How to talk about Linux at parties

Christmas dinner is coming up. A good way to avoid discussions about politics, soccer, and other topics that end in a brawl is to show off your Linux knowledge. In this post we leave you some suggestions on how to talk about Linux at parties.

Of course, no plan is perfect and you can always have a great aunt who is a fan of FreeBSD who will defend the benefits of her operating system with her cane.

How to talk about Linux at parties

Linux is not Windows.

It may seem like a no-brainer, however it is The biggest mistake we broadcasters make, is to pretend that Linux is a replacement for Windows. It's true that it can do many of the things that Windows does, in the same way that a smartphone can do the same things as a landline phone. But, you are underutilizing its potential.

The great asset of Linux is the control it gives the user. If you take the trouble to learn how to do it, you will be able to modify the wallpaper to your liking from the boot process. The knowledge base on how to do it is there for you to take the trouble to look for.

With a classic book about free software. Neal K. Stephenson I compared Linux with being given the parts that make up the car, the necessary tools and the instruction manual for assembly.

Of course there are a wide range of distributions out of the box, but still they they have a range of configuration options that proprietary operating systems do not.

In other words, with Linux you gain control over your computer that is second only to its manufacturer.

You don't really need a graphical interface.

Linux distributions have several desktop options with the ability to add plugins to them, but, when you get used to the command line you realize that you can do just fine without them.

Let me take a detour to illustrate my point.

Linux Adictos Use a content management system called WordPress. A few years ago WordPress changed to an editor called Gutenberg in which you select from a menu the module you need (Title, text, graphics, etc.) very visually attractive, but a real waste of time. Those responsible for the blog chose to stay with the classic editor, a mini word processor with a menu of buttons at the top.

I recently decided to use a content manager called Jekyll for my own blog. Jekyll does not have an editor, but instead uses a variant of the Markdown language called Kramdown. Basically you use symbols that Jekyll converts to HTML code.

Once I memorized the basic instructions of Krandown, the writing time was greatly reduced.

returning to the terminal it's much easier to type the update command than it is to look in the menu for the update manager and hit the update button.

When was the last time you used that feature?

I have said endlessly that if free software is an excellent option for small and large users, it is not for intermediate users. I'm talking about freelancers who require specific software tools. They are often too busy getting clients, fulfilling assignments, and trying to get paid to learn how to customize open source alternatives.

Large users can afford to hire programmers to write add-ons and porting which are often cheaper than paying for licenses for proprietary products.

As for home users the legal and security risks are hardly justified when they will only use a part of their benefits. Currently both open source titles and online alternatives are enough to cover your needs.

If you want games buy a console

It's true, Linux still isn't up to par when it comes to PC gaming, and Google's cloud gaming project failed. But are we in the 2000s for a single team to do everything? Buy yourself an Xbox or a PlayStation to play, a SmartTV for Netflix and take advantage of the full potential of your computer for serious work putting linux on it

Happy holidays to all!!