For a long time I have been expressing in this venerable blog the idea that Linux got boring. I'm going to up the ante and claim that you are creating lazy and faint-hearted users.
The boredom thing is because, unlike what happens with Windows, Android or macOS, there has been no news for a long time that causes users to wait anxiously for a new version while we pour opinions for or against on social networks. Most of the reported security problems are discovered by researchers and can only be exploited under conditions that are unlikely to occur in real life. I will deal with the exception that we learned about these days below.
Why does Linux create lazy and fainthearted users? My experience
When I started using Linux in 2006 there was a tough but small core of users who opposed everything that the friendlier distributions did. Although the distributions of the time were much easier than in the 90 and I even bought a scanner that had the driver for Red Hat Enterprise Linux on its crate, There were still times when to make something work you had to search pages and pages of results in Google and type a lot in the terminal. As time went by, that need became less.
In another place I even wrote a section called ironically "Windows is easy and Linux is difficult" in which I argued the opposite. It collected situations where Linux allowed you to do something with little or no configuration while Windows forced you to download drivers and use the command line. I remember the case of an HP laser printer and the creation of a Windows 7 installation pendrive for which at that time there were no graphical tools.
The modem and the webcam
I was reminded of that section again at the beginning of last month when my modem's ethernet connection started to fail and I had to connect it to the usb port. Linux established the connection right away while Windows asked me for the drivers. As I only use Windows for a couple of specific things, I did not bother too much, in the last case, I could always download what I needed in Linux and save it on an external disk or use the mobile as an alternative modem. Anyway, a few days later I decided to shake off the laziness and download the drivers. When I wanted to install them, Windows prevented me from doing so because they were not signed.
The Diego of the year 2006 would not have stopped until the issue was solved. The Diego of 2021 just a month later fell into the account of searching in Google "How to install drivers without signature in Windows 10". The query was so frequent that Google autocompleted the phrase. And, the first result brought the answer. But since there was no such problem in Linux, I had no incentive to find a solution.
Looking to shake off my laziness, I decided I needed a Linux challenge. I have a cheap clone of the GoPro that also works as a webcam (Or at least it worked in Windows, I had never managed to make it work in Linux) To test I connected it and, it seems that in some kernel update, they added the drivers because it works perfectly.
My point is this. Chen Linux forced us to do research and do things manually, it allowed us to learn at the same time how everything worked, understand the consequences of errors, and develop a passion for research. Since it got easier, we are conforming to what they give us, limiting ourselves to typing commands or pressing buttons without stopping to think why we do what we do and without incentives to try new programs or distributions.
Let it be clear that I am in no way proposing to give up the last two decades of Linux evolution. It would be as absurd as writing an article proposing to boycott supermarkets and go back to hunting our food. What is involved, continuing with the analogy, is that, just as gyms and diets arose to alleviate the consequences of a sedentary life caused by modern comforts, we have to find alternatives to being active users again instead of mere button pushers.
It must be said that this situation does not only occur with home users. Also, a lot happens in the corporate sphere as demonstrated by the case of Apache Log4J, an open source login solution widely used by hundreds of projects with thousands of users. Until an Alibaba engineer found out, no one had detected it, and it was installed on almost all web services written in Java.
And, the reason is clear and has already been noticed by the Finnish developer Baldur Bejarnason
Open source software is a strategic lever for large technology companies. They finance when it helps their core business and stop when it doesn't. Cloud hosting has slowly been ushering in an era of pull, where tech companies are specifically targeting server-side open source projects that they can leverage with little investment. Large sections of server-side software are under-funded.
In other words, where they can't profit or gain a competitive advantage, companies download open source solutions like a teenager downloading a free game. They do not review or improve what they install.
Isn't there something like a hackathon to solve specific issues?
Some projects have bug hunting days, but as far as I know it's not widespread.
Hahahahaha, it's the stupidest article I've read, but since it's my opinion, I don't have to justify it in arguments, right c :?
