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In Linux, things are often upside down
Quoting: In Linux, things are often upside down —
What do you make of this article, eh? Well, as always, my good intentions will be misconstrued by many. What makes me sad is that at almost every opportunity that the Linux desktop has had to rise, there was always subconscious sabotage. There were so many great chances, like the death of Windows 7 or the current boogaloo with Windows 10/11. Have those been utilized to maximize the presence of Linux in mainstream use? Of course not. Mainstream is treated with disdain. In some ways, yes, the community is right, mainstream is poison, and it will include lots of "show your papers" rituals and similar nonsense. But then again, the Linux folks also bemoan the lack of recognition and inclusion in software discussions, which stem from low usage.
And we circle back to what I wrote in 2009, and how to make Linux more successful. Steam is doing their part. But the rest of the ecosystem still struggles from what can be best described as "developed-focused" work. When will the Linux community realize that it's not about developers. They are a tiny part of the population, and their brain patterns are orthogonal to how people utilize their machines. And we don't need to look at simians swiping left and right for inspiration. Even "ordinary" educated non-developers face massive challenges using their (favorite) operating system, because it is designed for people who design it in the first place, a bittersweet recursive paradox.
The examples of tiny utilities being deprecated (before viable alternatives are proven for use), the security nonsense, all these point to a rather naive disconnect from the harsh, ugly reality around us. In some ways, I envy the Linux folks. I would like to have the same approach, to innocently believe the world is better and nicer than it is. But then, I also need to be pragmatic, and every time I power my Linux systems, I wonder what will happen in a year or two. There's no safety anchor. I can't rely on a stable future. The only supposedly redeeming thing is that EVERYONE else is now also doing their best ruining stability and consistency as usability factors. But that just means less fun overall. It's a lose-lose situation.