On Linux forums I, a woman, would get ignored and disrespected. These days I ask my question, then switch to a fake account to give a completely wrong answer, then switch back again to thank them and praise their Linux knowledge. The experts show up right away. Sorted.
@fesshole Cunningham's Law
Cunningham's Law - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Wiktionary
@BenHM3 @fesshole y'know what I had no idea it was Ward Cunningham who this is credited to... for some reason I had it associated with Admiral Cunningham
@BenHM3 @jackeric @fesshole Wait. You're telling me that Cunningham's Law defeats Dunning-Kruger effect? 😧

@clickhere @jackeric @fesshole

No, it defeats the bullshit “wisdom of crowds.” D-K is like the gravitational constant.

@BenHM3 @jackeric @fesshole Hah!

(And.. oh for feck's sake, that's true.. 😩)

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is Autocorrelation – Economics from the Top Down

Do unskilled people actually underestimate their incompetence?

Economics from the Top Down
@fesshole I normally only stay on certain sides of the Linux community, mostly super queer ones, so I forgot how very non-progressive so much of it is.

@doraii @fesshole The Linux community is probably the most extreme community ever (as a bi furry myself). Excluding the people who use it for their job.

You get the extremely "Don't Tread on Me" individualistic conservatives and then the more collectivist, very gay side which has the vibe of a cheesey cyberpunk film (in a good way) who are responsible for like 80% of the projects people care about.

Surprisingly the Venn diagram isn't entirely seperate.

@fesshole This is a sucessful application of a technique called self-akshually-zation

@fesshole Is this a Con job, or... a... Con Fess shun?..

watawoyld

@fesshole fuckin internet hack right there.

10/10 no notes

@fesshole If you don't know the answer, how do you know it's the wrong answer?

This is, of course, a version of the "a stopped clock is right twice a day" problem.

@juliaclement @fesshole I don't know what the cure to cancer is, but I sure as hell know that it *isn't* topical chlorine gas. We've known that since WW1.
@juliaclement @fesshole it's something she tried and didn't work, so it's surely wrong
@juliaclement @fesshole she probably posts about something she already tried. Something that sounds feasible (hence answer) but didn't actually work (hence wrong).

@fesshole It's just nerds not able to resist to correct wrong stuff. I see it all the time. Hell even they cant resist apostrophe's and wrong splellings !

But I have respect for women. I'm just scared of them. I'm afraid to look at their faces, eyes or come in contact with them. Not because I hate women, but I don't want to offend, or cause any kind of commotion. I'm scared of the unknown and they are the unknown

I've had traumatic experiences with my parents, especially with my mum so yeah...

@fesshole I really wish this sounded less legit. :(
@fesshole Not a woman but often incapable of eliciting a response to my basic Linux questions. Maybe I should try your method!
@crow @fesshole Had a work colleague who was an expert, but always assumed someone else would answer, so I started taking this tactic to prod them off their ass. Surprisingly he never called me out on it.
@fesshole *meme modern problem require modern solution*
@fesshole actual lol - it’s so true
@fesshole I've already read that, and reading it twice in a short time doesn't make me suspicious. Because I've contacted "experts" before, and I've received mixed reactions, I mean extreme.
There are very nice and helpful people, and the worst kind of sociopaths, both sitting at the same top level table.
Anyone can see that emerging from the wars running inside projects.
There's no such idillyc haven in the dry plain fact that some software is open source. Nor there's any rule for closed one.

@fesshole

Most of the time, I can’t tell if I’m talking to a man or a woman…

@fesshole That sounds exhausting
@fesshole Setting the mansplainers against themselves is what's called a pro gamer move I reckon
@fesshole Wow, yeah sorry we have so many “superiority complex’s” in technology & science.
I have a few words to say to people about this exact subject… I will rant about it at a later date.
But here’s my main message:
Be kind to one another, people, you have to stop being so “superior” , because you’re not helping anyone learn anything when you behave like this. And no, you’re not “better than everyone” you just “know a bit more of something”.
@fesshole This is so clever. I’ve posted questions where I included the steps I tried that didn’t work and still get “answers” asking if I tried doing just those things. I may try this in the future. Thanks!

@fesshole

These problems existed long before Internet fora. Back in the days of BBS and fidonet, there was some guy in the Midwest that always confused expanded vs extended memory. I wanted to drive there and kick him in the nuts.

@fesshole as a rule I’ve always looked at the answer (or question) not who posted it. As for asking technical Q’s on forums; The 10-80-10 rule applies.

10% are noobs with the wrong answer.
80% don’t know the answer, think they do and often, not always lead you down the wrong path to a partial solution.

The final 10% know the answer, may or may not reply or even be on the forums.

@peterrenshaw @fesshole

You've left out the percentage who tell you there's something wrong with your question and close the thread before you get a chance to address it. Fucking toxic tech forums.

@fesshole @pewnack yeah I’ve seen that. I was a beta tester on a popular *Old-World* Q/A where I was “Last seen more than 10 years ago”. ¥

The login system used bad, the idea of technical pedant’s answering questions from mostly n00bs was rewarded.

Thoughtful longer tailored answers ignored for short snappy RTFM, then mean cryptic answers or references to past questions was the norm.

AI chewed this idea up. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer mob.

The way Python docs are written, Man & info files, RFCs and books are a gold standard for documentation and learning core concepts. Usenet, (historically) twitter were good for water cooler Q/A’s.

¥ <https://stackoverflow.com/users/2092/bootload>

User bootload

Stack Overflow | The World’s Largest Online Community for Developers

Stack Overflow

@peterrenshaw @fesshole

I've experienced nothing but toxic behaviour. Speaking specifically of Stack exchange/overflow. I just don't use it as anything other than a read only resource anymore.

Meanwhile, in my workplace there are several of those toxic dickheads I now try my very best to stay clear.

This toxic bullshit was well before LLMs.

At least LLMs aren't condescending arseholes.

@peterrenshaw

Meanwhile, do you realise how condescending and infantilising the term "n00bs" actually is?

@fesshole

@pewnack @fesshole yeah, but it’s accurate. You have the knowledge that people “don’t know, what they don’t know” and are confidently oblivious to this.

Had a “Marketing Guy” look at developers all day and came to the conclusion Marketing was place where the money was made and turning ideas into code was easy. Watched him for days wiring up some simple GUI in VB with a button.

He was a total n00b.

@peterrenshaw

The term is childish and made to be infantilising.

Have you even tried using "beginners"?

@fesshole

@pewnack @fesshole beginners, true beginners are humble and want to listen and learn. So should everyone who knows a skill. There are always new things to learn and master.

N00bs want to go from zero to good without staying humble, listening and mastering basics.

@pewnack @peterrenshaw @fesshole in a way, "n00b" is self deprecating, because of the l33tsp33k origin and the deliberate misspelling. If intentional, it can be humanizing, so context matters.

I see it as shorthand in many cases for "oh, you sweet summer child", but I was never a gamer.

@fesshole

You kick them in their eggos.

@fesshole The issue here isn't the specific "women" part, it's the "Linux" part. I can tell you as a Debian, ex Fedora, ex Arch user, that everyone on Linux Forums is an asshole and no one gives any helpful answers, Linux for me is a trial by fire thing, I've managed to claw my way into kinda somewhat knowing how it works now.
@Fesshole 🧻
On Linux forums I, a woman
how do they know you're a woman?
@fesshole You are practiced in the dark art of social engineering.