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I'm Not a Programmer, but Here’s Why Linux Is My Daily Driver

I'm Not a Programmer, but Here’s Why Linux Is My Daily Driver

Linux is for you, Linux is for me, Linux is for everybody.
Dibakar Ghosh (How-To Geek)
in reply to petsoi

governorkeagan
governorkeagan
• •
I’m not sure if this is part of the “frequency illusion”, but I’ve noticed a lot more mainstream media talking about Linux as a viable alternative.

cognitive bias

Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)
in reply to governorkeagan

glorious_puffy
glorious_puffy
• •
Probably because you associate more with lemmy, I think most lemmy users use linux
in reply to glorious_puffy

governorkeagan
governorkeagan
• •

I think Lemmy plays a part in it but also all the stuff with MS recently (and people getting tired of it).

I think most Lemmy users use Linux


I was thinking about this earlier today. I’d love to do a Lemmy wide survey to see how true this is or to what extent.

in reply to glorious_puffy

narc0tic_bird
narc0tic_bird
• •

I highly doubt most do, just that the percentage of Linux users may be higher than on many other platforms.

The most used platform for Lemmy is likely still Windows or a mobile OS.

in reply to narc0tic_bird

Dariusmiles2123
Dariusmiles2123
• •
Yeah clearly Lemmy might have a lot of Linux users because Lemmy in itself is really niche. Way more than Linux.
in reply to governorkeagan

Nibodhika
Nibodhika
• •
It's not, I've been using Linux for 20 years and it's been gradually getting more and more exposure on the main media. I think there was a huge push with Steam Machines and then another one with Proton, then every Windows screw up bumps it a little more. We're probably going to get another bump in popularity in a short while when Windows 11 enables the new feature that will take screenshots of everything you do (credit cards, passwords, etc) and use an AI to search through them.
in reply to Nibodhika

governorkeagan
governorkeagan
• •
I’ve definitely seen more video content of people trying Linux or moving over completely after that announcement from MS.
in reply to petsoi

Sunoc
Sunoc
• •
Always love to see article of non programmer people using Linux or Emacs!
in reply to petsoi

FQQD
FQQD
• •
God I hate what the modern Internet does to my brain. I had to double check if that laptop is AI generated
in reply to FQQD

tombruzzo
tombruzzo
• •
It's such an old laptop to feature in an article. I even opened the image URL to see if it's one How to Geek just had on file they used. The photo was uploaded last year
in reply to petsoi

Evil_Shrubbery
Evil_Shrubbery
• •

Wait ... is there a perception (or reality?) that most Linux users are programmers?

I'm an introvert, but all programmers I know use Windows (and badly in the sense they aren't power users).

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

Nibodhika
Nibodhika
• •

That's a logical fallacy, all dogs are animals does not imply that all animals are dogs. Even if all programmers you know use Windows that could still mean that all Linux users are programmers.

That being said several relatives use Linux because I refused to help with IT unless they had Linux, and since then they mostly hadn't needed IT support. So it's not true that all Linux users are programmers, but a good percentage of us are.

in reply to Nibodhika

Evil_Shrubbery
Evil_Shrubbery
• •

I was not explaining my logic nor my beliefs, just describing my smol sample (introvert!), as a btw fun fact.

But I was under the impression that there is no distinguishable difference between which OSs use programmes vs non-programmers (and the other way around).
\
Perhaps bcs I fail to se any specific connection between the two. But yes, my logic would be that both types use and are used by both to roughly the same extent.

(Haha, exactly same experience with relatives - forced them on Linux, never had anything non-trivial to fix since then.)

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

marlowe221
marlowe221
• •
I’m a programmer! I use Linux and Windows. In fact, I’m now in my second job in a Microsoft shop (and no, neither were/are .NET…). And I’ve had exactly zero jobs where I was issued or allowed to use a Linux machine.
in reply to marlowe221

Evil_Shrubbery
Evil_Shrubbery
• •
allowed


Yeah, wtf, what did Linux ever do to ~~the great furry community~~ sys admins?

