_n9

Met a nice lady at the grocery store

https://lemmy.ml/post/4090063

Met a nice lady at the grocery store - Lemmy

Today at the grocery store a sweet older lady approached me and asked if I knew anything about computers. I said yes I do, and she produced a mouse saying that her son set up Linux mint for her and she was wondering if the mouse was compatible. It needed kernel version 2.6 or newer so I said that the mouse should work, guessing mint itself was probably newer than that kernel. Happy with my answer, we chatted a little, then she thanked me and left. It was a nice experience, so I thought I should share!

Aug 29, 2023 at 4:38pmWeb
Show threadNakoichi [they/them]Aug 29, 2023
Based boomer ladies embracing open source software.
Show threadnocturne213Aug 29, 2023
I tried to install Linux on my mom’s laptop for her, it was too scary. So she is still using windows 7 and probably getting scammed left and right.
Show threadBiptaAug 29, 2023
Zorin looks easier for the unacquainted.
Show threadnocturne213Aug 29, 2023
After I tried to set up her new home internet and she had a melt down because I asked her if she had done any of the items I asked her to do (try connecting her smart tv to the network using the information I gave her) I no longer offer tech support to her, in fact we have barely spoken since then. It has been wonderful.
Show threadsquibletAug 29, 2023
Back in 2010 or so I got sick of my mother constantly getting viruses, Trojans and spyware and installed Linux on her laptop. It actually worked out great… support calls went from once a month to her just wondering how to get the photos from her camera periodically. After a few years she got a Chromebook, which surprisingly has been more annoying. My dad somehow thought she needed 6 Google accounts or something and she’s constantly confused about which one she’s signed into. Other than that, both are a whole lot easier to deal with for both of us than her having windows.
Show threadJ4g2FAug 29, 2023

My dad is running xubuntu for about 6 years now. I didn’t get any questions in the last 2 years. Besides for installing a new printer.

Before that it was mostly which program he needed for something. Never a black screen anymore, malware or anything like that.

Show threadEvilsandwichman [none/use name]Aug 30, 2023

Never a black screen anymore, malware or anything like that.

He’s using Linux; even the hackers think he’s suffering enough.

Show threadjungekatz [comrade/them, undecided]Aug 29, 2023
My mom on the other hand did not find it problematic , given that she never used computers before and her first exp was linux mint 😌
Show threadthisonethatone [he/him]Aug 29, 2023
They’ll probably enjoy Linux way more than windows. It’s so much less intrusive.
Show threadEvilsandwichman [none/use name]Aug 30, 2023
Yeah plus after two hours googling how to make something work, and then another two hours googling why the solution failed they can get used to getting off the PC and internalizing the concept of ‘life’s too short’.
Show threadthisonethatone [he/him]Aug 30, 2023

Um, no, they’re going to call grandson to do it lol.

Also, Linux mint is a very stable distro & I doubt grandma will have to do much if she just uses it for email, a browser, and sudoku

Show thread𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘬Aug 29, 2023
Old lady uses Linux … what’s your excuse?
Show threadRegular HumanAug 29, 2023
muh vibeo ganes
Show threadTeddEAug 29, 2023

With the exception of a handful of titles, this is a quickly evaporating problem, due to Valve pouring millions of dollars into the development the steam deck (motivated by wanting to separate themselves from being dependent on their computer Xbox/Microsoft).

Valve recently passed 11,000 playable or verified titles for the Deck, and since the Deck is Linux, that means 11,000 playable games in Linux (with priority on the most played games)

Show threadCoeusAug 29, 2023
Yeah, I was playing the Guardians of the Galaxy game on Linux Mint the other day. It blows my mind what Proton can do.
Show threadLupecSep 1, 2023

As someone who regularly games on a Deck and occasionally uses Nobara on a desktop, it definitely shows, yeah. Incredible how far we’ve come in that regard.

I do still stick with Windows on desktop 90% of the time because unfortunately it seems some of the more advanced NVIDIA features I use very often like DLDSR are unlikely to ever make their way to the Linux drivers, but that’s a petty me problem.
I definitely agree that for the vast majority of users it’s a pretty good experience nowadays unless one can’t make do without the handful of games with unsupported anticheat and such.

