fugepeWhat are the main challenges in Linux adoption for New users, and how can it be addressed?
adonisNew user: I have a problem đ
Everyone:đ
- are you on xorg or wayland?
- pulseaudio or pipewire?
- what WM/DE are you using?
- amd or nvidia?
- what distro?
- systemd?
New user: Nevermind đŽâđ¨
Doing tech support, I encountered this attitude. People like that are nearly impossible to help. âWhy canât you just fix it!â The true answer never given is that your problem is probably something stupid you are doing, like trying to make a phone call by physically shoving the phone entirely up your asshole, and until I run through some common problems and ask some questions, I wonât be able to tell you to have your significant other get the salad tongs and pull it out of your rear and then go over âdialing.â
People mostly need to be willing to gather detailed system info with Inxi and share it.
No. Thatâs the support job to figure out the problem of the user. It is not the userâs job to figure out the support problems.
I work in support, so I know what Iâm talking about. Unfortunately most computer guys are elitist assholes who canât understand a user doesnât have their knowledge or even the will to understand why this shitty tech is not working.
Free open source software projects you donât pay for donât have paid support. If you talk to a fellow user it IS your job to figure out your problem. if you donât have the will to understand anything you ought to buy a support contract.
ZoidsbergI donât disagree with you, but to answer OPâs question, I think this right here is the problem. I love Linux for the same reason I love building my own PCs and working on my own car. For most people that donât want to tinker, though, theyâre looking for something that âjust worksâ and can be fixed by someone else when it breaks.
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Îąâ ĎĎâŃŃĎĎŃItâs such a privileged attitude, though. One CAN get paid support, but they donât need it if theyâre just a bit patient and willing to follow instructions. If you donât want to pay, donât expect someone else to deal with your bullshit.
(Iâm not saying this to you, but to anyone who has this attitude.)
It can subject wasnât entirely clear in my prior post I agree with you, and that is exactly what I was trying to say. You the user of a foss project, arenât a customer unless you give someone money. It IS your job to figure out your own issues. If you ask for help from your fellow users and they graciously provide you help then this is a gift you should appreciate. Because the person isnât an expert on that topic in the employ of the creator, they might not know everything, nor do they have the infinite patience imparted by being paid by the hour to provide you help. They have their own shit to do. Treating them with entitlement and contempt like people treat support will burn these sorts of folks out, and they are far from an infinite resource. If you want a paid support relationship instead of treating the open source community as free help whose time you are entitled to, you ought to actually pay someone to do that job.