Our group is still fully on Windows all the things (except like two virtual servers), desktops all run W10.

I will again plead in this years strategy to not upgrade to W11, if for nothing else 'moral reasons'.
\
I'll be the only one tho.

in reply to Nibodhika

Dariusmiles2123
Dariusmiles2123
• •

I would want to « force » my relatives to use Linux. My wife had an unsupported MacBook Pro from 2012, so I managed to convince her it would be safer to switch. Since then, she hasn’t used macOS, but she also hasn’t used Linux because she can use her work provided windows laptop 😅

I also proposed to my mom to provide IT support remotely to her via Linux, but she prefers using windows and relying on an old friend who is forcing her to buy a lot of Microsoft products otherwise he refuses to help her.

I hope I’ll at least be able to teach my kids that Linux ain’t scary 🙏

in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

lemmyvore
lemmyvore
• •

There's some hardcore conflation going on that assumes that people with technical skills will tend to be good at everything, or that they'll gravitate towards the uber-geeky stuff.

In my experience it's a very wide spectrum. Lots of programmers are strictly focused on the language they use and don't care to know anything about the OS, or networking, even computers. They are definitely not jacks of all trades.

There are people who can do programming as well as system administration and build a PC and build some book shelves and so on. But that's a very specific type of person who's a tinkerer and happens to be into programming, it's not because they're a programmer.

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to lemmyvore

Evil_Shrubbery
Evil_Shrubbery
• •

Yes, a power tinkerer!

And if something needs to be programmed (or just coded, bcs copypasta), then that's what's gonna happen.

If IT won't accommodate my ticket in the way I want Im just gonna write another ticket for access rights.

in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

Grangle1
Grangle1
• •
In addition to the perception that you have to be "good at computers" (aka a programmer) to use Linux, in my experience a lot of Linux media outlets (websites, YT channels, podcasts, etc) tend to be heavy on advanced features and tools without much explanation in layman's terms and tend to be geared towards an IT professional/hobbyist audience, which can reinforce that stereotype among those (like me) who are not.
in reply to Grangle1

Evil_Shrubbery
Evil_Shrubbery
• •

Yeah, this explanation makes the most sense to me.

Just a generalisation that "good at computers" is a programmer. So no Apple programmers :P (joking ofc)

in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

zod000
zod000
• •
Most of the programmers I know (including myself) use Linux or BSD, but that all depends on who you associate with. A lot of companies are purely Windows shops and others just throw their programmers mac books and call it a day. At my last company I was only briefly allowed to use Linux until they decided it was no good as I couldn't use whatever resource intensive corporate garbage security software of the year they bought.
in reply to Evil_Shrubbery

ikidd
ikidd
• •

Linux use among devs is much higher than gen pop.

survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#…

Keep in mind, this adds up to more than 100% because it wasn't an exclusive choice question, it was multiple.

in reply to ikidd

EuroNutellaMan
EuroNutellaMan
• •

note if you sum up the linux distros here (excluding ChromeOS) you get 58,4% for personal use and 54,54% for professional use (of course keep in mind that there's some godless bastards who dual boot 2 linux distros that could skew these statistics).

Also note how that implies Linux is the most popular OS for professional use.

Anyways, I wish these stats wouldn't split Linux into distros, at least not by default. Linux distros are mostly the same and you're still using (GNU*/)Linux splitting it makes it seem less popular tan it actually is.

