Wait ... is there a perception (or reality?) that most Linux users are programmers?
I'm an introvert, but all programmers I know use Windows (and badly in the sense they aren't power users).
this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2024
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That's a logical fallacy, all dogs are animals does not imply that all animals are dogs. Even if all programmers you know use Windows that could still mean that all Linux users are programmers.
That being said several relatives use Linux because I refused to help with IT unless they had Linux, and since then they mostly hadn't needed IT support. So it's not true that all Linux users are programmers, but a good percentage of us are.
I was not explaining my logic nor my beliefs, just describing my smol sample (introvert!), as a btw fun fact.
But I was under the impression that there is no distinguishable difference between which OSs use programmes vs non-programmers (and the other way around).
Perhaps bcs I fail to se any specific connection between the two. But yes, my logic would be that both types use and are used by both to roughly the same extent.
(Haha, exactly same experience with relatives - forced them on Linux, never had anything non-trivial to fix since then.)
I’m a programmer! I use Linux and Windows. In fact, I’m now in my second job in a Microsoft shop (and no, neither were/are .NET…). And I’ve had exactly zero jobs where I was issued or allowed to use a Linux machine.
allowed
Yeah, wtf, what did Linux ever do to ~~the great furry community~~ sys admins?
Our group is still fully on Windows all the things (except like two virtual servers), desktops all run W10.
I will again plead in this years strategy to not upgrade to W11, if for nothing else 'moral reasons'.
I'll be the only one tho.
Linux, on the other hand, can easily boot up on a 10-year-old laptop with just 2GB of RAM, and work fine.
I'm not sure a modern day browser would be just fine with "only" 2GiB, unfortunately.
I've tried Firefox limited to 1 GB for a laugh. It's usable. It won't do many tabs at the same time but it's usable.
You can actually go lower than that but you'll start to run into limitations with YouTube videos etc.
There are also other browsers out there that are more light-weight but perhaps not as feature-full as Firefox. Giving up extensions alone reduces a lot of complexity. If you fire up the package installer on any Linux distro and search for "browser" you'll find a ton. There aren't many engines but there are a lot of browsers.
Maybe with zRAM and a bit of swap it could run quite ok 🤷
4GB works. My kids use a T410 from 2010 with a SSD and it is a pleasant experience for daily use (browsing, YouTube, small Linux games)
I'm also not a programmer but here's why Linux is my daily driver:
I like it.
Gnome is so much more cozy than windows
KDE Plasma is so much more snappy and functional than Windows. Linux has lots of good options.
Linux used to be for nerds, programmers and tech people.
Now, it's probably easier to use Linux than Windows.
Defintiely! I recently bought a used Thinkpad and slapped Pop!_OS on it for my father-in-law. He's 73 and he's loving it! He proudly tells his friends that he is now "a part of a computer revolution".
lmao, I wouldn't call it a revolution. Simply different options, alternatives and/or values.
I have my Boomer dad using Linux Mint on his laptop, but he was still using Windows on his desktop PC.
Then it updated to Windows 11 and he HATES it and asked me for help to put Linux Mint on his desktop as well.
This is a real estate agent in his 70s who needs help making scans and downloading email attachments.
Why is it that people think Linux distros are for programmers or tech people only? This is the reason why we don't get many people on Linux distros.
Because installing a different operating system than the one that came pre installed is a non zero amount of effort.
I think this here is probably one of the larger reasons. A large portion of users barely know the difference between a browser and a search engine, let alone the operating system they are using, and nor do they care. People just use whatever their computer comes with out of the box. Most people probably couldn't tell you the difference between Windows 11 and a Linux distro customized to look exactly the same.
Terminal inputs seems like coding. Back in the day you can mess with everything by coding. Having to spend time on forums and searching Google to fix problems that are Terminal inputs only is not something people want to do and what people are passionate about a thing or it is their hobby do.
Most people use what is in front of them, works, and what they are use too. I don't have time to fix the wifi issue on my 10 year old linux laptop I just plugged it in. Other option is to reinstall windows every 6 months
"Workflow". There it is.
I'm a video producer and writer, I only use linux.
Ooh, does Linux have good open source video editing? I remember back in the day that was tricky. (Or I am misremembering.)
Not open source but DaVinci Resolve is the best editor around and supports Linux.
I do video editing myself in Linux and Kdenlive does pretty much everything I need. The UI is a bit odd to learn but I'd imagine any new editing software is gonna have a learning curve of some sort.
I'm not a programmer and I've been dual booting for 25 years.
I’m not sure if this is part of the “frequency illusion”, but I’ve noticed a lot more mainstream media talking about Linux as a viable alternative.
Probably because you associate more with lemmy, I think most lemmy users use linux
I highly doubt most do, just that the percentage of Linux users may be higher than on many other platforms.
The most used platform for Lemmy is likely still Windows or a mobile OS.
I dislike the paradigm that there are "techy people/programmers" and "tech illiterates/non programmers". Anyone can develop the skills to properly use unix interfaces given proper training; and I know that's true because the whole world used to run (mostly) unix on the desktop before corporate took over. Unix doesn't need to be windowsified/macosified to get people to move over; people need to unlearn the interfaces corporate has brainwashed them with for generations. There are so many more interesting user interfaces than just what Windows and MacOS provide; graphical or otherwise.
I don't know any programming languages but can navigate around Linux, both TUI and GUI.
My wife has used Linux for over a decade. She primarily uses a web browser, office suite and a money management app.
Those have all been well-covered by Linux for years.
what does she use for money management?
Moneydance. That was a choice made years ago. It works fine, but we haven't reviewed the options in years. On the plus side, Moneydance is cross-platform, syncs to a remote server, has mobile apps and is reasonably priced.
I started using Linux prior starting programming..
But knowing some programming languages will not help much maintaining a linux distribution, tho
The problem solving though?
I feel like Linux would be easier to pick up and use for a non power user starting from scratch like my mother-in-law. It's so much easier to download programs with the package manager and settings are so much easier to navigate
And to use the computer without being bombarded by ads
Helped my SO fix Sims 4 on her W11 laptop recently; lock screen ads, start menu ads, pre-installed bloatware begging for money
I even asked how she deals with all of that and she basically said “I dunno it just does that, if you can make it stop that'd be nice ig but just get Sims to worl for now”
Needless to say I got Sims 4 to work (removing cachedir did the trick) AND uninstalled the bloatware and turned off ad-related settings