I get the feeling that Lemmy has a relatively higher concentration of Linux users. I’m preparing to move over to Linux when I build my new computer. I already put Linux Mint Cinnamon edition on one of my old laptops and I like it quite a bit. I figure that since I’ve been wanting to switch over for years, I should just do it. The games were the thing holding me back, and Proton seems to have taken care of that(I don’t really play multiplayer games that require anticheat… I’m a singleplayer kind of girl).

For me, anyway, I want to switch because Windows has been creeping me out with its telemetry. Windows 11 looks lousy, and I’d have to jump through some hoops to get my old hardware on 11, anyway.

    • UngodlyAudrey🏳️‍⚧️ ( UngodlyAudrey@beehaw.org ) OP
      10·
      3 years ago

      You raise a good point about the Linux community itself. A lot of the people I’ve seen have tended to be gatekeepy chuds. My girlfriend switched ahead of me, and she says she’s having difficulty finding Linux YouTubers that aren’t right-wing douches. I really hope Beehaw ends up with a vibrant Linux community… the be(e) nice ethos would cut out a lot of the worst issues with the Linux community.

    • LiesSlander ( LiesSlander@beehaw.org ) 
      6·
      3 years ago

      Ugh, I hate how correct you are here. Its so frustrating, Linux has so much potential, and I like some things about the community, but you are so right about the attitude of “all your problems are because you’re doing it wrong” being a huge issue. There are barriers to using Linux, and these barriers filter out many of the people who would work to eliminate those barriers from ever becoming part of the community. The technical aspects are probably the least difficult of those to solve, and unfortunately seem to be the most discussed.

      I believe the largest part of the issue is how white and male the community is, I’m part of that demographic, and holy cow is it a problematic one. We talk a lot about elitism when it comes to the Linux community, but I think the lack of focus on other 'isms is a disservice. There is a notable overlap between free software enthusiasts and right-libertarian types, many of the shitty attitudes and beliefs of the latter group are unfortunately normalized among the former. When you’re a young, white, probably neurodivergent guy who just found a community that loves what you love, its easy to slip into a bigoted worldview without realizing what’s happenning. Then you learn about the world, and either realize you need to work on yourself, cope somehow and not think about your problematic tendencies, or go full right wing. A lot of the Linux community is in the middle group, they have problematic behaviors but either do not realize, or do not care. The white male thing is most relevant because society makes it easier to go through life without understanding the struggles of others the more priviledged someone is, so us white guys get the “benefit” of not having to learn about other people’s experiences in the course of living life.

      Thank you for your comment, it really got me to think about why these problems persist. I’m not sure what we can do about them, but frank discussion of these problems is certainly part of the solution.