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California moves to exempt Linux from its upcoming age-verification law after backlash over forcing operating systems to collect users’ ages (www.tomshardware.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 10 points 4 months ago (6 children)

You think kids don’t know how to download and install linux?

Yes. I think most kids don't know how to download linux. Just the same as I think most adults don't know how to do it. It doesn't matter if it's actually easy. That's not the question. The question is if people know how to do it.

Just the same I don't think they know how to download a non-google based browser.

It's not about difficulty. It's about desire to do so. I've heard pancakes are very easy to make. I have no desire to make pancakes. I'm 42 and have never made pancakes. I know there's eggs and flour, and a bowl. I'd have to learn. And to learn, I have to want to learn. And that all goes back to having desire to learn.

Necessity is the mother of innovation. And right now, 90% of the population do not give a damn about which os they use. They just call it "the facebook machine", and it's their cell phone.

Desktop across all platforms is dying. Windows 11 sucks. The ram costs are making everything unobtainable. The vast majority don't even know there is a different way. They just pull out their cell phone, check their tiktok and whatever else, and they go about their day.

At this point three people have desktops. Gamers, hobbyists, and people who need them for work.

So yeah. I DO think most people have zero clue that you can install linux from a usb. I also think most people have never heard of linux.

I wish I still knew where this comic was. It was two geologists, and they're discussing how the common man must surely know of the starter rocks that everybody knows. Then they start listing a bunch of crystals and rocks nobody has ever heard of before. And they say "oh, and obviously everybodys heard of (insert rock you've never heard of)" and his coworker says "well obviously".

Completely unaware that what seems common to them is completely unknown to everyone else. I really feel like about 30-50% of linux users have that mentality about PCs. They have a PC. They find Linux easy. Therefore it IS easy, and everybody on earth can use linux.

For some of you, you don't see the failure of that logic, while the rest of you are cringing right now.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago

    I wish I still knew where this comic was. It was two geologists, and they're discussing how the common man must surely know of the starter rocks that everybody knows.

    You're thinking of XKCD 2501: Average Familiarity:

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Necessity is the mother of invention. If you put enough roadblocks in the way these kids will learn same as we did. The only difference is they'll have an LLM and youtube videos to learn what they need instead of BBS, IRC, and books like we used. Kids know how to search the web. They might not know what they don't know but as soon as they search "how do i browse the web without my computer telling on me" and linux comes up then they'll fall down the rabbit hole. It's like you think these kids exist in bubbles.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    You're placing a lot of "if"s in there, and treating them as if they're already true.

    If you put enough roadblocks in the way these kids will learn same as we did.

    Roadblocks to what? To using a pc? What makes you think kids WANT to use a PC at all? Is the roadblock getting to access the internet? Because there's no roadblocks for that. They have cell phones. Thats what they know the internet as, and they're accessing it just fine. Is the roadblock privacy? You think kids who take out their cell phones in public, and record them and their friends, and anyone walking by in the background, as they dance the newest trendy dance, to upload to tiktok, are worried about privacy?

    And yes, I do think everyone lives in a bubble. Some people live in the same bubble. Most people live in multiple bubbles.

    Did you know the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost the first 3 games in a 7 game series against the NY Knicks? Probably not. I live in Cleveland. It's all anybody in this bubble is talking about. I don't even like basketball, but right now everyone in the Cleveland sports bubble is losing their shit. I imagine outside of Cleveland nobody gives a shit.

    Your bubble seems to be linux. You think linux is more prominant than it is. Right now desktop linux is at a 5% highest ever user base. It has nothing to do with people ditching windows. It has nothing to do with privacy concerns. It has everything to do with Valve making huge progress towards gaming on linux. People are taking their old "not good enough for windows" pcs, and suddenly their gaming lifespan covers more.

    Because again. Nobody is saying linux is bad. What it does, it does well if you know what you're doing. What I'm saying is nobody cares about any of that until they have a desire to use a pc, that isn't windows. Most people are just ditching pcs completely because for watching youtube, and browsing facebook, and recording tiktoks, why do you need anything more than a low end cell phone? Why buy a pc during a time when prices are sky high, when they get what they need from the thing already in their pocket?

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