this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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I'm a lifelong windows power user, and above average even in my industry for knowledge on technical expertise.
Nothing I know translates to Linux. Not the file structures, the commands, the permissions, the file systems.
You truly have to commit to learning an entirely parallel form of computing environment to become comfortable in Linux. And being frank, it is the most customizable and unique user experience out there, but it is also infinitely less user friendly. And for every time a 2 line terminal command fixes a problem and saves time compared with windows, there are dozens of instances where time is wasted for hours learning that command, its exact syntax and usage, and if it is the one you need for your circumstance.
Another user here recently said that it was when they were going through and compiling their own drivers to make their Webcam work and having to follow guides to make system specific tweaks that they just quit and went back to Windows for ease of use.
Linux is the OS of power users. Not even power users like me, but extreme power users who either have the time or training to learn that parallel system. All of which is easy if this is your job, but in many ways you are learning a second language of sorts.
I think you are right, but I also think it's a bit more in the relearning side than on the "Linux is hard" side.
I also spent most of my time working on Windows. When I started to work with Linux, like the OP I spent many years with in the "use it until I mess something up and then reinstall because I can't fix it" loop. But after a few years I really got into it. I haven't done a misconfiguration related reinstall in many years.
But if you put me in front of a Mac, I wouldn't even know how to copy/paste text.
I've had to troubleshoot router problems for a neighbor who uses Mac, and man was it a confusing experience. The UX is obviously Mac, so I've had trouble with it. But when I got to the command-line, it almost broke me. Why I was even in the command-line in the first place? I don't even know! But it's a confusing mix of familiar (from daily-driving Linux), and unfamiliar (different Mac-specific commands and syntax).
Someone else could probably point out what I've done wrong, but it still doesn't make it not a confusing experience. It's humbling, and the kids who've hung around me watching me try to fix their computer were even giving me tips (mostly on how to navigate the UI, helping me where to find the settings, etc).
Yeah, goes to show that one doesn't know/learn "computers" but OS specific stuff.
I don't know "computers", I know Windows and Debian-like Linux.
yup, this hits the nail on the head for me. I consider myself very tech literate; I am my family's IT guy. I even have Mint installed in a separate drive but I seldom use it unless I have nothing else to do for an afternoon. And the reason is that the more I know about windows (be it editing the registry, troubleshooting services, learning diagnostics tools...) the less comparatively capable I feel in a linux environment. It's like moving countries after I spent my whole life learning this city and I could't even speak my native language anymore. Yeah I know it works out of the box and there's wine and I can make my UX the same. But, going back to my metaphor, that feels like moving to a different country and just not leaving my house and only talking to the people I knew back home. Yeah it would be the same if I severely constrict my comfort zone. You just have to learn a bunch of new shit and leave all you know behind and that's just one distro. Because YEAH linux isn't an OS it's a whole family of operating systems. The nerd yelling that it's a kernel is right in the worst way possible. I can learn Mint but I can form an opinion on Linux because I still wouldn't know shit about Arch or Fedora or Gentoo or what-have-you. It's all very daunting and what I have is functional. No, not "functional enough". This does literally everything I want in less than 4 clicks, everything is plug-and-play, everything works out of the box (and if it doesn't you're sure as shit it wouldn't work out of the box on linux), my knowledge on windows is applicable on every machine I find, it's the system everyone expects me to have (I'm fucking sure the software my uni made me install for online tests wouldn't have a Linux installer). It's not just that the path of least resistance points to mac/windows, Linux as a whole also has very potent repelling field. I still want to learn it but not because I see any practical value/utility in it.