You should read more. I've written more stupid things. In fact, I think I'm losing my power. Since you are not careful, one of these days I'm going to end up writing something good.
You are getting old, it is normal, GNU-LINUX is still as great as before, this happens the same with video games that you liked before and now they bore you, calm down, let someone else enjoy this great operating system and you start to do Yoga or something more productive with your time.
We all get old. But, it has nothing to do with Linux but with the users. We get so used to the comfort that we are letting ourselves be.
Hello:
I agree that Gnu Linux nowadays makes things much easier, in some cases more than Windows (it is easier to configure amule than Emule in Windows, for example).
Now, it is obvious, most users of computing devices want them to work in the simplest way possible, for them the operating system is a means not an end. If it is intended that Gnu Linux, on the desktop, continues to be, as at the beginning, a system only for initiates in which a number of codes have to be entered via the terminal, visiting endless internet pages to solve something as simple as installing a card graphics or a printer, Gnu Linux will remain limited to 2%.
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022 to you and your loved ones.
Greetings and good luck.
I return the greetings.
No, I do not want it to be a system for initiates nor am I doing a cult of difficulty. I am simply warning of the danger of getting used to things done.
Install Gentoo.
It is an alternative, as is Linux From Scratch. Although there are those who say that it is just a matter of following the manual.
Excuse me but this is the dumbest post I've seen in a long time. If it is assumed that one of the complaints that existed years ago regarding linux was precisely that it lacked hardware support. Now that includes it, is it bad too? Do not bother. Whoever wants to learn how something works reads the source code, whoever wants everything to work at once is grateful for not having to resort to tricks such as disassembling a controller from another OS and having to recompile praying that it works.
I repeat it.
The article is not an ode to the complicated. What I'm talking about is that one of the consequences of ease is indolence and inattention. And, indolence and inattention are the gateway to security concerns.
It is not about making Linux complicated again, but about forcing ourselves to pay attention as users to what we do.
I agree that linux to date has become much more neglected and simple than before. It is enough to install a distro and it does not require looking for any software, except for some specific that is required, but in general everything is listed to start performing our daily tasks.
But even so, it does not stop giving problems or bugs that take you weeks to find the solution.
I came from mx linux, I went through linux mint, manjaro and pop os.
I ended up going back to windows because in all of them I had different problems.
Libre office to make graphics with large data files generated crashes in the application.
Manajaro led me to restart it and the start crashed.
In short, although everything is simpler than before, it is still complicated in areas where there is still room for improvement.
But I think everything is on the right track and for the better the evolution of linux, turning bad or not, easier for the general user
Hi Diego, I don't know if I got you right with the article but I think you have written about what is happening with people in general. I find it an interesting article considering that the next generation is no better than ours. There is an article out there that talks about this, now you have to look for it;) Merry Christmas (Windows User)
Merry Christmas to you too.
It may be an article of mine on another blog.
I think that like me, many long-lived and non-specialized Linux users have wanted to contribute by contributing something, but due to economic necessity (particularly here in Mexico) we have had to focus on other activities.
Although it is an opinion, I think you are being a bit closed of vision ... the general trend of the universe is that of minimal effort, it is not something that only has to do with the development of linux ... Android sample that since 7 has not had changes that can really stand out ... I don't think anyone here continues to use Symbian on their mobile or installing java packages, everything is an app store and now, the same is the Microsoft store and all the stores ... in my opinion this kind of development It is like the blacksmith who no longer makes knives because you get one with any Chinese, but there are always lovers of forging ... artists ... the same in coding, not no matter how lazy humans are in general, it means that there is less passion in artists than there are behind the most insignificant of animations that make the use of the different distros so easy ... life can be simple and beautiful at the same time, not all of them need to be great lights, that is why it is called "user", most simply use yy to
happy holidays: D
Happy holidays to you too.
I am not a difficult Taliban. I just mark the downsides of everything being so easy.
