this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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I use Arch btw


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[–] [email protected] 112 points 1 year ago (5 children)

You seem to like the lines-of-code metric. There are many lines of GNU code in a typical Linux distribution. You seem to suggest that (more LOC) == (more important). However, I submit to you that raw LOC numbers do not directly correlate with importance. I would suggest that clock cycles spent on code is a better metric. For example, if my system spends 90% of its time executing XFree86 code, XFree86 is probably the single most important collection of code on my system. Even if I loaded ten times as many lines of useless bloatware on my system and I never excuted that bloatware, it certainly isn't more important code than XFree86. Obviously, this metric isn't perfect either, but LOC really, really sucks. Please refrain from using it ever again in supporting any argument.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Can confirm it's a shitty metric. I once saved the company I was working at few millions by changing one line of code. And it took 3 days to find it. And it was only 3 characters changed.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's the curse and blessing of our profession: efficiency of work is almost impossible to measure once you go beyond very simple code.

You can feel like a hero for changing three characters and finally fixing that nasty, or you can feel like an absolute disgrace for needing days to find such a simple fix. Your manager employs the same duality of judgement

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like a hero in this particular case, it was a bug in a code that was written when I was still too young to even read. And no one knew how to run it. We didn't have access to the pipelines so no one knew how to build it and how to run it. It was a very obscure hybrid of C and PHP. I basically had to be the compiler, I went line by line through the whole codebase, searching for the code path that caused the error. Sounds easy enough, right? Just CTRL+click in your IDE. Wouldn't it be a shame if someone decided that function names should be constructed as a string using at least 20 levels of nesting where each layer adda something to the function name and then it's finally called. TL;DR it was a very shitty code.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What the fuck. I'm so appalled I had to leave this useless comment to digitally stare with an agape mouth.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

To be fair, they said I'll be dealing with legacy code from time to time during the interview.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But did you add 3 characters? Gotta bump up that code count bruh.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Nope, removed 3, added 1.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wrote a program that does nothing but busy loop on all cores. stylist_trend/Linux is my favourite OS.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

i’m partial to the more relaxing sleep(500)/linux os, but to each their own

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[–] starman 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then this: :(){ :|:& };: is most important code in existence.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

What you refer to as Linux, is actually called Forkbomb/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calli-[Process Killed]

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[–] [email protected] 57 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ubuntu: "Linux"
Fedora: "Linux"
Arch: "Linux"
Gentoo: "Linux"
Slackware: "Linux"
Debian: "Free Operating System"

[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There's more truth to that than most people realize: Linux is only one kernel option in Debian:

Debian GNU/kFreeBSD

Debian GNU/NetBSD

Debian GNU/Hurd

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Debian: "Libre Operating System"

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Been running a Linux based os for coming up on two years. I still definitely do not care about this.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago

Been running a Linux based os for coming up on twenty years. I still definitely do not care about this.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But the compiler is GNU!


If you compile windows with GCC is it gnu/windows?

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

So, how's Hurd doing these days? If they want their own operating system, maybe they should release version 1.0 of their kernel.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

There are distros without GNU, like alpine.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I honestly never cared about this, it's the first time I write something about that, but any Linux-based OS is made of countless different software. What limits the number of names to two? Why can't I call my OS OpenVPN/Gnu/Linux, then why not Wayland/OpenVPN/Gnu/Linux? That would be crazy. A single recognizable name is what makes it.

Furthermore by definition an operating system is an interface between userspace applications to the hardware, hence the operating system should be just Linux.

Not shitting on GNU at all, but this push for calling the OS Gnu/Linux seems futile

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Furthermore by definition an operating system is an interface between userspace applications to the hardware, hence the operating system should be just Linux.

It gets more complicated with microkernels, though because you literally can't run anything without some important processes running in userspace.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Well, no surprise they have more lines of code. And that's even if you disregard printing help.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is why Windows users don’t switch.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I used Linux for many years, I still run it for my personal projects. I'm sure it's not everyone but damn the community is toxic as hell to newbies. If something doesn't work it's your fault. Don't know what flatpak is? You're an idiot. How do I use X? Don't use X it sucks but also I won't provide alternatives. Linux just works now open up terminal and type these flags to mount your external drive correctly so other programs can see it.

I love the power and customization but it's a confusing world at times with unhelpful people.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Some guy got mad at me for referring to linux as GNU/Linux in a post clearly making fun of him for being a huge shit head to someone earnestly trying to do something on Linux and failing. Never address any of the criticisms, just called me an idiot and a liar. SOME linux users are their own worst enemy if they want wider adoption.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

busybox, musl and llvm enter the room

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

holds up linux os without gnu software WHATS THIS THEN HUH?!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Cuz like, GNU was the thing before Linux, so I'd say that's pretty important.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Take a look at Alpine, Void, and (most importantly) Chimera Linux.

[–] lasagna 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I use arch/linux, btw.

As a german I also use Arsch, btw., for sitting.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The shortest proper name is GNU.

Inb4 Alpine, which is just called "Linux" internally.

People use terrible words in CS and engineering in general. Doesn't mean we don't challenge them.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (16 children)

I mean, GNU wants to be called an operating system but it can't talk to hardware.

[–] starman 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Linux want to be called an operating system but it's a kernel.

if only there was a way to combine these two...

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] dukk 6 points 1 year ago

Alpine Linux: what’s up, guys?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

So GNU I’d just bloat /s

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