Regarding the latest Techlinked

[flexxyfluxx]

Posting this under Operating Systems, because there don't seem to be posts or threads for discussing the newest Techlinked videos, like there are for the main channel's vids.

 

 

 

This is a callout post. When I say "you", I mean Linus Media Group; in particular the TechLinked team.

 

For the sake of transparency, it might also be worth noting that I am what could be considered the "average Linux user". Practically living on the command line, Arch btw, etc. However, I think I am still qualified to speak about the "new user" experience.

 

In the Techlinked (titled "The Fight of Apple's Life" at time of writing), a statement is made regarding Linux (GNU/Linux, for those who care) as a Windows alternative. Something to the effect of "Before you go mentioning GNU/Linux in the comments, maybe consider that the average user doesn't want to go through a bajillion complicated steps just to install even Ubuntu or Mint". The gist being, of course, that installing even Ubuntu or Mint, considered by many to be the most user-friendly Linux distros, is somehow difficult.

I strongly disagree with this sentiment, and would even go so far as to say that it is actively misleading and harmful. Perhaps even insulting to the people who have worked so hard to make it as easy as it actually is, even for less tech-savvy individuals.

 

I will note that I think there are plenty of good reasons to not switch to Linux. Having to adjust to a new and different system is often just not feasible. Certain software just doesn't exist over there, and even when alternatives exist (which is the case for most things), they might be different, leading us to the problem of having to adjust again.

But to single out the installation process as a reason to not switch could be bordering on journalistic malpractice. This just isn't true. Anyone who's actually ever installed Ubuntu or Mint should know how simple it is (again, not just for tech-savvy individuals). It might even be simpler than Windows at this point (please take this in particular with a grain of salt; it's been a while since I last touched any Windows installer. Point is, it isn't any *more* difficult).

Now, maybe the point was meant to be that the average user doesn't want to deal with installing a new OS at all. That would also be a fair point, and ties back into the issue of switching costs. The problem is that that isn't what you said. You singled out Ubuntu and Mint for having a difficult installation procedure, which is simply not true. Not even mentioning the possibility of 3rd-party refurbishers doing the installation themselves, solving the problem of new users having to install any OS at all (though tbf, this omission is less egregious).

 

At best, this is misleading, and perpetuating the dogmatic (and incorrect) sentiment that Linux is "difficult" (it's not; if my mom can use it, then anyone can), and that there is no alternative to Windows; that forking over $100 just to still get ads and spyware preinstalled is actually as good as it gets.

At worst, this is contributing to the Windows 10 EOL e-waste problem mentioned in the same video: Due to the notion that Linux is hard to install, more people w/ computers that aren't Win11-capable will simply throw out their computer (potentially creating e-waste!) and buy a new one, instead of installing an up-to-date, mainstream Linux distro such as Ubuntu or Mint.

 

I expected more of you, a company that has boasted about how much it cares about responsibility and so on.

If you're going to discredit Linux as a viable alternative to Windows, please do so for reasons that actually exist. That is all.

Edited December 23, 2023 by flexxyfluxx
various clarifications

[8tg]

7 minutes ago, flexxyfluxx said:

it might also be worth noting that I am what could be considered the "average Linux user". Practically living on the command line, Arch btw, etc.

Bruh

 

[flexxyfluxx]

9 minutes ago, 8tg said:

Bruh

what exactly is your point?

[ToboRobot]

2 hours ago, flexxyfluxx said:

what exactly is your point?

If you think the average linux users uses arch and lives on the CLI, perhaps you are not an average linux user.

 

[LloydLynx]

Maybe it was a joke with an exaggerated mainstream perspective. That's pretty much the entirety of a TechLinked video.