Susurrus

That's a very good question, actually. Why is everyone so stupid? Because the education system has been intentionally sabotaged and crippled for decades? No, that's too recent. When did it start?

If we're talking about the root of all problems, then it probably started way back in ancient times. Prehistoric maybe. Whenever the first hyperintelligent psychopath decided to live as a god by taking advantage of everyone around him. And since then we've just been repeating the same cycle?

But all I know about Linux is 1: it's a cantankerous beast that can smell your fear and lack of computer skills and 2: that's apparently not true any more?

It is indeed not true anymore. In the year 2025 Linux is easier to use than Windows, and even not too tech savvy 60-year-olds manage just fine. Though you should know 'Linux' is not an operating system. When saying 'Linux', people most often refer to it as a family of operating systems. Many of which are incredibly user friendly and ready out of the box. And many of which aren't.

Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: only for a handful of online games, e.g. League. If using Steam, there's virtually nothing you have to do. Epic and GOG are easy to use, but theough third party launchers. Other storefronts/launchers are harder to set up, but all of them work. It should be noted Steam is the only platform with official Linux support. Here is a database of Steam games with info on Linux and Steam Deck compatibility.

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

Depends on the game. Overall definitely not 'as freely and as easily' as on Windows. For Steam Workshop games, it works just as it does on Windows. For the rest sometimes you need to do a little work, sometimes a lot. Bethesda titles seem to be the most problematic on Linux when it comes to modding.

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Most of the time it is fairly straightforward and works nicely. Some are particularly difficult to get working on Linux, e.g. MS Office, so you might as well forget that.

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

Yes. There is software specifically for compatibility with Windows' libraries. While .NET framework you can simply install like you would on Windows. This is in fact needed in order to mod some games.

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a "Linux Update" program like what Windows has?

As mentioned at the start, Linux isn't a single OS, so it highly depends on the specific distribution (OS from the Linux family, in simple terms). Usually you just go to your app store and click on updates. Of course, there are other ways of updating the system and the choice is yours.

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Linux is extremely more secure than Windows. The whole 'open source leads to vulnerability' is a myth. There are antiviruses for Linux, but nobody uses them. There is barely any malware targetting Linux, and when you encounter it, most of the time you'll have to mess up and run it yourself giving it permissions. There are also more security-focused Linux distributions.

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?

Nvidia: not really.

AMD and Intel: yes, incredibly reliable.

For AMD and Intel you don't need any additional drivers, other than the generic drivers that come with the OS. They work perfectly and you can play games right away. For Nvidia you would have to go through the not-so-pleasant process of installing their drivers.

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

No. This sounds like something somebody who's never used Linux would say on Reddit. While technically it is possible, just as it is possible on Windows, this is not something you will likely encounter at any point.

And also, what distro might be best for me?

Personally I'd go with Fedora. It's very easy to use. It looks nice too, kind of like MacOS. By default, that is, since you always have complete freedom to customize how your system looks. My gf, who doesn't know what a Shift key is, is able to use Fedora just fine. For both gaming and web browsing. This is how simple Linux has gotten in the last years.

Most people will probably recommend Linux Mint. Another great choice for beginners. The UI/UX is very similar to that of Windows. Personally it's not my favorite, but it's up to user preference. You definitely can't go wrong with it.

There is also Pop!_OS, which is similar to Fedora. However, it does include an ISO for systems with Nvidia GPUs, so you don't have to go through the trouble of installing the drivers.

I'd highly recommend trying one of these. If you like any of them, then just stick to it, and you'll have a great experience.

This is neither new nor surprising. They casually break EU-US personal data transfer agreements like they're nothing. They know perfectly well they will be fined, but they profit infinitely more from breaking EU law than they have to pay up in fines. It's a simple business decision. The EU Comission is being very lenient here, like they've been for years.

The fundamental roadblock here is: people are generally done with 'learning' when they become adult. Not learning computers or software, or anything else in particular. Just learning. There seems to be a somewhat common idea that 'education' and 'learning' is for children, and as an adult, you should have better things to do. Sadly, we can see all around where such an idea leads us.