Show threadWldFyreAug 30, 2023
Do most newer fighting games work on Linux? I usually play multiplayer games and the anti cheats usually don’t work on Linux, but I’m not sure how modern fighting games are set up.
Show threadRabu932Sep 1, 2023
I play Strive, SF6 and BBCF fine on my desktop linux PC. Had some technical problems with sf6 when I had a Nvidia gpu, but it wasn’t related to anti cheat. Works great with AMD.
Show threadWldFyreSep 2, 2023
Thanks for the info? Would you know if Tekken works? Or how to find out?
Show threadTimeSquirrelAug 29, 2023

My father, who taught computer science for the Army, later became a government contractor, and for whom Unix systems were bread and butter, is now retired and farts around on a Mac reading political blogspam all day.

My mother, having never had any interest or real education in computing in her entire life, now uses Linux Mint to take care of important shit and keep the family organized.

Show threadHankAug 29, 2023
I'm not a nerd.
Show threadBlack616AngelAug 29, 2023

Takes one to know one.

Here is your bootable USB-Stick.

Show threadEvilsandwichman [none/use name]Aug 30, 2023
I’m not senile
Show threadRustedSwitchAug 29, 2023

I don’t have any reason to not trust OP, but the likelihood of this conversation happening at ALL seems incredibly unlikely. Never mind that it is described as successful.

If true, this is amazing.

Show threadsquibletAug 29, 2023
I don’t get why she would take her mouse to the grocery store rather than just ask her son, who installed it for her. All I could guess would be, her old mouse didn’t work so she went out and bought one?
Show threadStillAug 29, 2023
I’m assuming OP meant a store like Target or Walmart that have groceries and also a tech section
Show thread_n9Aug 29, 2023
Yes, it’s a bigger store where the bottom floor is groceries and the top is more of a department store with a few shelves of computer and phone stuff, among other things.
Show threadlunarulAug 29, 2023
Changing the setting from a grocery isle to an electronics department makes for a completely different story. Goes from “yeah, sure, that happened” to “perfectly credible encounter.”
Show threadTipponAug 29, 2023

I’ve had people ask me about random things in the food aisles before now, simply because I’ve been the first ‘young’ person they’ve run into since they picked up the item.

*I’m in my 40s, but on a weekday afternoon, it’s mostly elderly people in some supermarkets. I still know nothing about Pokemon though…

Show threadPotato_in_my_anusAug 29, 2023
All the grocery stores around where I live sell pretty much everything; electronics, car accessories, hardware like lights, screwdrivers, pliers etc. And yes, also fruits, vegetables, meats, deli, etc.
Show threadpoVoqAug 29, 2023

I literally set up Ubuntu for my mother (an old lady by now) 10+ years ago, and she has absolutely no problems with it other than the occasional LTS version updates that I need to do for her. I am pretty sure the overall tech-support I had to do for her over all these years is actually lower as it is much more difficult to accidentally mess up a desktop Linux than some Windows installation.

I live a few hours away from her and can’t just go out and buy her a new mouse (and she doesn’t like online shopping), so the OP story could be exactly her to the letter (except she isn’t using Linux Mint).

Show threadRustedSwitchAug 29, 2023

Yeah, I’m not saying it’s impossible, just incredibly unlikely.

The number of people out there that fit the description of your mother is low.

The number of people that could have intelligently answered the question is a bit higher, but still low.

The likelihood of those 2 people meeting in a store not dedicated to computer tech, and having this exact conversation, is like… monkeys playing Mozart level unlikely. ;)

Show threadsome_guyAug 29, 2023

Good thing you’re here to sus out the BS, otherwise we might all have been hoodwinked by OP recalling this wholesome interaction at this store.

Honestly at this point you’ve spent longer trying to explain why it’s made up than OP took to write it.

Are you happy with the person that you are? I can’t imagine you’re very pleasant to spend time with.

Show threadRustedSwitchAug 29, 2023

Yeah, I’m content with who I am.

Your assumption regarding my goal is wrong though. I took care to explain my thoughts in a way that didn’t deny the possibility outright. No worries if you missed that, or are skeptical.

