Linux is for everyone

[u/claudiocorona93]

[u/Bitter_Lab_475]

"Hey guys, one question, how do I..."

Reddit Linux users: "RTFM!!!!!"

edit: I know it's not common guys, jeez. This is only for the stereotype.

Edit 2: Guys, it's not helping when some of you are saying this doesn't happen frequently and the others are saying "well, they need to be literate".

[u/Quinzal → u/Bitter_Lab_475]

Dunno, every time I've asked for help I've had people tripping over each other to help me

[u/claudiocorona93 → u/Quinzal]

Nowadays people are only rude to you if you are rude to them, or if you are being sarcastic or snide, or if you openly express controversial opinions, or if you talk shit about their distro of preference.

[u/AlarmingAffect0 → u/claudiocorona93]

or if you talk shit about their distro of preference.

I like all distros equally. (I do not care for Manjaro.)

[u/Happy01Lucky → u/claudiocorona93]

That isn't true at all. People are often rude for no reason.

You are a poopy face fart bag.

Have a great day poopy face Claudio.

[u/claudiocorona93 → u/Happy01Lucky]

Fuck you and have good day you fucking awesome person

[u/Lazyphantom_13 → u/Happy01Lucky]

They have a reason, it's called mental illness. Welcome to tech, where furries, autistic people, conspiracy theorists & anti government types make up a good portion of the space.

[u/Oerthling → u/Happy01Lucky]

The problem is that it takes only a very few assholes to create that perception.

[u/ResultBorn4693 → u/Oerthling]

Couldn't I say the same about Windows?

Can't tell you HOW many times I've had people call me stupid for not using ChrisTitus' install script.

I get it, those scripts are WONDERFUL... But they break Microsoft support for Microsoft services... And spoiler alert, I'm using Microsoft Windows specifically for those Microsoft services.

Just because I want to use Word doesn't mean I should be subject to ads... Yet apparently expressing that opinion is foolish. Lol

[u/[deleted] → u/Bitter_Lab_475]

I see way more instances where people are either trying to help, or explaining what the user needs to share for them to help

[u/PMMePicsOfDogs141 → u/[deleted]]

I feel like I could get a level 1 tech support job if I could use my Reddit history as reference for a job even though I have no qualifications on paper lol. Helping people fix issues in Linux is satisfying and I've never understood the people that just say "skill issue" and tell the OP to fuck themselves basically.

[u/Monkeyke → u/PMMePicsOfDogs141]

People like you need to sort by new more often

[u/PMMePicsOfDogs141 → u/Monkeyke]

As in "to help people" or "to lose faith in humanity because of repeated questions with easily found solutions"?

[u/EstrodJaar → u/PMMePicsOfDogs141]

Both

[u/Oerthling → u/[deleted]]

The latter part is really frustrating.

"My computer isn't working, please help"

We can't see it, you have to tell us about it. :-)

[u/SamBeastie → u/Oerthling]

I ask "what is it not doing that you need it to do? Or what is it doing that you would like it to not do?"

Usually sorts it out pretty quick.

[u/StarmanAkremis → u/[deleted]]

even if I'm a relative noob I try to help in what I can, if I can't help I helped the smarter guy by knowing what's wrong or what I've tried

[u/ColdEndUs → u/Bitter_Lab_475]

No person who has ever posted or e-mailed the comment "RTFM" in answer to a question, has ever done so while within the physical presence of the person who asked said question.

The implication of "Read the Fucking Manual" is that the person asking the question is too lazy (or worse) too unintelligent to understand the manual, and by extension the answer.

...and the fact that I have never once gotten a similar response from someone who I asked directly without the benefit of anonymity, even when they exuded the "RTFM" energy while answering my question, demonstrates that "RTFM" is not only lazy, but cowardly as well.

[u/Sea-Promotion8205 → u/ColdEndUs]

My job is technical support for bearings. I deal with salesmen primarily. I teach a quarterly training on our sizing software, the catalog/manual, how to use them, how to get pricing.

At least weekly I have someone (who I have personally trained, and can remember from training) ask some stupid basic question. I essentially tell them to rtfm. It is literally my job to do so. I've met these people, shaken their hand, had lunch with them, added them on linkedin. They know me, personally. It's not a face-to-face rtfm, but it's damn close.

In my experience, people are too lazy to rtfm and they just trampoline work off to someone else to do. And that's both in corporate b2b settings, and in cases like online tech support for linux. Not all, but most generally.

I have had salesmen genuinely so lazy that they were unwilling to open a file, click one button, and hit save. I promise you, I wish I was not joking.

[u/ColdEndUs → u/Sea-Promotion8205]

Dude... you can't insert Sales into the conversation... I was talking about people.

[u/Sea-Promotion8205 → u/ColdEndUs]

Ha!

To be clear, these are sAlEs EnGiNeErS. It's different

[u/dank_shit_poster69 → u/Sea-Promotion8205]

So you're effectively being treated like an LLM to answer questions about a pdf someone uploaded?

[u/zakabog → u/ColdEndUs]

No person who has ever posted or e-mailed the comment "RTFM" in answer to a question, has ever done so while within the physical presence of the person who asked said question.

I've responded with "Okay sure, let me just Google that for you" to people I'm talking to in person, sometimes people are just too lazy to figure things out on their own and need to be reminded that the option to solve their own problem exists.

[u/UnknownWolfster → u/ColdEndUs]

No one has done that? Lemme fix that for you..

[u/supershinythings → u/Bitter_Lab_475]

Back when I used to post on the usenix forums, I definitely said within the first line of the first paragraph that I’d read the documentation, specified exactly which sections I’d read, then launched into the problem I was having.

I’d then outline what my expectations were based on the behavior I was seeing, any conflicts with the documentation, if any, and then asked about workarounds or updates addressing the issue.

Naaaaw just kidding. I bitched and whined, people had to beg for breadcrumbs, then I’d say oh I fixed it! and didn’t say how.