How much have your computing habits/opinions changed since using Linux?

Nope, not at all!
I don’t rule out I’ll eventually do the same thing…
Guess I might be on that same rollercoaster now as you where :smiley:

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I switched from windoze to Linux right about the time when win8 was released. I was using win7 and had no intention of switching to 8 because I hated the new direction it was going in, and then M$ started to push these awful, privacy invading updates to win7, and I was sick of it, so I installed 'Buntu.

I hated the Unity desktop, but I didn’t know for better, so I suffered on it for about 6 months until I discovered KDE and installed K’buntu. That was quite nice. I switched my workflow to be mostly terminal/text editor based (Konsole+Kate), and never before was I as productive with the use of my computers.

I used that for about 6 years or so, but slowly I begun to hate Canonical and their corporate :ox: :poop: and begun looking for a replacement. I also got indoctrinated persuaded by Richard Stallman’s lectures about proprietary software. Luke Smith on YouTube introduced me to Arch, and I switched to that. On one of my computers Arch worked flawlessly, but on another it was crashing constantly (being a complete nôôb, I didn’t know I needed to install Nvidia drivers :rofl:), so I switched to Manjaro and used that for about a year or so. There I became comfortable with Arch Linux package management and the AUR. However, since Manjaro devs were trying to out-Canonical Canonical and LARP as a big GMBH, I decided to switch back to vanilla Arch (now, after using an Arch-based distro for a year, I was no longer a total newbie and I was confident I could make it work easily), but then the drama with Jonathon happened, and I boarded the wrong bus and ended up here. EndeavourOS is close enough to vanilla Arch, so I’m not regretting this decision. :slight_smile:

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Could you elaborate on that? It’s probably coz I’m new, but what happened?

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It’s a long story that we try not to hash out here so if you could take it to pm’s please :hugs:

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One thing that’s happened for me is a change in my attitude about digital privacy. I was never happy about all the information-siphoning going on with Windows, etc., but I was pretty fatalistic about it, since I rely so heavily on digital/online tools for my work. As I’ve gotten into Linux and been exposed to communities that are much less blasé about being spied on constantly, I’ve followed suit. I’ve stopped using social media almost entirely, I’m in the process of de-googlifying my life, and I’m starting to poke around in replacing Dropbox, etc with a self-hosted Nextcloud server. Granted, I could have done all that without Linux, but Linux was the gateway drug, so to speak, to trying to really take charge of my digital life.

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If it’s that sensitive, it’s probably not something I want to get involved with…

Thanks for the friendly warning though!

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The devils lettuce of the digital world.

Once you try it, you’ll get hooked and start preaching how proprietary software is the cause of everything bad and correcting people that what they’re referring to is actually GNU/Linux.

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No more:

-dreading the next update
-desperately trying to keep the OS from spying on me
-trying to find the programs I want somewhat less legaly (PhotoShop et.c.)
-cleaning the computer from left file garbage manically
-screaming and swearing at the computer on a daily basis
-Windoze10

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Oh yeah, that train left the station a while ago.

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Well, for the most part, that’s a true statement :smiley:

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Personally I also find the opposite btw; a lot of people assume that the Linux community, because it is all Free as in Freedom blah blah is by default made up of good people; that you can trust anyone etc.
Which is of course not the case. Between everyday users, genuine enthusiasts and prophets of Freedom, you also have a huge right-wing group, a huge tinfoil group, and other extreme political orientations that just happens to ALSO enjoy Linux OR use it specifically because it is Free as in Freedom as part of their message.

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I am increasingly impressed with this communities ability to self regulate and keep things rational and civil. Things are shaping up nicely. :+1:

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To be fair, also this. I take it very much for granted that I have the ability to modify pretty much any part of the system. Primarily customization, where you can edit some config to get some gnarly looking colors or have something be in a way you like. It’s fun to have a moment where I think to myself “what if I could do this”, then look it up and have it actually be a thing.

Whereas on Windows, anything after XP, I found myself saying too often “why can’t I *** change this ***, this is so *** basic” and the only answer ever online is: because Microsoft doesn’t allow you to. From modifying the start menu, ungrouping programs, changing anything about looks past the 8 colors they currently allow you to have, changing any other funky behavior, etc.

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It all comes down to property rights. With a free operating system like Linux, you own your computer (the hardware), and can, at least in principle, know and control everything that is done by that hardware, since you are running software which respects your ownership. With proprietary software, especially proprietary OS, you do not own your computer, you have no control over what your hardware is doing. You are merely renting it from a software vendor and are completely at their mercy.

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For me personally the gripe is not so much with what the hardware is doing (since I’m not advanced enough to mess with that stuff), but more like – I just want to change this 1 behaviour of the OS so I don’t have to click 15 times and progress my CTS even more or have my system not look like the side of a dirt road…

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I play a lot fewer games than I used to. That’s…pretty much it. I COULD install far less, but now the reinstalls are on purpose rather than forced…

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I’ve gone somewhat full circle. I started off wanting something noob friendly, then went into full tinker mode going so far as to run my own LFS distribution and now I’ve settled into something more “noob friendly”. EOS works for me because the install was painless. I probably wouldn’t have come across it if Arch actually bothered with even a lightweight terminal installer script. I find myself closer to wanting things to “just work” than I did in my more tinkerish phase, but I still am a tinkerer :nerd_face: As such, EOS is the distro for me :slight_smile:

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Have you ever read the Windows EULA? It came in with the release of XP, and basically told us we no longer owned anything at all - and was the reason I switched then…

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Some people learn more slowly, I guess. :sweat:

I think Windows had a universal backdoor since version 95, or so, if I’m not mistaken.

At that time, I was very careless so I haven’t paid attention to that. It was a gradual process for me.

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Great question! :slight_smile: Habits and opinions have changed a lot in just over 3 years …

  1. ended up with lightest Mate system can run, with freedom to be creative re icons, panels, desktop etc, which is awesome
  2. learnt that anti-virus etc seemingly was a con/money-spinner and Linux is awesome for choice, privacy and security … more and more privacy-aware as time passes, plus more alert about what to watch out for, and am relieved to know that
  3. easily cleaning out cache, on a system that doesn’t even slow and bloat, is great
  4. best move was coming across to Arch (based) :bow_and_arrow:
  5. learnt that Linux coders are very technically accomplished :trophy:
  6. much better backup system, so I can sleep at night, lol :sleeping_bed:t2:
  7. actually able to do some baby terminal stuff, which is quite an achievement for someone with artist DNA :paintbrush:
  8. a basic understanding of lots of computer-y stuff I didn’t know before :computer:
  9. learnt a lot about who and what supports linux and privacy, and that makes me happy too e.g. digimend/kernel/xp-pen deco works great, as did previous ugee … would give many cookies :cookie: for a stylus button-configuring gui on Mate though!
  10. there’s been many shifts and needing to learn and sort different things, but I’m settling more now, and can get on with what I use the computer for much better :paintbrush:
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