windows is shitty but its setup bullshit is very straight forward and clear to deal with

Unfortunately, you definitely get a false sense of simplicity when you’re essentially forced down a lazy river of:

“Accept all these corporate agreements, make an account with our centralized authority structure, try to deny a litany of invasive ad permissions (you can’t turn it all off lol nice try.), enable our one touch AI button, shut up, and click go.”

"(Pulsing blue light) We’Re TaKiNg CaRe Of YoU. . ."

Some setup things in Linux can be confusing at first, like how I’ve agonized over the implications of which file system to use. (Settled on BTRFS for rollbacks, otherwise it doesn’t matter for 99.9% of people lol.)

But also I think we’re just at a sad point in history where computers are everywhere but people have terrible computer education (self included), and it’s left up to private interests who mainly want a cattle-like customer base.

…So everything seems scary and complicated.

I imagine cars would be the same way if we weren’t required to test for a license. They’re getting that way quickly though, people wanting a “Push ignition and turn off brain” machine that seemingly “just works” until it doesn’t and they must take it to Special Wizards. A black box which they ultimately have no control over, but feels “easy”.

I think it’s because people are forced to use these devices. Like driving, some people enjoy the act of computing. Linux is for those people.

When everybody is forced to use computers every day and most of those computers run something by Apple, Microsoft, or Google, anything else feels like yet another stupid thing to deal with.

TL;DR: Linux respects the user, but respect is built on a two way street of understanding.

"I’m a busy person with a jobbity job and kids and a mortgage on an iPhone 18 Ultra Plus Air and stuff.

If I have to READ to make anything work, it’s not customer ready, and this new thing should take no time at all to completely understand on my part.

It needs to be a perfect ‘free Windows clone’ before I’ll even consider switching from the mega-corporate ecosystem I was coerced into dependency on from the start. If there’s one thing I hate more than reading, it’s asking anybody for help. Especially my friends. The operating system is the problem."

EAC works fine enough, and it turns off when the game is off, and should uninstall with the game, so people don’t hate it so much.

But I dropped all interest in Helldivers 2 because of that crap, which sucks because it seemed like such a fun game. And I’m not touching anything Riot for the same reason. These “just trust us bro” always-on, deeply embedded rootkits are just unethical.

That is too far even for taking school tests, it’s indefensible and absolutely nonsense for a game.

It’s definitely something I can see both sides of though. It would suck to put a huge chunk of time and effort into a multiplayer game just to have cheaters ruin it for everyone on launch. Any game that isn’t moderated or making effort to deter them gets overrun quickly.

I don’t understand the mentality that drives people to buy cheats just to feel better about themselves, but it’s clearly there.

TBH though…I don’t remember stuff being this bad when private servers were more of a thing. Battlefield 2 / 2142 / 3 / 4 had ranked vs. unranked servers. The good private-run ones had mods to ban cheaters, the ranked ones had stricter enforcement. It seemed fine and we had fun…

Maybe I’m missing something…

I think you need to possess the certificate first before they’ll even consider you, though.

That’s the only thing I worry about personally, not the users so much, but the capitalists who see “opportunity” once Linux gains a hold, and start figuring out how to make it disgusting like everything else they touch with their greedy little slop mitts.

It won’t be “Well, Linux doesn’t permit anticheat”, it will be

“Okay how do we create some centralized power structure that makes invasive DRM and anticheat that runs on Linux?”

And they’ll move to colonize.

Good on you for being so helpful. You’re what’s good about this community. ❤️

Project 2025 = guns are good, and lots of 'em

(Sarcastically) Finally, an unexpectedly bipartisan opinion!

I imagine they had it in their heads that all of those left-of-fascist are cowering hoplophobes who won’t defend themselves when abused.

This will bite them in the ass, hopefully soon before or after the tsunami of “find out” from their other ideas does.

I’m of the firm belief that our current society’s issue with weapons is based in a distinct and highly politicized lack of education and sense of responsibilities around them.

The more we educate and train as a community, the better prepared we’ll be to protect ourselves and our neighbors, and the more the the blowhard cowards who need a big bad boss to do their thinking for them will think twice.

Oh yeah, and disallowing employees from discussing their income, I think was another one.

Lots of anti-union behavior.

I guess the notion that anyone would go near him voluntarily. That never ceases to shock and disgust.

Let’s leverage the full capabilities of these “tools” to stalk, analyze, and publish whatever it finds on this little CEO, and see how “patriotic” he’s feeling after like a week.

It’s all “smart investing” and “patriotism” as long as it’s used on somebody else.

Real patriotism would be mercilessly stamping out threats to The People’s life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Threats that these asshats and their toys embody without question.

Aww there there buddy, have a nice cup of covfefe?

Well they can but they’ll sound stupid

I wish this mattered to them. It hasn’t stopped them so far lol.

parents should be put in charge of their own kids,

So convenient that governments and their corporate masters take such a keen interest in watching our kids, after making all their parents spend most of their lives at miserable jobs.

On your feet, comrade. This is no place to die.

I also say half jokingly: You know, it’s said the Anti-Christ was supposed to survive a wound to the head. Does a scary little booboo on the ear count? Lol

J/k, if the end-times-prophecy theory on Revelation is correct, the Anti-Christ would be scary because he’s competent. That rules out this guy immediately.

The mind blowing thing is that if, in any other job in America, a majority of things out of someone’s mouth were all about their plans to do highly illegal things that would hurt people, they’d have been hauled off long ago and “It was just a joke, bro!” wouldn’t be a valid defense.

This clown from hell jokes about harming and killing people every day, and follows through with it.

He jokes about breaking fundamental laws every day, and follows through with it.

It’s such a major flaw in our system that there’s seemingly no way to haul him away for repeated failures and egregious criminal harms to the entire country.

Oh that’s neat. I remember someone just saying “Cut out 3 yellow triangles, tape them to the TV, and have Link jump and get them.” Lol!

That’s something I’ve noticed too. There’s not really any information about what parts of something to avoid or what the risk is or how you’d come into contact with it, but I remember seeing it everywhere when I lived there too, and I was like

“Everything in California including California is known to the state of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm.”

I’m not saying it shouldn’t be there at all, but at least wish it was a bit more like Material Safety Data Sheets that gives a bit more understanding to what you’re getting into by interacting with various things.

They often try to position themselves in places of influence and trust.

I imagine faith leader in a smaller community is a role that usually does carry a lot of trust, but might have lower barriers to entry and less scrutiny than say, schoolteachers or other perceived “trustworthy” roles in society.

Roles that parents say kids should respect and listen to, that sorta thing.

Hey, I’m sorry it took me a while to get to this, but I really appreciate the comment! And no, I don’t think you were implying anything, I was just trying to contribute something helpful. :)

Your sincerity and compassion is a light in these dark days, and reading your words from across the world really lifted my spirits.

I’m not currently in a state that’s being invaded or occupied right now, but it’s still scary, and we’re constantly bracing for the next insane, stupid thing that’s going to happen next. It does hurt when it seems like others across the world (with their own petty wannabe-autocrats) are jeering for everything to collapse here, without thinking of all the people here they’d gladly share a beer with.

Like they’ve just written us off, even when millions are protesting and helping immigrants and even just struggling to get by as everything gets shittier.

Thank you for the really kind words and sincerity. I hope wherever you are, you and yours are safe and happy and healthy.

Absolutely bonkers, given a commandment against idolatry and Jesus’ own words that oaths are foolish and come from a bad place.

Like, imagine reading the source material.