[sf-lug] Linux Hater's Blog

[Rick Moen]

Quoting JW (jmango at mail.com):

> The learning curve for each distro seems annoying and unnecessary to me.

Maybe you're spending too much time trying to learn the parts that just
don't matter.

The bash shell and core GNU & BSD tools are utterly consistent and
reliable across all systems.  Standard X11 copy-and-paste works exactly
the same, regardless of window manager and "desktop" (if any) systems.
The filesystem tree is organised in exactly the same way, for the same
reasons, regardless of distribution or window manager.

All of those things are exactly the same with any choice of "icons and
menus" software , and also with choosing None of the Above.

And, once you've gotten a passing acquaintance with the _real_, core
functionality of all Linux/GNU systems, you're guaranteed to be at home,
relatively speaking, in all of them.[1]  You'll even find *BSD and
Solaris to be pretty close kin, for most purposes.

> Again, I am a newbie, but how many newbies are going to go through
> this until they find a distribution they like?

All of the ones who understand that real freedom inevitably brings real
diversity.

If you want an utterly simple, standardised Linux computer with a
uniform, limited user interface, buy a TiVo.  Of course, it has
deliberately limited scope of functionality -- but lack of real
diversity requires lack of real freedom (contrapositive of the earlier 
rule).


[1] The foregoing appeal to universality and total access-for-anyone
usually impels some subsequent online commentator to label the implied
perspective as "elitist" -- which allegation is both non-sequitur to the
topic and unclear on the meaning of that term.  (Unfortunately for such
speakers, that term does _not_ in fact mean "entailing greater than
minimal effort".)