this post was submitted on 19 Apr 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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Just sharing this really well produced video on Linux's public perception (since this channel has suprisingly not a lot of subscribers)

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[–] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 91 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I remember a post on reddit asking for a SteamDeck alternative because SteamDeck uses Linux, the guy never used the SteamDeck or Linux before... The way media treats Linux is really fucking important, maybe if Linux was from a big player like Android is from Google, people wouldn't make such a fuss about it.

[–] lordnikon@lemmy.world 70 points 6 months ago (1 children)

honestly the biggest problem with the media is. Linux represents the very thing corporate culture in those media empires just can't fathom. the idea of cooperation for the greater good that Linux represents and not being 100% profit motivated. They just don't get it and worse they see it as a threat. Microsoft can be a competitor to them but the idea of open source is a competitor to the whole system and that is a far greater threat to the people on top.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 6 months ago

Doesn’t stop people from using Android.

The problem is that the Linux brand is tarnished by the Linux product. If you are making something for consumers, don’t use the word Linux.

[–] Deckweiss@lemmy.world 50 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Well, steam deck os is from valve, a big player.

The majority of users don't make any fuss about it.

[–] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Steam OS is but part of the media as shown in the video, just call it Linux and Linux itself does not come from Valve.

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 6 months ago

Technically, the Nintendo Switch uses Linux, and Android is Linux, so its kind of absurd the pushback Steamdecks are getting from these people. They aren't afraid of Linux; They are afraid of the posibility of running a terminal and interacting with a Desktop Environment that isn't Windows or MacOS. Doesn't make any sense.

[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 32 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is, sadly, accurate. Telling someone to use an OS/platform that isn't connected with a brand they recognise seems to send many people into a tailspin.

I'll refrain from the obvious "They Live" cynicism...

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Android is practically Linux (but is not GNU/Linux, somebody post the Stallman rant)

[–] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 24 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yeah and no one puts Linux as downside in reviews for a new android smartphone.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 months ago

Well most people don't notice, and that is frankly a good thing. I care what kernel my phone is running, but I'm a fucking nerd.

I haven't checked, but I bet iPhones are running Darwin, which is more Unix than Linux is

[–] erwan@lemmy.ml 55 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It is very well produced but there is very little actual content. He kept showing the same clips and saying the same thing over and over.

Bottom line is "in Steam Deck reviews, media is claiming Linux is complex without any proof or example." You don't need 5 full minutes to say that.

[–] archchan@lemmy.ml 21 points 6 months ago

Youtube in a nutshell

[–] oo1@kbin.social 31 points 6 months ago (1 children)

windows is a pain in my glass

[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 38 points 6 months ago
[–] WbrJr@lemmy.ml 16 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I agree with most of it. But Linux can just be a pain, and is not always obvious. Specially if you have no real knowledge of Linux and just wat to use it like Macos or windows. I would say it just is not a drop in replacement. Just starting out and choosing a distro can be overwhelming

[–] EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world 25 points 6 months ago (2 children)

This is sort of a self fulfilling prophecy Cause Linux is confusing because it's not used enough for people to make more user friendly applications

I'd say just bite the bullet and hope for a better future

[–] Vilian@lemmy.ca 18 points 6 months ago

exactly, i read histories from 2004, and was midbloggling how a pain linux was, today is 1000x easier lmao, and each day it's becomening better, more companies are growing because of it(system76, tuxego, valve) more money flowing in, hell we hit 4% market lmao

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Nah, Linux is confusing because it's software. I have a well-paying job in large part because Windows and macOS are confusing as hell, too.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

linux at least gives you the information you need to slowly untangle things, sure you'll be presented with a screen of inscrutable text, but you can just search that text online and get results that you can make sense of

meanwhile with other OSes they just say "there was a problem" and you have no earthly clue what the fuck the actual issue is, if there even is one and the OS isn't just being spiteful

[–] Tlaloc_Temporal@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 months ago

And then you find a tread of a dozen people apl having exactly the same obscure problem, with the only advice being "update drivers".

[–] technom@programming.dev 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Can you tell us what you find difficult while using Linux? (After the installation).

PS: Not a rhetoric. Just trying to understand the friction.

[–] WbrJr@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Just annoying things like missing video codecs in fedora. Why the heck do I have to install something just to watch a video online?! Or the fingerprint reader in Ubuntu only works for the one session, after that it forgets all my prints again. Or using proton and missing dx11 drivers in pop os, I know they are crappy Microsoft software, but are required for some games. Or that Ableton, fusion360, affinity are not available for Linux. I know it's not Linux fault, we need big companies to invest in Linux in order for it to gain more traction. Or all the package managers. Which should I use? Snap comes with Ubuntu but people say it's bad and flat pack is better. Or that there is no sound output selection or mixer in the gnome top bar, I need to install an gnome addon for that. There are just little things compared to Mac or windows that Linux is missing or has difficulty with. Don't get me wrong, I use Linux full time on my laptop now and try to move to Linux on my desktop as well. Those are just things that tech savvy people would struggle with, and I can't blame them form calling Linux difficult then

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Why the heck do I have to install something just to watch a video online?

MPEG-LA licensing or the legal hell of USA-based organisations is a risk to small projects like Fedora, so where possible they cut the risk and lay it on users decision to use propriatory licenses.

At least that is how I understood it. I don't know how Arch Linux and Debian (i.e. pacman and APT) don't have that problem.

[–] WbrJr@lemmy.ml 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Uugh I'm so sick of proprietory licenses and software.. all this licensing shit.. I'm just fed up

[–] trevor@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 6 months ago

Part of the problem also has to do with corporate-backed distros. Fully community-driven distros don't suffer from that nearly as much, if at all.

I like Fedora, but stuff like that makes me worry about how it's going to be as time goes on.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is why I'd steer clear from Fedora. Even as an experienced user, it's quite a pain to setup.

I'd go with Linux Mint instead.

[–] WbrJr@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I use Ubuntu at the moment. Where are the differences?

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 0 points 6 months ago

More comtrol on how you want to install your packages.

[–] Cyber@feddit.uk 14 points 6 months ago

This is a really good point - us "believers" probably don't glance at the negativity because we know it's (generally) incorrect, but how others perceive it can be hard to convince if all they read is negativity.

Consider that most people know a laptop runs an OS, so they can distinguish "Dell" from "Microsoft", so I'm often baffled why people stuggled when moving from WinXP to Vista / 7 (ie a whole new experience... and often asking where to get a hacked version for free), but when I suggest putting then they run away.

[–] MonkderDritte@feddit.de 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Btw, is there something like fwupd, except to install drivers fitting your hardware, install packages and config for video acceleration, etc?

[–] toastal@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 months ago

Not quite the same thing, but nixos-hardware has community-support configs for non-self-built machines (namely notebooks & SBCs) as well as some generic configurations you can import for CPUs & GPUs. These tend to fix quirks or enable hardware that may have been seen as optional.

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