Anatomy of the Linux troll with good intentions
Linux forums will always be a trolley tidbit, and now I’ll tell you why. Contrary to all the orders like “Do not feed the troll!” And “Such posts are better to ignore,” people will continue to respond, because the trolls (like all sorts of Linux distributions) are completely heterogeneous. In particular, there are trolls who look quite sincere and passionate, so they are always answered.
As it happens
Someone with a lot of - just incredibly large - experience in Windows, who knows a lot about programming, web development, server administration, remembers all DOS commands by heart, etc. heard from co-workers about linux. “What is worth a try! Everyone is talking about how wonderful he is, and it seems that I even read an article about Linux being ready for the desktop market ... in the year 2001. Well, let's see. "
')
He takes the usual distribution for housewives, such as Ubuntu. Ubuntu does not recognize the resolution of its monitor. This user is used to finding and installing a driver in such situations. But he can not find the driver. Then he decides to install some programs. And he does it the way he has become accustomed - he searches for them on the Internet, downloads and tries to install. However, instead of the installation wizard, it receives a README file with instructions in the form of a sequence of commands ./configure, make, and make install. He is trying to do all this, relying on his previous experience in Windows - and he is failing. He also notices that much of what he is used to (and that the average user simply does not need to - for example, find out the IP address of the computer) does not have a graphical interface. After some time, he can not stand. “I'm a programmer! Even if I can’t understand Linux, how can ordinary people [neighbor Mihalych, grandmother, etc.] be able to figure it all out? I think it’s worth telling all these Linux users to stop telling Linux tales to housewives. ”
And here he comes to the forum and expresses the above thought, without even realizing that he is not the first. He does it for good reason. He wants to help people. And what happens? Instead of exclaiming “Wow! You are the first who tells us that. We had no idea that the old-timers of Windows may have problems with Linux. Of course, we should lock in and develop further before showing Linux to people. ”Linux users are seriously upset. "You do everything as if it were Windows." The troll does not understand what Linux users are trying to explain. "Like in WIndows?" In Windows, this is much easier. At least I didn’t have any problems there. ”And he doesn’t realize how long it took him to learn how to work in Windows, and now, like a foreign language, Linux seems complicated not because it is complicated, but because it is different.
Here is the course of his reasoning:
The transition to a new operating system is like learning a new language - a different syntax, a different vocabulary, even a culture is completely different. And an English language expert can be harder to learn Chinese than his four-year-old daughter (who, of course, has little understanding of languages). Ask the children of immigrants themselves how often they have to translate for their parents. Similarly, someone who is very used to the methods of working with Windows will have a hard time adapting to Linux. Most ordinary users (non-programmers) will not have to run the ./configure, make, and make install commands and resolve dependencies. All they have to do is a couple of mouse clicks in the Synaptic package manager and all the programs they need will be downloaded and installed, including all dependencies. "Ordinary" users who have little sense in computers do not have to relearn. Maybe they are already accustomed to how to do something in Windows, but in fact they are just used to seeing icons and clicking on them.
Well-intentioned trolls act on the assumption that Linux should be a system for everyone. But Linux is not like that. And Windows is not like that. Just like OS X. Contrary to what some companies make you believe, there is no operating system for everyone. Moreover, from the point of view of some Linux purists, this means that Linux is not for the faint of heart. Such, when a problem occurs, they send to read the user manual. Such users have been familiar with Linux for too long and are confident that Linux should not try to please newbies. If a new user likes Linux, great. If not, let them fail. Others, like me, believe that some distros should be more focused on new users (which happens in many cases), but this does not mean that Linux is for everyone. It is for those whose mind is open to the new and those who have some computer skills. For example, if you use programs available only for Windows, a big fan of new products in the gaming industry and you have a win-modem, then Linux is clearly not for you. However, if you, like most users, need a computer only for what I call the “six elements” (“basic six” - literally “big six,” approx. Lane) , then Linux will appeal to you:
And we are all tired of these arguments like "Linux should be as easy to install as Windows." Windows is not easy to install. And most users don't install Windows at all. Point. And no matter how easy it will be to install and configure Linux - people will not start a massive transition to it until companies start buying more pompyuterov from Linux, until schools start getting more computers from Linux to train their students, and companies like Dell, will not start selling computers with Linux.