When I say that comfort generates inattention and this is the cause of possible security problems, what I am asking is to correct the second, not give up the first.
After all, Stallman is going to give lectures on the benefits of free software on proprietary software-operated aircraft.
The truth is that I somewhat agree. But you have to see the glass half full. If there is something that I admit, it is that many say that to use Linux you have to know how to program and the truth is that I have been using it for 6 months and it is not so. Pq nowadays as you say everything is on the web, and the only thing you have to do is find the one who has already done it, open a terminal and copy and paste the codes in the order indicated in the tutorial. But that brings the advantage that many more people are encouraged, I had tried several times to enter the world of Linux and always ended up returning to Windows because I could not find or did not know how to solve a problem. Today that is not the case, and it has allowed me to have Linux and use it for 95% of the things I do. So although it is true, it has its advantages
I do not deny the advantages. I am not a masochist.
What I do is mark the disadvantages, particularly that of doing things without knowing why.
In a small part he is right. Now, being lazy and having no concerns, not having the will to investigate just because of "it's not my problem", it's not the fault of a system, an advance on a technology. To blame a third party for this is to detach oneself from the responsibility of "being."
To say that one thing is a consequence of the other is not to blame. It is to describe.
And, he did not think about it in terms of collaboration to the project but in the personal responsibility of oneself towards his team and his data.
Wait a bit. You wanted to use your gopro on Linux and were you bothered not having to research how to get it to work? That? So now does a system bother you for doing what it was supposed to do?
When it comes down to it, it's time to change jobs or dedication.
Did you try reading the article before commenting? This is usually a good idea.
Thanks BORING.
If you want to work with a truck, do you want it to be fun or constant?
Does the material of an operating room have to be fun or constant and functional?
Well that, a bullshit article
Interestingly, you put two analogies that favor me.
One of the most common causes of truck accidents is loss of attention caused by the monotony of the road. For something they put a music player and alarms that go off when the driver begins to give strange signals while driving.
As for the operating room, the patient provides enough variety so as not to get used to it.
I'm sorry Diego, but you don't speak for me. I ask you without the intention of offending. Could it be that you have lost a little the motivation that years ago you had to solve the problems that arose?
I ask you just to reflect on the subject because for me it has been the opposite, since I started using the PC I have not stopped searching for information on the Internet and since I started using GNU / Linux my learning has been increasing to a degree that now I am studying an engineering career and doing various certifications with the aim of having a detailed knowledge to partly be a specialized user and on the other hand to be a future professional of free software.
In addition, the more you know about the subject you realize that every time you need to know more in detail, in our beloved kernel there are still countless BLOBs because large companies will continue to create proprietary software and hardware and many people still continue to buy their products, as promoters of free software and culture we have to be well informed to offer alternatives and solve problems that arise.
Another point to consider is that our operating system changes over time and each update may generate a bug that is not detected at the moment. At this very moment I am trying to correct a problem that seems to be something recent and very specific to the distro I am using and my motherboard, since it happened I have been researching and testing solutions.
Although there are distros that are very user-friendly, there are distros that require you to be constantly investigating and some very specific ones in which before using you will have to investigate, assemble everything on your own, start up, do tests and repeat again. the whole process.
Actually, if I talk about you. You managed to avoid the trap that I am warning about, that of keeping what they give us and continue learning.
As for me, if I'd lost my motivation, I'd just write those "Cute Linux / Microsoft Poo" articles that some readers seem to love so much.
I encourage you to install a more or less recent version, on a 2007 laptop. Should it be a breeze? No!? Well no! Support for an nForce Go 6100 was removed in kernel 5.xx, it should support the "Noveau" driver right? Well, it no longer works.
That Linux is a panacea… .Nanai! Linux for servers and services in the background.
For the you to you with the desktop (Human Computer), unfortunately Windows.
I installed Raspberry OS and it works like a charm. Of course it is impossible for all hardware to work. After writing the article myself, I bought a Bluetooth adapter and the only way to undo it is by recompiling the kernel.
