RedRagan: Y'know what, maybe you're right about it's us vs them. My experience with Linux users are never pleasant. 3 years ago I was thinking about learning Linux but no one want to help me even when I asked politely in message board and IRL.
gogtrial34987: I'm sorry to hear that.
FWIW, when I started with Linux, back when, I just downloaded a semi-random distro, installed it, and anytime I encountered any problem, I'd find a solution with a few short online searches. After a year or two, I could determine for myself what I cared about in a Linux distribution based on personal experience, did research based on that, and have never looked back.
I wouldn't know how to get started in any other way, but people here on the forum seem positive about the work adamhm has put into his
beginner's guide for Linux Mint (that's for Mint 19, not certain if he's done one for Mint 20 yet), so people willing to provide helpful advice certainly do exist.
RedRagan: Then years of my activity on GOG message board Linux users always posting about certain game doesn't run on their Linux OS and complaining about it or complaining that a certain game doesn't have a Linux version.
gogtrial34987: I semi-regularly post on new release threads for games without a Linux version which look interesting, to ask if a Linux version is possible. I try to always do so friendly and respectfully, mostly with the goal of letting developers know that there's interest, since for developers who're on the fence about it, this
can make the difference between putting in the time, or not. And if they say it's not in the cards, then I wish them luck with their game, and happily return to the abundance of other games that do just work on Linux.
Since I do this, I also pay attention to other similar posts by Linux users. I've seen posts I'd classify as "complaining" (mostly due to understandable frustration when a Linux version is available at Steam, but not DRM-free on gog) - but I'd describe the vast majority of such posts as friendly and respectful, same as what I'm striving for.
I wonder how much of your characterization is colored by your earlier bad experiences, and how much of it is perception due to "tone" coming over badly in text.
RedRagan: For a community who keep preaching for people to use Linux the gatekeeping is real. Also watching Linux users keep arguing with each other about their preferred Linux Distros in Linus Torvald's youtube videos shows how fragmented Linux users are.
gogtrial34987: I think there's very few Linux users who consider themselves to be part of a Linux "community". Linux is just an OS. My interest align slightly with those of other Linux users in that we all benefit from even more games being available, but that's about it. (Philosophically I of course align strongly with some underlying Linux and open source principles, but these in themselves aren't exactly things I've ever seen much online community around either.)
Yes, there are fanboys using Linux, same as there are for any other OS, and yes, these fanboys consider it important which distro is most popular, but eh, what can you do about it? The "fragmentation" between distributions is something I consider a strength - there's near infinite choice. If you're willing to put in the time, there's a perfect distro for everything you care about - and if you aren't, then you can pick one of the mainstream ones which comes closest, and tinker with the things that don't quite match your personal vision of how things should be.
As for the arguments happening in the comments on youtube videos: You're talking about comments on youtube videos! The subject of the videos is entirely orthogonal to that. (
relevant xkcd) ;P
Anyway, with apologies to the developer of this lovely looking game, I think that's quite enough derailing of this thread from me. :)
Look, sorry if I sound snippy in my reply, but you have to understand it was accumulation of personal experience and how many times I saw the same thing repeating again. I was an introvert so it took me a lot to ask someone irl, during a local tech expo, on a Linux booth to discuss thing related to Linux. But people who attended that Linux stand was 3 men, and they look at me as if I'm a freak just because I want to ask further questions about Linux. They don't say anything and went back eating and ignoring other people who visited the booth as well.
Back in 2015 (in my country at least) we can still buy laptops with OS option either Win 7 or a linux distro but fast forward to 2019 all laptop on sale with either Win 10 or MS Dos with no Linux option. So I felt that Linux people already burned that bridge with local consumers in my country.
At least I can admire the group of people who willing to help newbies trying linux, but for me maybe it was a bit too late. Or maybe I will wait for another 5 years until Linux distros can be considered stable enough to use for everyone.