My motive for liking this article is that I initially moved off of Windows onto Linux due to the Recall drama and AI getting shoved in. And now a lot of AI-generated code is going into the Linux kernel. So I was wondering if there were any viable alternatives. I'm not looking for alternatives for clout or to show how much of a genius I am compared to all those normies. I'd actually prefer if there was a popular alternative that matched my requirements, especially since because I'm not a genius. More users = more people asking and answering different support questions = it's easier for me to self-solve any problem that occurs without investing all the hours needed to become an expert.

(If none of them have enough documentation or compatible needed applications for my non-expert self, I was going to go with Gentoo, and if I still cannot figure that out, any Linux distribution is still probably better than Windows or Apple on 1) preloading generative artificial intelligence features onto the OS and making them hard to take out and 2) not training AI on your data.)

Also, it is nice to find out about people making other options. Right now I was mostly under the impression there were three options: Windows, MacOS, and the many Linux distributions. I figured there were a few niche OSes out there. This article makes them more "real" to me. In a society where our choices are increasingly being narrowed to a few brands, and alternatives to the big guys keep getting acquired, I like to see different options existing, that people invested their time and love into these cool projects. (Yes, I do understand that Windows and MacOS are the big guys and Linux is much smaller from a non-server-admin viewpoint.)

I'm sure there are other genuine motives for liking the article as well, as opposed to clout-chasing ones.

Would like to hear more about your Haiku experience. Is it a decent daily driver?

edit: https://www.haiku-os.org/about/faq

Can I use Haiku as my primary Operating System?

Yes! Although the OS is still considered “beta”, it is reasonably stable and can be used to perform most daily tasks such as browsing the web writing and reading e-mails, or listening to music and watching videos. We strongly recommend that you make backups of your personal files regularly.

Can Haiku connect to the Internet?

Yes! We reuse network drivers from FreeBSD, so most network adapters will work on Haiku out of the box. Haiku includes an e-mail client and a web browser, and you can install other network-enabled applications.

Wish someone had given me this advice when I was younger!

cs.universityname.edu link

reminded me I had to read this for a Computer Science class too! Figured I'd post for nice discussion, but I did read this awhile ago and am going off the Wikipedia summary as a refresher, so please forgive any misrepresentation of the piece or bad assumptions I make about what it has to say.

I think I had the same perspective then that I do now. Still a certified hater of the "omg we're replacing nature (GOOD) with artificial (BAD)" bits, as someone who hates bugs and dirt and would never be caught hiking, and likes my artificial first-world comforts of air-conditioning, soap, and medically-necessary pills. Fully aware a lot of human innovation takes inspiration from how nature accomplishes things, and okay with that—why not copy a proven successful strategy? But I'm way more likely to align with "ripping life out of the jaws of cruel nature, thriving in spite of it" narratives, probably influenced by the way I've seen myself and others get screwed over by medical issues we were born with, and get helped by man-made treatment. (Yes, I understand humans live in this world, and if we want to keep having nice things that we construct out of Earth stuff, we have to treat it right and be sustainable and not pollute. And also not create unexpected side effects for us down the road by messing with complex ecosystems we do not fully understand. "I have a dim view of nature" still goes with "we must be responsible about our use of the environment" for me.)

But the blind machine worship, not being aware of the human influence that made it let alone how to repair it? I thought that was idiotic of the characters to have gotten to that point, and only now have I gotten to a point where I see that type of behavior. Not sure if I was more oblivious to the world when I read the piece, or if there was genuinely less of it, or if there was that behavior but it wasn't as written-about as it is today.

Absolutely see the bit about repeating others' ideas secondhand, not getting firsthand experience in my own life. I do not know how much of that is healthy. On one hand, I think it's correct, actually, that I listened to my mom saying "do not touch the stove, it is hot and will burn you" as a kid. I took the experience or knowledge my mom gained (not sure if she learned firsthand, or if she also listened to her own mom on that, or if she saw a sibling get burnt) and acted on it instead of trying firsthand and getting hurt. I had a period in my life where I tried to read about other peoples' experiences. Trying to broaden my horizons, but also to gain lots and lots of secondhand experience with which to avoid having to learn the hard way firsthand, instead, using the knowledge of others as a cheat code for an easier path. I still think this was healthy, and don't know at which point this type of behavior needs to stop before it becomes an issue like in the story.

For what it's worth I think TheMachineStops!andioop would probably be an underground sheeple the story is arguing against, able to tell you all the many ways the air is toxic and the environment is harsh and as such that is why I'd rather stay underground, figuring going outside to see it for myself is pointless. I do hope I wouldn't give into machine worship, but who knows?

~~And it's nice to see them adapt to a changing world in a direction that I actually like~~

Fedi tends to take a very negative view of TikTok and I totally understand why. Don't want an addictive algorithm gluing me to TikTok all day, especially since I know I'm susceptible to it. As well as the typical social media hivemind of "we're better than the other social media," I think people look down on it the same way people look down on reality TV (probably a mixture of what the content is, and a mixture of how it can get pretty manipulative and exploitative of the people on it). And oh boy do I think reality TV would not go down well here. Even if TikTok probably has tons of niches, this video itself of this specific TikTok content seems like it would appeal more to the reality TV side of stuff.

I'm guessing some of us can watch this video and still never be tempted to touch TikTok, some of us might get curious about the source and so go all "I must remain pure from the filth, not even a mention lest I be exposed, tempted, and subsequently defiled myself."

!learn_programming@programming.dev might help you too.

Honestly, I started with a specific goal that I somehow lucked out into it being a relatively simple script with iMacros of all things, and that was my introduction to the whole if/then control flow loop basics. (Yes, it recorded my stuff, but I had to go in and alter it and mess around a lot.) And I messed around with Scratch at the same time too. I really think this helped my actual Baby's First Program go down more easily in my first computer science class in college. (First language due to college was Racket, second was Java, third was C, I think this is fine.)

Making very simple video game mods might help too, with modding communities that have loads of documentation and "where do I start?" resources.

FOSS: https://mael.dev/secretsanta/ https://github.com/arcanis/secretsanta

What I've been using for my own Secret Santas.

Helping you host your secret santas without leaking your guests' informations since 2015

The actual pair shows up in a link you send out, no forcing people to give emails, or ruining the surprise for the organizer.

Also lets you rig it by forcing a pair to occur, or preventing a pair from happening while otherwise leaving it up to chance.

Also seconding Automate the Boring Stuff. I skimmed the beginning and it seems very usable for beginners. Also very useful for folks NOT new to programming but looking for an easy intro to a new programming language (Python), which is what I used it for.