Some middle-aged guy on the Internet. Seen a lot of it, occasionally regurgitating it, trying to be amusing and informative.

Lurked Digg until v4. Commented on Reddit (same username) until it went full Musk.

Was on kbin.social (dying/dead) and kbin.run (mysteriously vanished). Now here on fedia.io.

Really hoping he hasn’t brought the jinx with him.

Other Adjectives: Neurodivergent; Nerd; Broken; British; Ally; Leftish

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Joined 8 months ago
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Cake day: August 13th, 2024

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  • Package version 0.01: Built with libraries abc version 2, def version 0.1 and ghi version 7.2.2

    Your system has requirements: abc version 2, def version 0.2 and ghi version 8.0.0

    Package version 0.02: Requires abc version 3, def version 0.2 and ghi version 8.0.1

    You realise that those differences in version would mean that you would have to basically recompile (then debug and recompile) your entire operating system with the three upgraded packages, and deal with a full cascade of dependencies, not just the package you really want to compile, OR basically sit down and rewrite Package 0.02 from the ground up using older libraries than it was originally written for.

    You decide to make do with the old version of the package.




  • Bringing “no garden” back out of the analogy equates to no computer at all. The fountain is all the crapware and spyware shovelled into Windows these days. The billboard is the ads they want inject into everything.

    The alternative is Apple. They don’t want to install a billboard just yet, and there’s no obvious fountain, but there’s a nightmare HOA who tell you how you have to live and if you don’t live their way you have to move.


  • Here’s an analogy: You can do your own gardening, or you can hire one of the two landscaping services in town.

    This sounds great, but these days, no matter who you hire, the people who show up 1) want to install a fountain and an advertisement billboard that will run off your water and electricity supply and 2) want the right to take what they like from your house by default, they’ll mysteriously “forget” and do it anyway even if you pay them not to.

    Furthermore, with their latest package, one of the landscaping companies are basically saying that if you don’t have a yard large enough for their fountain, you have to move house, which is only marginally better than the other one who will only work on gardens for houses they sold in the first place.

    (A previous version of this comment involved the word “lube”. I’m sure you can imagine the rest.)


  • 99% of people want a drop-in replacement for Windows that will install and run every possible Windows-compatible application, game and device without them having to make any extra effort or learn anything new. Basically Windows but free (in all senses).

    Any even slightly subtle difference or incompatibility and they’ll balk. Linux can never be that, and Microsoft will keep the goalposts moving anyway to be sure of it.

    Sure, a lot more works and is more user friendly than 15 years ago, but most people won’t make the time to sit down and deal with something new unless it’s forced on them… which is what Microsoft are doing with Win11.



  • Any conclusions drawn from a child’s personality can’t necessarily then be applied to a parent. Hannah Montana Linux was ultimately a Debian, but it was so far from stock Debian that the comparison makes no sense. The same, I assume, applies with the Arch-derivative that runs on Steam decks. We’re not in Arch-kansas any more, Toto.

    The closest to “Windows with nerdnip” is probably Linux Mint, but even then that’s a fairly unkind comparison.

    I use LMDE, btw.