I make it known to everyone I know that if and when they are ready to try out Linux, I am available as their on-call nerd anytime they run into trouble.

Very few takers. I did introduce some musician friends to #Zynthian and they bought one, but that's just cause it's an amazing project/product. They (musical couple) are now running Linux on one of their PCs, but they didn't need to ask for help lol

Which is what I always go when I see a question and I know the answer. We all had to learn and I was grateful for useful answers too, 25 years ago.

Helping people with actual advice is the way.

This. People like to waltz around all proud "I'm from the 'RTFM' days, kids these days, grumble grumble" and I'm thinking to myself... the problem ain't the kids...

"I'm tired of answering all these basic (author's note: not as basic as they think) questions. They can just find the answers themselves!" like, okay, then stop complaining on their questions on forums if you're so tired of it.

Or my personal favorite: being a seasoned linux user and needing a quick reminder on how to do something.
First search engine hit is a forum post of someone telling someone else to RTFM. Thanks for wasting mine and everyone's time.

not true anymore.
With AI integrated in most search engine, you often get the right response from it.
One of the few benefits of AI is that it can basically customise the documentation to make it sensible to you. It becomes a kind of live documentation.

A simple how to fix … on [distro name] works 95% of the time in my experience.

What's the most common complaint I've heard about Linux?

idk maybe try googling it first??? Didn't read the rest of the post smh

The funniest thing is when you google a problem and all the threads that pop up tell you to “just google it.”

Actual clown-shoes behavior. No desire whatsoever to actually understand the user, they think “PEBCAK” is the funniest concept ever.

Linux has been plagued, from day one, by an elitist and ableist culture. If you don't understand, you're stupid and you don't deserve to be using it.

Want another feature? Make your own fork. The manual is too hard to understand? Write your own version. Making Linux user friendly is not our job and we don't care.

Mhhm, yeah. Perhaps giving positions of privilege to assholes just because they code well may have not been the best approach.

Offer to pay for it maybe vOv

I hear you. I've been frustrated too. But you're asking people to share expertise for free when they honestly have already shared a whole crap ton of it.

Maybe people who can't understand that should stick to the proprietary platforms who are willing to monetize your soul as collateral instead.

I hear what you are saying, but, there are caveat's to it.

If you go from Windows/MacOS to ARCH or a rolling-release type of distro then you can expect some folk to be a little short on patience with newbies.

Not because they're unhelpful but because its a pretty silly thing to do.

After 2 years on Linux Mint I have just moved to Debian 13 and GNOME desktop was strange at first. But I still don't think I could be bothered with an ARCH type distro.

I think if you do your research and choose a distro recommended for learners there are plenty of helpful, patient, folk willing to walk you through the basics.

Doesn't mean you are wrong, I'm just not sure things are THAT critical atm.

I think this is called verbal abuse and Linux has a problem with bad management - "a fish starts stinking from the head".

RTFM means Read The Fucking Manual, which is a triple verbal abuse:
1) Ordering, which is verbal abuse (Wikipedia)
2) The word "fucking", which is a curse word
3) Abusive anger. The phrase obviously conveys anger. Anger is an emotion which belongs to a situation where someone behaves unfair. But the user asking for help does not behave unfair.

Yeah honestly, this.

The most hostile user base of all is Macs, Apple people truly hate each other. Issues are betrayal of the cult leader.

Then comes Linux, though it HAS improved a bit. You don't get "Just recompile your kernel!" to every single question about why your fucking wifi won't stay up or or your screensaver won't lock.

Then windows. The most shithouse OS on the planet actually has the most friendly help base, though it is often completely useless!

-> World <-

I "earned" a year ban from the Linux channel on the IRC network I used for insisting I looked at the man page and didn't find the answer.

Most useful thing I learnt in that exchange was that "/" searches man pages.

Luckily I was already deep enough that didn't kill my enthusiasm.

People respond "Did you Google it?"

Actually understandable after answering the same question many times.

People respond "RTFM"
People get mad??? at them for making an easy mistake.