*unless you're using something like Alpine ig

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to EuroNutellaMan

ikidd
ikidd
• •
Except it wasn't an exclusive choice question, it was multi-selection. So you could choose more than one OS (or distro). So this really doesn't give much of an idea what the main OS is that people use. But it's still going to be way higher than general users.
in reply to EuroNutellaMan

BeardedGingerWonder
BeardedGingerWonder
• •
Curious how they define professional use, like my work desktop is windows, but all the servers are rhel
in reply to petsoi

darkphotonstudio
darkphotonstudio
• •
I'm not a programmer and I've been dual booting for 25 years.
in reply to petsoi

tombruzzo
tombruzzo
• •
I feel like Linux would be easier to pick up and use for a non power user starting from scratch like my mother-in-law. It's so much easier to download programs with the package manager and settings are so much easier to navigate
in reply to tombruzzo

Fonzie!
Fonzie!
• •

And to use the computer without being bombarded by ads

Helped my SO fix Sims 4 on her W11 laptop recently; lock screen ads, start menu ads, pre-installed bloatware begging for money

I even asked how she deals with all of that and she basically said “I dunno it just does that, if you can make it stop that'd be nice ig but just get Sims to worl for now”

Needless to say I got Sims 4 to work (removing cachedir did the trick) AND uninstalled the bloatware and turned off ad-related settings

in reply to Fonzie!

EuroNutellaMan
EuroNutellaMan
• •
I'd honestly have proposed (if they don't need programs that only run on windows) "we could put linux on it and that should fix these issues" and put Linux Mint or Fedora on it (better if you choose not them unless they really want to deal with all the choices, most likely they won't wnt to tho) and just tell them the basics of how to install software and stuff.
in reply to EuroNutellaMan

Fonzie!
Fonzie!
• •

I have jokingly mentioned I'd fix it by just installing Linux

I wonder when that stops being a joke

in reply to Fonzie!

EuroNutellaMan
EuroNutellaMan
• •

I'd say now's the time, by now I mean as soon as it's appropriate.

I was once asked if I could crack a password of a windows PC in an office cause the guy who used to work there no longer remembers it and they wanted to reuse the old PC. I asked if they need to recover any data, if they used any software that would be incompatible with Linux (not like this but directly mentioning software and asked for a list of stuff they use) and then told them it would simply be easier to install Linux on the thing, not only it's easier but since it's an old machine running windows 7 it's also more secure and the computer will perform well.

During the installation we found out that the computer is glorified junk, took ages to even attempt to format the disk to ext4. Still got to install Linux Mint on another one of their computers tho, big success.

in reply to tombruzzo

gerdesj
gerdesj
• •

I find it amazing that so many distros with volunteers manage to curate a vast software ecosystem, reasonably successfully and yet some of the largest companies on the planet, worth more than $1T each cannot manage to find the resources to do it efficiently.

Imagine firing up a cmd or ps prompt in Windows and tying in: msiexec install adobe-hipster-app and it just works.

in reply to gerdesj

k4j8
k4j8
• •

Have you tried Chocolatey? chocolatey.org/. It's a package manager for Windows and works great, much like brew for Mac. Or, if you prefer portable installation of programs without requiring admin, try Scoop (scoop.sh/). Of course, I'd rather use paru or yay on Arch, but I'm glad these options exist.

I find it hilarious that Microsoft even suggests these tools on their own GitHub page for the Windows Terminal.


Chocolatey - The package manager for Windows

Chocolatey is software management automation for Windows that wraps installers, executables, zips, and scripts into compiled packages. Chocolatey integrates w/SCCM, Puppet, Chef, etc.
Chocolatey Software
in reply to petsoi

eshep
eshep
•
Beautifully written perspective; the KDE Activities bit of that was my favorite! Multiple workspaces on a single monitor is probably one of my most advocated features. I'm telling someone about it at least once a week, even if it's just showin em how to use the cut-down one on their windows machine.

Linux reshared this.

in reply to petsoi

markstos
markstos
• •

My wife has used Linux for over a decade. She primarily uses a web browser, office suite and a money management app.

