this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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It seems like the more interested I get in Linux, the less appealing it becomes. The community seems to have no fucking clue what they're talking about, because everyone is just constantly talking over each other and contradicting themselves! I have spent so much time reading about Linux and distros and such to prepare for my eventual switch, but after all that I'm starting to question if I even want to make the switch. Here's a few of the things I have read over and over, that confuse me to no end:

  • It doesn't matter what distro you use, but also you absolutely should not use that one!! Use that one it's much better trust me!
  • Gaming is good on Linux now, but also it's super shit and you should keep windows if you want to game
  • Sure you can use Nvidia cards, but also no you can't because nothing will work with them
  • Just dual boot if you're not sure, but also no don't dual boot because windows will erase your shit if you do
  • Trust me bro Linux is super easy to learn, also here's 14 different specific terms you'll have to Google, but even then you'll barely understand them
  • Everything will work out of the box, but also you can't use that thing with that other thing without configuring that other thing first but that'll break that thing which needed that thing [...]

I'm slightly exaggerating and I may get downvoted but I needed to vent. It honestly sometimes seems like Linux diehards are intentionally hiding some of its major pitfalls in order to "convert" more people to their side.

I know windows sucks and that's why I want to switch, but at least when you have a windows question there's a concrete answer, not a bunch of nerds yelling out incoherent technobabble-sounding answers that all contradict each other.

And for fucks sake please type the whole words when speaking to beginners. How am I supposed to know what a DE, a VM, a CLI, a WM, PM, or all that other stuff is?

Linux is the "least welcoming, yet most aggressively butthurt that no one is joining it" community I've seen in a while.

Alright rant over, you may yell at me now.

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[–] MigratingtoLemmy 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not a Linux distro nerd who rices and configs his distro all day (look those two terms up if you don't know).

I'm a system admin working with Linux servers, I use Linux and BSD (sometime) and I like FOSS. This is going to be from my perspective.

You seem to be confused by some material posted around forums on Linux, and find it to be complicated because of information overload. I can see that happening, and whilst I don't think Linux is necessarily hard (there are many hard things on Windows too, FYI - really understanding MS AD is some work), it definitely works differently.

  1. The basis of hardware interacting with software on your computer is the kernel. The kernel has drivers which enable translation between your clicks and keystrokes and intentions to what hardware should do (amongst other things that a kernel does). The reason why people say that the distro (distribution) doesn't matter is because at the end of the day, most of them run the default Linux kernel. If you have ever used version control (git) before, then you will be better equipped to understand the custom kernels that some distros might use, and the term "bleeding edge".
  2. I'll address nuances of 1, along with 2 and 3 here. The reason why someone might point you towards a distro is for something like your use-case. For example, Pop OS bundles some patches + proprietary drivers from Nvidia to make sure that your Nvidia cards work 99% correctly. Nvidia is a POS (piece of shit) who doesn't like to help the community and like to steal people's work, so Linus Torvalds and the rest of community have strong feelings towards their proprietary software. As such, to get Nvidia working on any distro is a pain, but it is doable. Pop OS does the work for you, because of which people recommend it for gaming.
  3. Windows destroying your boot partition is a Windows problem, and mo matter what fixes the community puts in, Microsoft intentionally fucks it for everyone. I'm sure you could guess their motivations. There are workarounds but I don't care because I'm retiring Windows from my life soon.
  4. Linux takes patience. There's a good reason for the many RTFM comments towards new users; many things will become clear once you go through relevant portions of good documentation, like the Arch wiki, the Gentoo wiki, the Debian wiki and the FreeBSD wiki.
  5. Use distros which do work OOTB (out of the box). Ubuntu/Pop OS/Mint if you don't want to do too much of setup. Again, different distros for different use-cases. But their underlying infrastructure is the same, it's just how the devs of the distro envisioned it. Considering how shit the Windows installer is, I think you'll love the simpler installers of Mint and Pop OS.
  6. Use ChatGPT for if you don't understand something. It might not be 100% accurate but for simpler things like "how do I edit my .xinitrc?" It is plenty good.

You're going to have to give me examples of things you don't understand if you'd like help. In essence, the reason Linux takes effort because you inadvertently start working closer with Operating System than on Windows and MacOS who dumb it down. Not saying that it's a bad approach, and you could probably live without a terminal on the beginner-friendly distros too. Actually run a live-install, see how you like it, and make a habit of reading documentation. The skills I've picked up with my interest in Linux got me jobs, which makes a forever advocate of the process.

Good luck!

[–] Blaster_M 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Okay, Linux Ricer is my new favorite slightly insulting stereotype. I am curious what Linux Rice looks like, though.