Above responses have been seen on antiX and MX Forums, the persons concerned were warned or in at least one known case banned.

The solution is to actually help the people who are trying to use it.

Agree which is why I and others are present as helpers on Linux forums, mostly antiX and MX.

As someone who has been involved in open source for almost 3 decades, this is it right here. It's actually among the reasons I don't participate in open source. The communities tend to be hostile.

As I saw someone put it not long ago: If one is going to push someone to use linux, one needs to be prepared to be that person's tech support. If one is unwilling to take on this role, don't push people to linux.

I spent years doing linux support, as a job and as a hobby. I may be old and tired, but I am still here and happy to help. I will continue.

Dealing with assholery is difficult.

Both to repress it within oneself, and to figure out how to prevent assholes from playing their disruptive, destructive role.

This is true in many fields.

But we have an obligation to others, to treat them well and make sure that others treat them well.

#linux

Oh, shaming people into using Linux, trolling, laughing at them and being an arsehole to new users does not help?

That's certainly news for some noble knights fighting the "good cause" here.

Just be helpful and nice to each other.

If you have nothing helpful to say, don't say anything.

My first foray into Linux was 12 years ago. Those responses and related gatekeeping are why I never became passionate about Linux. Too many who are have become elitist twats.

I like Linux. I have no intention of switching to anything else anytime soon. But if I choose an OS based on the behaviors of the fans, I'd choose Windows every time, and I hate windows.

Some Linux users make me dislike being a Linux user.

You hit the nail on the head. The problem isn't the technology, but the people.

Anyone looking for answers for Linux no longer asks in forums but resorts to any LLM. As a consequence, fewer and fewer answers will be found in forums in the future.

This also means that LLMs will have fewer sources, and therefore their answers will be even less useful in the future...

It's always the same old story: Questions about Windows or iOS are handled unfriendly on the Internet also (have you ever seen a friendly printer forum 😂). This is not a Linux community problem. This is a behavioral problem on the Internet. But it's true, being friendly could be an extra chance.

I am helping the people around me who now have Linux instead of windows in the same friendly way 😀

But there is much less to do 😉😁

There are more than one side to this. Consider how you ask the question?

I have experienced
Questions asked in a "please just do it for me" fashion.
Question asked with a "this is just too complicated! Why is linux so hard!!!" (when really, it is equally complicated on Windows, just done differently)

If you ask a question and "people get mad", there could possibly be something in how you ask the question?

People get upset and frustrated because they have to invest a little time in figuring out how things work differently, and get mad because they don't get the answer in a "follow these simple step" fashioned, served instantly.

At least over here in Germany, there are dozens of dedicated Linux User Groups as well as most Hackerspaces offering public meetings and sometimes online communities. Many of these groups welcome guests and are usually happy to help with issues or at least know where additional help is available. I would assume other countries have a similar community. They’re definitely worth a try.

wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_… (worldswide map)
linux-magazin.de/heft-abo/linu… (German, partly outdated)

I think we agree all, that this isn't a special problem of Linux, but of asking in the internet for help. Being unfriendly and unhelpful is much easier and quicker to do there, especially if you are incompetent. The good answers arrive after you have given up your faith in Linux and humanity. Even here in the fediverse.

Somebody who is paid to be kind to you is maybe the better person to ask, but sadly, my experience says no.

Putting politeness aside (yes, that is an issue), there is complication: Those who write that software like to write that software but do not like that much doing support work. (Plus it's quite a drag: they already gave away lots of work, no time to give away other kind of work.)

Hence opportunity to those who are not able to write software but are able to help others use it: write documentation, answers support forums, coordinate with developers, etc.

Yes!

And this is why I'm involved with #LinuxCafé, #Linux #installparties, #Linuxdays, #diday ... events, giving #PIM lectures and talks and hopefully publishing a book on how to organize yourself and your data some day.

To me, it's all one common topic:
Helping people to help themselves without #lockin effects.

#Graz #digitalsovereignty #FOSS #education