Those have all been well-covered by Linux for years.

in reply to HubertManne

markstos
markstos
• •
Moneydance. That was a choice made years ago. It works fine, but we haven't reviewed the options in years. On the plus side, Moneydance is cross-platform, syncs to a remote server, has mobile apps and is reasonably priced.
in reply to markstos

HubertManne
HubertManne
• •
thanks. I have never used one but have been contemplating doing so.
in reply to petsoi

steeznson
steeznson
• •
Stephen Fry the comedian/tv presenter is also a huge linux advocate. Specifically Ubuntu. He's been using it for decades at this point.
in reply to steeznson

gramgan
gramgan
• •
As if I needed more reasons to love Stephen Fry!
in reply to petsoi

RabbitMix
RabbitMix
• •
I can't program, but I only use Linux on both my laptop and desktop. All I really do on my computers is browse the web, light photo/video editing, print the occasional document, organize my photos, and play A LOT of video games. I was dual booting windows for a bit there for the games that won't work on Linux, but I soon discovered that those games weren't really worth dealing with the annoyances I had with windows for how often I actually wanted to play them... except CoD, but I have an Xbox so I just play that there. Deleting my windows partition was a great choice.
in reply to RabbitMix

vulgarcynic
vulgarcynic
• •

I am so, so close to doing the same. Still have a small partition carved out for CoD and Windows. I just find myself booting in to it less and less.

Thank goodness MicroVision seems to be keen on continuing to flog that dead horse with a Warzone focus, means I can finally be free.

in reply to vulgarcynic

RabbitMix
RabbitMix
• •
yeah, if it weren't for my fiancée playing idk if I'd still be playing CoD at all.
in reply to RabbitMix

EuroNutellaMan
EuroNutellaMan
• •
get them addicted to BattleBits Remastered, runs smoothly on Linux and is fun as shit.
in reply to RabbitMix

sfxrlz
sfxrlz
• •
Only thing keeping my windows partition alive is the pain it seems to be to set up sim racing gear and games and servers on Linux.
in reply to sfxrlz

RabbitMix
RabbitMix
• •
I'd be in the same situation if I wasn't too broke for any of that
in reply to petsoi

ColdWater
ColdWater
• •
I don't even know how to write "hello world" in python but I use vanilla Arch XD
in reply to ColdWater

CrabAndBroom
CrabAndBroom
• •
Same here, I work in the arts and can't code a thing, but I use Arch (btw) as my daily driver.
in reply to ColdWater

gerdesj
gerdesj
• •

If I recall correctly Arch has ... ssh into wifey's laptop ... python installed out of the box.

Run up a console and type python, and hit enter. Type in print ("Hello World") and hit enter. There you go!

If you lack a python: $ yay -S python.

in reply to gerdesj

Custodian1623
Custodian1623
• •
Vanilla arch would be pacman -S python 🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸
in reply to ColdWater

zeroAhead
zeroAhead
• •

It was my first Linux distro after using Microsoft stuff for ages and let me tell you: it was a big mistake. It was absolutely confusing, had to use terminal for so many things with even msdos commands that I forgot that existed, broke it 3 times by just trying to automount the other drivers and a host of other things.

End up switching to Linux mint and the transition went much smoother after that. I'm going back to it eventually though. I actually like it a lot.

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to zeroAhead

Petter1
Petter1
• •
EndeavourIS is the Arch for people like you 😉 (and me)
This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to petsoi

FlickeringScreens
FlickeringScreens
• •
The most "programming" I can do is make a basic scratch project and print("Hello World!") in python, but linux is great
in reply to Entropywins

tuhriel
tuhriel
• • 
print("Hello World")

Save the file as script.py

And then execute it with

python3 script.py

in reply to tuhriel

EuroNutellaMan
EuroNutellaMan
• •
Impressive, you look like a very skilled programmer, management has told me you are now tasked with building a hyper-realistic virtual simulation of a Large Hadron Collider including detailed simulations of the lives of the actual workers and their families, you have a week or you're fired by the firing squad, no you're not allowed to ask why we need it or who we are or why we chose you and it is especially forbidden to ask for more time (and no you can't ask why that is either). See you in a week, have a nice day :).
in reply to tuhriel

JasonDJ
JasonDJ
• •

This is bad practice.