Many consider Mac OS X the most user-friendly operating system. Well, to a longtime Windows user (me), it was quite difficult to use Mac OS X first. I had to get used to a completely different set of hot keys (Cmd-Tab instead of Ctrl-Tab, Cmd +, to open the settings dialog, etc.). I did not know how to install the programs by dragging them from some white disc-shaped thing into the application folder. I'm used to installers. I did not know that I needed additional applications to remove the noise at boot. I did not understand why clicking on the + sign in the window does not open it. I did not understand why minimized windows are not restored when you transfer focus to them using Cmd-Tab. And this list can be continued for a long time. I was a disappointed user. But I digested it, and now both my wife and I are doing a great job with everyday tasks on Mac OS X. It’s the same with Linux. I digested it too. I accepted the Synaptic package manager and I can’t tolerate installers anymore. And this is all after twenty years of dealing with a Microsoft product and four months with Linux.
By the way, I'm not a programmer. I am not a sysadmin or web admin. I am not a graphic designer, game designer, or any engineer. I’m an ordinary former English teacher who honestly tried to master Linux, and now I’m a convert. I am not against Microsoft. I am not against Apple. I'm just behind Linux and I'm tired of hearing the same "sentences" over and over.
Well-intentioned trolls should refrain from writing posts. All this has already happened. And I hope that the next time the next such troll appears, you will simply give him a link to this post. For example, I will give. Because I am tired of writing the same denials of these accusations every time.
If you really want to help, instead of whining on the Linux forums, do something useful better:
This is a cross-post translation from my blog , welcome to everyone.
If I can't figure it out, then no one else can.In fact, I even believe that such a troll acts out of good intentions, and that is why it is answered. In the end, he does not just stir up empty disputes and laughs in response to all arguments. Such people have specific problems, so the answers are given with the goal of exactly resolving them.
As it happens
Someone with a lot of - just incredibly large - experience in Windows, who knows a lot about programming, web development, server administration, remembers all DOS commands by heart, etc. heard from co-workers about linux. “What is worth a try! Everyone is talking about how wonderful he is, and it seems that I even read an article about Linux being ready for the desktop market ... in the year 2001. Well, let's see. "
')
He takes the usual distribution for housewives, such as Ubuntu. Ubuntu does not recognize the resolution of its monitor. This user is used to finding and installing a driver in such situations. But he can not find the driver. Then he decides to install some programs. And he does it the way he has become accustomed - he searches for them on the Internet, downloads and tries to install. However, instead of the installation wizard, it receives a README file with instructions in the form of a sequence of commands ./configure, make, and make install. He is trying to do all this, relying on his previous experience in Windows - and he is failing. He also notices that much of what he is used to (and that the average user simply does not need to - for example, find out the IP address of the computer) does not have a graphical interface. After some time, he can not stand. “I'm a programmer! Even if I can’t understand Linux, how can ordinary people [neighbor Mihalych, grandmother, etc.] be able to figure it all out? I think it’s worth telling all these Linux users to stop telling Linux tales to housewives. ”
And here he comes to the forum and expresses the above thought, without even realizing that he is not the first. He does it for good reason. He wants to help people. And what happens? Instead of exclaiming “Wow! You are the first who tells us that. We had no idea that the old-timers of Windows may have problems with Linux. Of course, we should lock in and develop further before showing Linux to people. ”Linux users are seriously upset. "You do everything as if it were Windows." The troll does not understand what Linux users are trying to explain. "Like in WIndows?" In Windows, this is much easier. At least I didn’t have any problems there. ”And he doesn’t realize how long it took him to learn how to work in Windows, and now, like a foreign language, Linux seems complicated not because it is complicated, but because it is different.
