this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2024
1155 points (97.7% liked)

Linux

48655 readers
877 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I feel like I've been gaslit into running FOSS but every success only brings me closer to fighting god

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 78 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

Your post couldn't be more true. Decades ago I was sold on MythTV, this PVR software but it only ran on Linux and you had to compile it yourself. So I gave Linux and MythTV a shot. As it turned out, both MythTV and early desktop Linux were a buggy, frustrating mess. X broke all the time. Incomprehensible, ungoogleable compile errors all the time.

I spent so much time troubleshooting MythTV and compilation problems that I ended up learning Linux inside and out and the C programming language to be able understand the compile errors. I went on to lead a major open source project and have had a long career as a programmer, using all the knowledge I gained that started with fighting MythTV.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago

MythTV was an amazing nightmare.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I don't want to dox myself so I'd rather not say, but it was some time ago and I'm no longer leading that project. I do still do development in the same field though!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago