everything in there. But if your Ford kept having transmission issues you might go with a Toyota the next time - that’s what I meant about caring/paying attention
I’m a fan of it for the way that it treats me with respect and represents the possibility of technology that isnt extractive and abusive. And as a ui nerd there is an element of the computing foundation that is exciting to me in and of itself :) I love seeing the different ui paradigms of different desktop environments and how they solve problems like making multitasking work well for users
But that just how I relate to it, it’s totally valid for the computer or os to be more of a means to an end for people :)