And amazon, apple, meta, nvidia, half the gaming industry, …

Red Hat

No, you’re angry at IBM. When news of the IBM acquisition broke, sector veteran colleagues I’m close with moaned and groaned that IBM was sure to do something to piss everyone off again, which was apparently their habit a couple decades back. Sure enough, they could not have been more accurate in their assessment.

Turns out IBM is three hot messes in a trenchcoat and always has been. Hence why they have already lost the Quantum wars and likely the GenAI wars as well. One AI vet I know says they’re posed to even lose the AI war altogether, which is pathetic given the groundwork provided by Watson alone.

Yeah But if it’s gonna get messed up I wanna at least do it myself lol

They do in more quiet ways nowadays. Microsoft Office and GamePass, for example, can only be used on Windows (unless you count the cloud versions that work through the browser).

Then there’s workplaces which most workplaces use Windows. You cannot escape it there.

My workplace is in the process of locking down remote work to where you can’t use Linux for anything anymore. I was looking for a way to remote in using Linux so I could ditch my Windows devices but even that is not going to be an option for me. Defender is enabling that type of stuff more easily in the name of security.

Back in the 90s, before the DOJ v Microsoft antitrust trial, Microsoft’s licensing terms with OEMs required them to pay MS for every unit sold — even units that did not come with Windows. This meant that if Dell or HP or whoever wanted to offer Linux as an option, they’d still need to pay Microsoft for Windows or else lose the ability to sell Windows at all. It made no sense to offer Linux PCs at that point.

Just one of many many examples of Microsoft’s illegal anti-competitive behaviors.

It’s the support angle, for me. I seriously don’t have to worry at all whether a piece of software supports Windows or not. And in my special case, my school doesn’t help with troubleshooting unless you’re using Windows or Mac because “of the many variations of Linux,” they said.

But that’s kinda typical of everything, how’s tech support going to help you troubleshoot something that has a million variables? I can fix things, but can the typical user? Definitely not.

I’m a sub

I used to be cynical about the findom stuff, but I guess some people really get off on being forced to subscribe to their own machine.

As far as I can tell nothing has actually changed. The “recommended” is the same shit as it’s always been, and windows 10 already has that.

unless you completely disable [snap updates], which is hardly trivial for a new user

Tbh it probably shouldn’t be trivial for new users to disable updates. I’ve seen way too many Windows/macOS users running a years out-of-date version of Chrome.

I’ve been running Kubuntu for years now; it’s convenient to use for me for professional reasons, but I’ve never used to snap to get new software. I’ve never disabled the the service. Are there flavors of 'Buntu that are “unsnapped”, if you will? I know I should just search for it, but I thought I’d just ask.

Yep. Change requires actual change.

And it also generally requires more energy than working with the current system, unless and until it becomes the default.

You want free-range grass-fed beef that is slaughtered with reasonably low suffering? Pay more for that, until it becomes the system.

You want an operating system that isn’t screwing you over at every opportunity? Use a Linux distro, and pay for ease or pay with learning how to make it do the things you think I should.

I’m happily using Linux as my daily driver, and have been for ages. I’ve gotten over the need to tinker as much - I just use it, report bugs when they matter to me, and live life.

Yeah it pisses me off the way people are like “tech bros ruined the internet”. No, users ruined it! There was no reason to stop self-hosting webpages, forums and IRC servers. Users switched to Facebook instead because they preferred it and didn’t care about the downsides. There’s an alternative to every website and app which respects privacy, serves no ads, and has no algorithm to farm your outrage. Users refuse to use them because they aren’t cool enough.

Yes :( Self inclined vendor lock-in ™. I hope for more new Linux users (unless it does not fit their use case very well) who are willing to learn and spread the word!

In my last job I had colleagues using Windows, and they were super chill. When they turned on their computer in the morning, it took 20 minutes to boot, install the latest updates and log on. I had to start working right away, while they were having their third coffee and second cigarette, waiting for their computer to get ready. I’m sure it wasn’t healthy, but relaxing.

I feel a sense of ownership over my OS. I tinker, I experiment, I break things and sometimes I fix them.
I still get mad, but it’s our problem. We got here together and I know that we can do better.
Windows feels like renting. The landlord only shows up when I’m not ready, fixes stuff that wasn’t broken, doesn’t fix any of the things that I need fixed, keeps raising the rent and installing hidden cameras. If I want to fix anything, it costs way more, is way harder because the landlord won’t tell me where anything is, gets un-fixed every time the landlord visits, and after all that it’s just fixing someone else’s house.

Padme is right. My windows using friends are always mad about some change or another and I’m just chill as a cucumber.

I’m very much not-chill for a variety of reasons. Mainly because it’s a prime example of what’s been made abundantly clear the last couple of years: once you get users on your platform, they will never leave, regardless of how much abuse you throw at them.

For another, there’s a stupid idiom that goes around all the time that goes something along the lines of “if you don’t like it, don’t buy/use/do it!” as if their decisions don’t affect your personal choices. A prime example is headphone jacks on phones. Linux has the potential to be so much more useful with even a miniscule fraction of the funding (like 0.001%) that companies like MS and Apple have.

It’s incredibly frustrating asking people to consider doing something in their own best interests and being mocked and ridiculed in return or even listening to them excuse and defend their abusers.

It’s a joke dude

I don’t think that’s the statement. I think it’s that they were hoping that they could ignore it but weren’t about to.

In a sense I wouldn’t berate coworkers and family for smoking and drinking stating facts about the detriment to their health every chance I get. I’d lend a hand when they need me the most, when they’ve looked in the mirror long enough, when they are looking for change.

It’s a fact I’ve come to realize some people don’t want to change others have a limit they reach before they can change. If your always there to help when they need it, the outcome will almost always be better.

I don’t like being told what’s best for me or what I should be doing as much as the next guy so I don’t really bring it up unless they ask.