This isn't a "tech" post, even though it's inspired by my learning curve with Linux.
Ubuntu was a good way to start in the Linux world. A user-friendly distro, it is easy to install & use and honestly requires a monumental level of idiocy to fuck up. There are great help forums for any tricky troubles you may encounter and I have only 2 real gripes with Ubuntu. One, that Canonical does want to track an insane amount of what you do and two, that newer editions of the OS keep popping up almost every 6 months.
Now, the first issue is one that anyone who isn't living under a rock is bound to face and, to be fair, you can disable all (I hope) of the tracking using the Activity Log Manager. But, the second is a bit annoying because some software just don't get updated unless you upgrade the OS. For example, Firefox was stuck on Version 44 on Ubuntu 14.04, which meant that I couldn't watch DRM content (Prime, Netflix, etc.) unless I got my hands on Version 48 and up. Which my OS just would not let me do, basically forcing me to do a complete reinstall of the latest OS (because I dual-boot). It's not difficult but it is painful. So, I felt like it was time to move on.
I know - you're probably thinking "Why does he complicate his life this way? Why doesn't he just get a nice, new Windows OS and focus on other things?" Well, for starters, I like the philosophy of Linux. There's something wonderful in knowing there are people who create a whole OS just because they can and then share it with the world. Not for money but because they can. And, just how beautiful some of these creations are! Just look for videos on Elementary OS, Solus or Deepin and, if you aren't impressed by the sophistication of design and the thoughtfulness of the offerings, I think it's a bit sad. I also like the idea of learning about this stuff, tinkering (in an admittedly amateurish way) and taking the effort to solve problems instead of being spoon-fed everything in life like sheep.
Which is why it also puzzles me when I see fruitcakes on Linux forums venting about how so-n-so software doesn't work just right and how finding the solution is frustrating. People, you're getting a whole world for free and you're cribbing because the sunset isn't pretty enough for you?
Anyway, due to a slight glitch in installing Manjaro (my own fault), I went with the latest version of Linux Mint. It's a nice step sideways from Canonical, but not earth-shatteringly different from Ubuntu. Which, finally brings me to the meat of this post (phew!). There's a piece of software on Mint called Hexchat that is basically a real-time forum to discuss things and get answers about the OS. I tried it out for the first time last night, not to chat or ask questions but simply as I was curious. The interface is stark and you can see people signing in and out of the forum. One person may have had a dodgy keyboard because a long line of 'a' suddenly appeared on screen. Another inquired about what was going on in the caring lingo of our times, i.e. "wtf". And, the reply was "Fuck you".
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but did that exchange not go south rather quickly? A person is having trouble typing, another expresses surprise in an off-hand way and the response is to lash out with invective.
It really made me miss ICQ. The flower-power of my generation. In the early days of our internet experiences (also known as 1998), ICQ was one of the most popular chat applications out there. The very first time I signed in, I randomly met someone from Australia I think. We chatted for about 10 minutes before the sibling noticed what I was doing and happily informed the pater, who was more nervous about the big, bad world of the net than a rat on meth. Result - internet ban for 3 months.
Eventually, the internet and ICQ became a regular feature of my life. So much so that I'd come home from school, sign in and find my classmates there, ready to keep chatting about random crap. It was there that I first learned the acronym PAW (any guesses?) which signaled that we'd have to be careful about what we were typing. It was also a new way to beat the jolly 8pm social curfew. Sign in at 10pm and a crap-ton of people were already there. Friends, crushes, interesting strangers from across the world... for us, ICQ opened virtual doors at a time when our parents still did not trust us with the house keys. Remember it? Grey box, white chat window, blinking list of people on the right, that weird, two-tone squawk of a new chat ping and the glow of the computer screen illuminating your room late into the night?
Call me an old fogey but man, it was cool! In my limited experience with ICQ, people seemed reasonably polite and at least, not outright rude. Was it because the internet was a new world and we were tentative explorers? I can't say. All I know is that it felt a lot less jaded and cynical than it does right now, a feeling that's accentuated when I browse other platforms and forums. Of course, this feeling is stupid. But, it seemed better and you'll have to argue damned hard to convince me otherwise. Especially when I see what's on offer nowadays.