More accurately it should look something like this:

# Load sys library for exiting with status code
import sys

def sayHelloWorld(outPhrase: str="Hello World"):
    # Main function, print a phrase and return NoneType
    print(outPhrase)
    return None

if __name__=="__main__":
    # Provide output and exit cleanly when run from shell
    sayHelloWorld()
    sys.exit(0)
else:
    # Exit with rc!=0 when not run from shell
    sys.exit(1)
This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to JasonDJ

calcopiritus
calcopiritus
• •
Fellow pythonistas, how can I make this code more pythonic?
in reply to petsoi

spittingimage
spittingimage
• •

I'm also not a programmer but here's why Linux is my daily driver:

I like it.

in reply to spittingimage

growingentropy
growingentropy
• •
I have no formal tech background, but I'm pretty damn good with it. And I like Arch and Debian with XFCE.
in reply to petsoi

mFat
mFat
• •
I'm a video producer and writer, I only use linux.
in reply to petsoi

octopus_ink
octopus_ink
• •

2007 was YOTLD for me. Yours, dear Windows-using reader, is 2024, if you want it to be.

static.fsf.org/nosvn/FSF30-vid…

This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to petsoi

Krzd
Krzd
• •

I personally use windows (I play a lot of different games with friends, and setting all of them up in Linux is a lot of work) and I hate it.

However my mum only uses her laptop for browsing and zoom calls, so I installed Linux mint on that and it's been going great, there are soooo much less issues than with modern windows.

in reply to Krzd

GameMuse
GameMuse
• •
Really? I have migrated to Fedora Linux and have had 0 issues playing games. Literally just installed steam then heroic launcher for my games on GOG and Epic. I did have a little issue get ea games to load but that was as my as blocker blocked ea games from fetching the librsry. Which in fair EA faorness EA sucks and should be vlocked.
This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to GameMuse

Krzd
Krzd
• •

Had some issues with EAC and getting games to run OOTB which was an issue with spontaneously playing weird and obscure games. If I or we would plan our sessions properly it wouldn't have been a problem though

Fully agree on the EA thing, as well as ubishit constantly being buggy and a pain to work with though.

in reply to petsoi

Asudox
Asudox
• •
Why is it that people think Linux distros are for programmers or tech people only? This is the reason why we don't get many people on Linux distros.
in reply to Asudox

Petter1
Petter1
• •
Because they live with old news and don’t update tech news knowledge as often as tech savy people do.
in reply to petsoi

Petter1
Petter1
• •

I started using Linux prior starting programming..

But knowing some programming languages will not help much maintaining a linux distribution, tho

in reply to Doods

Petter1
Petter1
• •
Hmm, maybe, but I would say understanding normal behaviour of bash commands and what drivers are does not directly involve knowing about coding.
in reply to petsoi

eveninghere
eveninghere
• •
Why are so many Linux posts about "Why Linux" these days? We already use Linux. Isn't there news on Linux anymore or what?
This entry was edited (3 months ago)
Unknown parent

The Bard in Green
The Bard in Green
• •

I have my Boomer dad using Linux Mint on his laptop, but he was still using Windows on his desktop PC.

Then it updated to Windows 11 and he HATES it and asked me for help to put Linux Mint on his desktop as well.

This is a real estate agent in his 70s who needs help making scans and downloading email attachments.

in reply to petsoi

ssm
ssm
• •
I dislike the paradigm that there are "techy people/programmers" and "tech illiterates/non programmers". Anyone can develop the skills to properly use unix interfaces given proper training; and I know that's true because the whole world used to run (mostly) unix on the desktop before corporate took over. Unix doesn't need to be windowsified/macosified to get people to move over; people need to unlearn the interfaces corporate has brainwashed them with for generations. There are so many more interesting user interfaces than just what Windows and MacOS provide; graphical or otherwise.
This entry was edited (3 months ago)
in reply to ssm

mrvictory1
mrvictory1
• •
I don't know any programming languages but can navigate around Linux, both TUI and GUI.
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