The point of the article is that Linux became easy enough for users to let their guard down.
Try to install windows 10 or windows 11 that will surely work for you.
Well the issue is that if you do not know how to use Linux, well you do not know, that a kernel 5 support has been withdrawn that is not a problem, this is Linux and if something has Linux it is variety and you can use several distros that use a 4.19 kernel or 4.15 for example and problem solved or even to the distro you are using install a 4.15 or 4.19 and remove the kernel you are using or leave it as secondary. I have been running Linux on 2 computers since 2016, but on both, only and exclusively Linux as the only operating system. I have used both computers, absolutely for everything, to work, to study, to play triple A games, for everything, I have not needed, nor do I need Windows, absolutely for nothing, because nowadays with Linux you can do everything, my The woman has even gotten a competitive exam with Linux. Another thing is not knowing how to use it. Due to work issues, I had to install Windows again recently in dual boot with Linux, wow, Windows was an odyssey, I even had to look for the printer drivers manually and in Linux it is automatic and a host of amazing problems, my Woman, who is a total denial for technology, she told me, as soon as you can remove this slop from Windows and leave me only Linux, which in Linux is all super simple and everything works. Windows, currently, on an old pc gives many more problems than Linux. By the way, since 2016, I have not had any problems on my two computers with only Linux, I have never had to format unless it was for pleasure, to try distros, etc. With Windows, since 2016 I could write a book of the problems that I had already had. Linux for a few years now is a true glory.
It is the most snobbish article I have read lately.
Hello Friend, if you want challenges, install an Arch distraction on your PC from scratch, and don't stop until it is fully functional.
There is no challenge. The manual is very complete and clear
Log4j, a login solution?
I think you are confused between a login and a logger.
regards
Indeed. But, as it was December 24 and I came from toasting with friends, I am unimpeachable.
Thanks for the warning.
More than Linux ... I saw unix as a challenge ... for tastes and colors ...
Hello Diego, you are really correct in several aspects. It's like today's education, it's very rare to see kids pick up a physical book and read it when Google throws you blogging, analysis, and so on. The same thing happens with Linux, however if you look at it from the other side by saving time in both typing and solving small things, you can get fully into dealing with other software issues such as those who are dedicated to using Gimp to its maximum potential or by For example, set yourself small challenges like "Will I be able to do the same thing I do on Linux?" If you have more facilities, it is obvious that you have more doubts and personal challenges. Everything depends on the level of curiosity or interest of the user. The same thing happens with high school students with homework, some take pains to go to a library or dig deeper into research while others decide to copy everything on their cell phone and leave more time for sports or just for leisure. That varies, that's why they say that Linux is a varied world that adjusts to each user from the one who only manages with difficulty to install Ubuntu and access Google as those who are dedicated to creating their own code. I understand your point Diego, but it only requires some understanding and tolerance in the face of this new era, I am from those days of the good Mandrake and I know what you are talking about… But that is how the future points. Merry Christmas.
Thank you for your comment and Merry Christmas.
But what bullshit !! Why should users be expectant or anxious about a new version? And that makes me lazy or lazy? There is no operating system like Linux that gives so many possibilities or options to its "users" and each one takes what they want or need
Linux should be easy if it wants to be popular, and private enterprise if it supports GNU-Linux. Steam and the same MS. I have been a user since 2007.
I have been using Linux since 2001, that year I could never get video, it was a version of Redhat. Then I became an "expert" on installations, dual booting, and so on. I convinced several to use linux, I continue to use it, like all linuxero, I have it on several computers, different distributions, etc. But it still presents me with challenges. For example I have not been able to work with something similar to revit or archicad in linux. I understand that there are people like me, who will always keep looking and there is the other part of the people, who are happy with things as they are now.
And yes, we sound old.
A greeting.