From my experience, it's almost always "Chrome doesn't have feature x". It's the most feature poor browser currently in wide use. The only advantage that comes to mind is web dev tools, which: a) 99% of people don't care about, because they aren't web devs. b) Chromium also has, and it's like the considerably less infuriating twin.

Some people really will desparately do whatever it takes to cling onto Microsoft's slop, just so they don't have to spend an hour or two learning something new.

And if you do actually need Windows for a very specific piece of software or one of those 5 online games - okay, fair enough. But we all know the vast majority are just lazy and ignorant.

That doesn't make much sense to me. The games part okay, kinda, since Nintendo games aren't easily available on the Deck.

But tinkering? I've had a Steam Deck since it first launched, and the only tinkering I've done is because I could, and wanted to. Never because I needed to. All games I've played work perfectly out of the box. Even games marked as 'unsupported'. All of my tinkering was completely unnecessary and done for additional fun, e.g. modding, which is one of the best things about PC gaming, and will most certainly never be a thing on Nintendo's platforms.

As far as I can tell, "Nintendo people" don't really 'reason'. More like, they follow their uninformed preconceptions, and reject anything that doesn't fit with them. My gf has been a Nintendo fan for a long time, and she was convinced other platforms aren't that simple and offer a worse experience. I introduced her to PC gaming, and showed her how the Deck works. Now she's forgotten about her Switch and isn't going to buy Switch 2. It seems to me that all these people need is somebody to show them what gaming really is. Because whatever Nintendo is, it certainly isn't gaming. Just a small glimpse into gaming, maybe.

As for Zelda, Mario or whatever fans - guess they'll have to stick with Nintendo. Personally their games never appealed to me enough to buy a console specifically to play them. I'd like to play the new Zelda games, but I have a lot of other games to finish first. And then again, Switch emulation is incredibly easy. Took me like 10 or 15 minutes to get BotW working last time.

It doesn't mean they "have to abide by GDPR" or that they "are GDPR compliant". All it means is they appear to be GDPR compliant and pretend to respect user privacy. The sole fact that the AI chatbots are run in US-based data centres is against GDPR. The EU has had many different personal data transfer agreements with the US, all of which were canceled shortly after signing due to US corporations breaking them repeatedly (Facebook usually being the main culprit).

Deep thinking is never needed. Animals manage their entire lives just fine without it!

1. Added paragraph breaks and will try to use them actively.

2. As mentioned in another reply, I was referring to the base idea, and not to what people think or feel. Perhaps I failed to convey that effectively.

3. Probably true. Hard to say for certain, but as far as I can tell, 'aliens' are practically guaranteed to exist, while gods are the opposite.

Completely agree. I had the same experiences as a kid. Organized religious institutions always go against the religions they pretend to preach. Religious belief should be a personal choice, not a mass brain washing.

The Catholic Church requires that Christians indoctrine their children into Christianity since they are born. But this is the Church speaking, not Christianity or Jesus. In fact, the New Testament clearly says that it is perfectly acceptable for the family of a Christian to reject Christianity. The sole fact that they love the part of their family that is Christian, is enough.

But of course, barely any self-proclaimed Christians have ever opened the Bible, let alone read it. And the Church coveniently doesn't recommend reading it.

What you're saying is completely true, but in no way contradicts what I said. I was referring to the fundamental idea of faith. I never said people adhere to it, and that nobody actually thinks God, or whatever else, exists.

Obviously, a lot of people do. Just like a lot of people think the Earth is flat or that chocolate milk comes from chocolate cows. A huge number of people are uneducated, have been fed propaganda and manipulated for years. I don't think anyone needs any convincing that churches lie to and scam people on a daily basis for personal gain. But doesn't make faith or religion itself a lie.

Similarly, there's quite a few self improvement gurus who make up false ideas about self improvement and feed lies to their many, many followers. But does that make self improvement itself a lie, or a pointless dream?