Song for the moment: Reckoning Song - Asaf Avidan
Ubuntu was a good way to start in the Linux world. A user-friendly distro, it is easy to install & use and honestly requires a monumental level of idiocy to fuck up. There are great help forums for any tricky troubles you may encounter and I have only 2 real gripes with Ubuntu. One, that Canonical does want to track an insane amount of what you do and two, that newer editions of the OS keep popping up almost every 6 months.
Now, the first issue is one that anyone who isn't living under a rock is bound to face and, to be fair, you can disable all (I hope) of the tracking using the Activity Log Manager. But, the second is a bit annoying because some software just don't get updated unless you upgrade the OS. For example, Firefox was stuck on Version 44 on Ubuntu 14.04, which meant that I couldn't watch DRM content (Prime, Netflix, etc.) unless I got my hands on Version 48 and up. Which my OS just would not let me do, basically forcing me to do a complete reinstall of the latest OS (because I dual-boot). It's not difficult but it is painful. So, I felt like it was time to move on.
I know - you're probably thinking "Why does he complicate his life this way? Why doesn't he just get a nice, new Windows OS and focus on other things?" Well, for starters, I like the philosophy of Linux. There's something wonderful in knowing there are people who create a whole OS just because they can and then share it with the world. Not for money but because they can. And, just how beautiful some of these creations are! Just look for videos on Elementary OS, Solus or Deepin and, if you aren't impressed by the sophistication of design and the thoughtfulness of the offerings, I think it's a bit sad. I also like the idea of learning about this stuff, tinkering (in an admittedly amateurish way) and taking the effort to solve problems instead of being spoon-fed everything in life like sheep.
Which is why it also puzzles me when I see fruitcakes on Linux forums venting about how so-n-so software doesn't work just right and how finding the solution is frustrating. People, you're getting a whole world for free and you're cribbing because the sunset isn't pretty enough for you?
Anyway, due to a slight glitch in installing Manjaro (my own fault), I went with the latest version of Linux Mint. It's a nice step sideways from Canonical, but not earth-shatteringly different from Ubuntu. Which, finally brings me to the meat of this post (phew!). There's a piece of software on Mint called Hexchat that is basically a real-time forum to discuss things and get answers about the OS. I tried it out for the first time last night, not to chat or ask questions but simply as I was curious. The interface is stark and you can see people signing in and out of the forum. One person may have had a dodgy keyboard because a long line of 'a' suddenly appeared on screen. Another inquired about what was going on in the caring lingo of our times, i.e. "wtf". And, the reply was "Fuck you".
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but did that exchange not go south rather quickly? A person is having trouble typing, another expresses surprise in an off-hand way and the response is to lash out with invective.
It really made me miss ICQ. The flower-power of my generation. In the early days of our internet experiences (also known as 1998), ICQ was one of the most popular chat applications out there. The very first time I signed in, I randomly met someone from Australia I think. We chatted for about 10 minutes before the sibling noticed what I was doing and happily informed the pater, who was more nervous about the big, bad world of the net than a rat on meth. Result - internet ban for 3 months.
Eventually, the internet and ICQ became a regular feature of my life. So much so that I'd come home from school, sign in and find my classmates there, ready to keep chatting about random crap. It was there that I first learned the acronym PAW (any guesses?) which signaled that we'd have to be careful about what we were typing. It was also a new way to beat the jolly 8pm social curfew. Sign in at 10pm and a crap-ton of people were already there. Friends, crushes, interesting strangers from across the world... for us, ICQ opened virtual doors at a time when our parents still did not trust us with the house keys. Remember it? Grey box, white chat window, blinking list of people on the right, that weird, two-tone squawk of a new chat ping and the glow of the computer screen illuminating your room late into the night?
Call me an old fogey but man, it was cool! In my limited experience with ICQ, people seemed reasonably polite and at least, not outright rude. Was it because the internet was a new world and we were tentative explorers? I can't say. All I know is that it felt a lot less jaded and cynical than it does right now, a feeling that's accentuated when I browse other platforms and forums. Of course, this feeling is stupid. But, it seemed better and you'll have to argue damned hard to convince me otherwise. Especially when I see what's on offer nowadays.
Song for the moment: Reckoning Song - Asaf Avidan
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