Diego is right, for once he has it ... hahahahahaha. But that is not only in Linux, it is this society, in which technological advance creates absolute comfort, because more and more they give you everything chewed up. Clear examples, the gps, before those gps called tomtom came out, which were a separate thing that you put in the car, we went everywhere without problems, now to go practically anywhere we put the gps and we do not know how to go anywhere Without GPS, today's generations don't even understand that. The remote control of the TV, yes, as incredible as it may seem years ago, the TVs did not have a remote control, and what caused the remote control? . The Alexa speaker? More of the same, so that only with your voice, so that you no longer even have to use your mobile, you can do endless things. All this is called, misnamed, technological advances, misnamed, because they make you think less and less, move less, etc. In Linux? Well, yes and no, let's see Diego, this is Linux, and what is the greatest Gift of Linux? Diversity. Those comforts to which you allude, are distros designed for beginners, to attract all kinds of audiences to Linux and give it all chewed up so that they do not run away, if you want to retain them you are not going to give them a Gentoo entry, because then yes what They are going to run away with their tails between their legs and they are not going to look at Linux again. The Distros of now, are more perfected and give practically zero problems, which does, as you indicate, that by not having to look for life to solve problems, you learn less Linux or even nothing. It is true, but it is also true that, for example Linux mint, is a very valid distro for beginners, but it is also valid for advanced users, that there are and many who, even being advanced users and even professionals of the Linux world, use that type of Distros. But I go back to the same thing, this is Linux, with Windows you can't do anything other than use Windows, but in Linux you can do whatever you want, if you want to experiment and learn, you can go into slackware or gentoo and you will freak out in colors and you are going to really learn Linux, especially with gentoo, because no, even if there is a very good manual, gentoo is gentoo, where you will learn little Linux is with arch, with that unjustified reputation for being complicated, when following its wiki in just 20 minutes You are going to have it installed and you have only limited yourself to copy and paste like a fool and you have learned nothing. In gentoo it is all from scratch, everything step by step, you will even have to compile the kernel and in gentoo, no matter how much wiki there is, you will learn Linux yes or yes, because to really leave it working you will have to deal with endless from problems. I said this is Linux and it is as far as you want to go and of course you also have, as you say, Linux From Scratch, that is already from infinity and beyond, hahaha.
https://twitter.com/nelo5391/status/1475478580125655044/photo/1
Ha ha, the funniest thing about the post ... the comments ... they just couldn't hit the nail on the head ... In part I think because your opinion is biased, such is the progress of GNU / Linux in recent times to such a level that in many fields at times Previous today reached the quality, maturity and automation of certain proprietary solutions ("With the next, next and the assistants to leave it to the shot in a few seconds").
However, if what you really like is tinkering, putting your hand to everything and making it your own ... you also have it ... Conclusion, indeed many users stopped being geeks and went to the lazy corner ha ha ha ... And watch that from My point of view is the greatness of this community, where they do not impose the way forward, much less how you have to do it.
Hugs and happy holidays to everyone !!! ...
It is an operating system and is designed to manage resources and hardware for you, not for you to fight with it.
You can take advantage of that time that saves you from solving compatibility problems by taking a course, dedicating time to your hobbies or ... in your case, writing pretentious articles like this one.
Another who did not understand anything.
What I say is precisely that. Qu the user has to learn the things he needs about computer security and system operation while the operating system takes care of the rest.
Slackware will get you out of a bad trance
No, it is just about copy and paste of tutorials.
Interesting opinion. Personally, after 14 years of having known and used Linux in different distros, and having had to use keyboard-hours to solve some complications, I have learned that there will always be some difficulty that delays our work and requires a little research and leave the area of comfort. I stay alert and always ready to get on that boat when necessary. Today I only use Windows to support home and known users, Linux Q4OS is my base distro and 5 or 6 pendrive with some distro for emergencies. Really, from my point of view, there is not that much comfort or laziness.
Happy holidays with a big hug!
Likewise, and thank you for your comment.