I think most can agree (even if you don’t) that the chances of this are just wild. That itself was interesting enough to me that I chose to type out 2 comments. I’m told commenting/contributing is the point of being on lemmy?

Anyway, I don’t know who pissed in your wheaties, but I hope your day improves from here.

Show thread_n9Aug 29, 2023

I completely agree, it was one in a million and I was extremely surprised when it happened.

I’ve never been on the receiving end of a “that happened” before. Not really sure what to do about it. But I get it.

Show threadRustedSwitchAug 29, 2023
I’m not being skeptical!
Show threadthefartographerAug 29, 2023

I literally set up Ubuntu for my mother…

I’ve never seen someone so brazenly bragging about elder abuse before.

Show threadsquibletAug 29, 2023
My mother did way better with Ubuntu than Windows (also, that was 2010-2014 and Ubuntu seemed a bit better back then)
Show threadladyanita22Aug 29, 2023
So does mine. I installed an old, 4GB Fedora laptop connected to a monitor for her to watch Netflix and TV on her bed. We literally reused a laptop from 2013, an old 900p monitor and a VGA cable + a cheap, poor quality Amazon speaker I was not using at all. I’m really happy with how everything turned out.
Show threadsepAug 29, 2023
Agreed!, my relatives get Debian
Show threadAggravationstationAug 29, 2023
I installed Fedora on my aunt’s laptop she runs an eBay business with. She only ever used Excel for a spreadsheet she tracks her accounts with and Chrome for her listings. Replaced them with Libre office calc and Chromium, didn’t really need to explain anything to her
Show threadladyanita22Aug 29, 2023
To be fair chrome is an option on Fedora as well
Show threadAggravationstationAug 30, 2023
Yea, but now both apps she uses are open source
Show threadladyanita22Aug 29, 2023
I mean, it could be possible that the box of the mouse said something like kernel 2.6+. Considering that is older than 2011, OP’s answer was absolutely spot on.
Show threadKIM_JONG_JUICEBOXAug 31, 2023
Why is this sweet old lady carrying a mouse around the grocery store asking about decades old kernel versions lol
Show threadHadriscusSep 1, 2023
Put like that… 😂
Show threadfrankfurt_schoolgirl [she/her]Aug 29, 2023

asked if I knew anything about computers

lol you got profiled. nice that you could help her tho

Show threadTimeSquirrelAug 29, 2023
What grocery store and where? I set up Linux Mint for my Mom. She's 67.
Show thread_n9Aug 29, 2023
Don’t really want to doxx myself, but in the Helsinki area
Show threadkrashAug 29, 2023

More Finns should be using Linux, specially considering its Finnish origins.

Also, hello from the other side of Östersjön 👋

Show threadladyanita22Aug 29, 2023

I mean, Linux is not American than Finnish at this point.

But yeah, it still was born in Finland :)

Show thread_n9Aug 30, 2023
Hejsan, Jag håller med! :)
Show threadTimeSquirrelAug 29, 2023
BRB, gotta make some phone calls, Mom's lost in Finland apparently.
Show threadpythonoobAug 29, 2023

Today at the grocery store a sweet older lady approached me and asked if I knew anything about computers.

Next on things that totally happened today…

Show threadSRoAug 29, 2023
Why do you lie like this?
Show threadargv_minus_oneAug 29, 2023

Mouse? Sure. Those are standardized and interchangeable. 99.999% chance of success.

Graphics card? Wi-Fi interface? Now you’ve got problems.

Show threadNateSwiftAug 29, 2023
Even then 99% of the time it’s just installing a single package to fix it. Just gotta check the lookup table on the wiki
Show threadargv_minus_oneAug 29, 2023
I’m afraid that’s not true. Attempting to use an NVIDIA GPU will cause problems. You can kinda-sorta mitigate some of them, kinda-sorta, but not really, and the web is filled with people complaining about said problems.
Show threadLiiTheBaddieAug 29, 2023
Man I must be lucky or something, not 1 problem with my NVIDIA GPU. Tho more likely I picked the distros that had better NVIDIA support.
Show threadargv_minus_oneAug 29, 2023
Must be. Once I started having problems with NVIDIA on Linux, I swore off all NVIDIA products and never looked back. Zero tolerance for that nonsense.