Here is the course of his reasoning:
If I have more experience, it is easier for me than others. If I find it difficult to deal with Linux, then it will be even harder for others.This is where the fallacy of his logic lies.
The transition to a new operating system is like learning a new language - a different syntax, a different vocabulary, even a culture is completely different. And an English language expert can be harder to learn Chinese than his four-year-old daughter (who, of course, has little understanding of languages). Ask the children of immigrants themselves how often they have to translate for their parents. Similarly, someone who is very used to the methods of working with Windows will have a hard time adapting to Linux. Most ordinary users (non-programmers) will not have to run the ./configure, make, and make install commands and resolve dependencies. All they have to do is a couple of mouse clicks in the Synaptic package manager and all the programs they need will be downloaded and installed, including all dependencies. "Ordinary" users who have little sense in computers do not have to relearn. Maybe they are already accustomed to how to do something in Windows, but in fact they are just used to seeing icons and clicking on them.
Well-intentioned trolls act on the assumption that Linux should be a system for everyone. But Linux is not like that. And Windows is not like that. Just like OS X. Contrary to what some companies make you believe, there is no operating system for everyone. Moreover, from the point of view of some Linux purists, this means that Linux is not for the faint of heart. Such, when a problem occurs, they send to read the user manual. Such users have been familiar with Linux for too long and are confident that Linux should not try to please newbies. If a new user likes Linux, great. If not, let them fail. Others, like me, believe that some distros should be more focused on new users (which happens in many cases), but this does not mean that Linux is for everyone. It is for those whose mind is open to the new and those who have some computer skills. For example, if you use programs available only for Windows, a big fan of new products in the gaming industry and you have a win-modem, then Linux is clearly not for you. However, if you, like most users, need a computer only for what I call the “six elements” (“basic six” - literally “big six,” approx. Lane) , then Linux will appeal to you:
- View mail and instant messaging
- Browsing the Web
- Photo Collection Organization
- Listening to music
- Work with text
- Simple toys (Tetris, Solitaire, etc.)
And we are all tired of these arguments like "Linux should be as easy to install as Windows." Windows is not easy to install. And most users don't install Windows at all. Point. And no matter how easy it will be to install and configure Linux - people will not start a massive transition to it until companies start buying more pompyuterov from Linux, until schools start getting more computers from Linux to train their students, and companies like Dell, will not start selling computers with Linux.
Many consider Mac OS X the most user-friendly operating system. Well, to a longtime Windows user (me), it was quite difficult to use Mac OS X first. I had to get used to a completely different set of hot keys (Cmd-Tab instead of Ctrl-Tab, Cmd +, to open the settings dialog, etc.). I did not know how to install the programs by dragging them from some white disc-shaped thing into the application folder. I'm used to installers. I did not know that I needed additional applications to remove the noise at boot. I did not understand why clicking on the + sign in the window does not open it. I did not understand why minimized windows are not restored when you transfer focus to them using Cmd-Tab. And this list can be continued for a long time. I was a disappointed user. But I digested it, and now both my wife and I are doing a great job with everyday tasks on Mac OS X. It’s the same with Linux. I digested it too. I accepted the Synaptic package manager and I can’t tolerate installers anymore. And this is all after twenty years of dealing with a Microsoft product and four months with Linux.
By the way, I'm not a programmer. I am not a sysadmin or web admin. I am not a graphic designer, game designer, or any engineer. I’m an ordinary former English teacher who honestly tried to master Linux, and now I’m a convert. I am not against Microsoft. I am not against Apple. I'm just behind Linux and I'm tired of hearing the same "sentences" over and over.
Well-intentioned trolls should refrain from writing posts. All this has already happened. And I hope that the next time the next such troll appears, you will simply give him a link to this post. For example, I will give. Because I am tired of writing the same denials of these accusations every time.
If you really want to help, instead of whining on the Linux forums, do something useful better:
- Use your knowledge of the programmer and help develop Linux
- Report an error on the appropriate site distribution / program
- Donate money to help Linux developers
This is a cross-post translation from my blog , welcome to everyone.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/71366/
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