this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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"It's possible I did something wrong." 🤣
Like not read the warning that said that he was about to uninstall the desktop? Or to continue only if he knew what he was doing? He also earlier liked to talk about "red flags", but somehow needing to type in "Yes, do as I say!" wasn't one to him. I'm supposed to be getting Linux tips from this guy?
No, this is Linus Sex Tips not Linux Tech Tips!
No. You're supposed to see what kind of experience someone who didn't use Linux before would have.
How could someone who has never used Linux know that he was about to nuke his system, after typing in the command that the internet told him to type in to install Steam?
By reading the message and using basic comprehension. If you don't know what something is in an error message then google it!
Far be it from me to defend "I did what the internet told me to do!" but nothing in
sudo apt-get install steamwould lead you to believe you were about to nuke core system packages. That was a big fuckup for PopOS.There's also no reason to believe that
apt updatewould be a preemptive solution to that problem, when it hadn't even been reported to PopOS yet. Let alone expect newcomers to Linux, who are just following widely available tutorials, to know that command and what it does.What makes you think your average Windows user that is trying out Linux for the first time wouldn't have faced the same problem? I never understood why people criticized Linus for this video. After all, the video was supposed to see whether Linux is a viable alternative for Windows users (specifically gamers).
Yes. People have been trained to ignore warnings like this.
Android makes you jump through a hoop and tries to scare you when you want to install apps from outside the playstore.
Windows has some similarly serious-sounding warning messages.
People have got used to rolling their eyes at warnings when installing software. Like it or not, that's the way that it is. Users are used to seeing a scary warning when installing, and they're used to just powering through it without much thought.
Linus was following a tutorial on the PopOS website, followed the instructions, and borked his install.
I have problems with LTT in general, but the PopOS thing was entirely understandable, and people pretending that wasn't a usability problem in PopOS are delusional.
I agree with that other reply.
Linus knew just enough to be dangerous.
My experience with most Windows users and their first encounter with using a Linux terminal is every single warning/error they see no matter how mundane is a big deal.
Things like the boot text or a random
aptinstall on Linux will often display various warnings or even "errors" that are really of no concern but ime tend to freak out new users.Linus is in that narrow band where he doesn't really know shit but knows just enough to be falsely confident and ignore all the warnings/errors instead of just the irrelevant ones
He's at the bottom end of 'knows just enough to be dangerous', and people make fun of people in that range. The vast majority of gamers and Windows users fall well outside that narrow band. The average Windows user who is scared of the terminal wouldn't ignore several warnings and type in confirmation phrases. They wouldn't have even gotten to that point because to get there you need to copy/paste things from a website without understanding what it does.